Creedon wins All Gaeltacht Clash with Desmond in Junior A Championship

A packed weekend of road bowling delivered dramatic finishes, with Conor Creedon snatching a late win over Micháel Desmond in the Junior A championship. Elsewhere, tournament action and underage finals added to a busy schedule, showcasing strong performances across all levels.

All the participants at the Ladies Day in Rosscarbery

Under 16 Finalists at The Phale Road with family & Supporters

U9 Long shot winners at the Ladies Day at Rosscarbery

Third Place Grenagh Joe Walsh & Darragh O'Donovan with Ból Chumann Chairman Willie Murphy

The Girls U-12 Final in Ted Hegarty's tournament at The Phale Road

Ted Hegarty's U-16 Final at The Phale Road

Ted Hegarty's U-10 Final at The Phale Road

Ted Hegarty's U-14 Tournament at The Phale Road

P.J. O'Driscoll & Grace Ahern R-up in the Lyre Mixed Doubles Tournament

Novice Team event winners at Castletown Martin Cronin, Chris Walsh & Brian Galvin

Nicola Hurley U-14 R-up at the Phale Road with family

Mixed Doubles Finalists at Lyre P.J. O'Driscoll & Grace Ahern R-up and Emma & Eoin Hurley Winners

Mid Cork Junior B C-ship SF at Newcestown John Butler (L) r-up and Ger O'Driscoll (R) winner

Lyre Mixed Doubles Tournament Winners Emma Hurley & Eoin Hurley

Lauren & Aoife McCarthy with Ladies Youth Officer Meghan Collins

Ladies day at Rosscarbery

Junior A tournament at Ballinacurra Sean Murphy (L) beat Liam Murphy (R) with ref Tim Walsh.

U-14 winner at The Phale Road with Family

Ted Hegarty's U-16 Final

U-16 r-up in Ted Hegarty's tournament final at The Phale Road with Family

Ballinacurra Novice Team winners Chris Hayes, Brian Galvin and Martin Cronin

Templemichael Junior A C-ship Danny Stokes bt Cian Boyle

At Rosscarbery Junior A C-ship Donal Riordan bt Jimmy O'Driscoll

At Clondrohid Junior A C-ship Conor Creedon beat Micháel Desmond with reff Niall Murphy

Participants at the Ladies Day in Rosscarbery

At Ballyhooley Junior A C-ship Micheal O'Donoghue beat Cillian Kelleher

Ladies Day at Rosscarbery participants with Ladies Youth Officer Meghan Collins

All heading to Westport in September for the Novice All-Ireland team event with Ból chumann

2nd Place at The Novice team finals @ Castletown Evan Murphy, Martin McSweeney & Kevin Healy

The Junior A county championship got into full swing with as many as five scores down for decision this past weekend. On Saturday at Clondrohid, Gaeltacht opponents Micháel Desmond and Conor Creedon had a savage tussle, no stake in this one. At the mulch yard in two each, Desmond had a slight lead, but extended this to seventy meters with his third up past Riordan’s gate. Creedon was back of Tier Beg Cross in four where Desmond had sixty meters of odds. Two super bowls from Creedon out sight at the black house reduced Desmond’s lead to twenty meters and at the Bell Inn in another Creedon was coming very close to taking his first lead. Both over Kelly’s hump in two more great bowls on a tricky surface, Desmond still hold the lead by thirty meters. A poor bowl from Kelly’s from Creedon where he left himself a huge bowl to go sight for Kelleher’s farm, Desmond made Geoff’s lane, huge odds. Creedon lined an absolute perfect bowl that not only went full sight for the farm but gave him his first lead by a foot, which he held past the farm with their next shots. Desmond only made the novice line with his next and Creedon got a lucky rub to the lollipops, Desmond missed this tip to concede a bowl of odds with the finish approaching. Creedon held out in the end to win by a bowl of odds.

Two more Junior A scores were played, at Templemartin Bryan O’Halloran a player we haven’t heard a lot of in recent times beat Tom O’Donovan by two bowls for a stake of €570 a-side and at Templemicheal Danny Stokes took the honours from Cian Boyle by the last shot for €2,225 a-side.

RIORDAN BACK TO HIS BEST

At Rosscarbery Donal Riordan took the honours from Jimmy O’Driscoll in a junior a championship score playing for a stake of €800 a-side. After three poor opening shots from both players Riordan had thirty meters of odds above the avenue. Two more to the Priests house where Riordan put a bit of daylight between them but this was short lived as O’Driscoll got a big rub with his sixth to the lollipops to give him his first lead. At Barry’s Boreen in two more only a meter separated them. O’Driscoll got a huge bowl from here past the B & B but Riordan beat it well and followed up with two more incredible bowls out Cahermore cross where he was now throwing his odds with a bowl over O’Driscoll. O’Driscoll got a great bowl to Froe cross that Riordan beat by thirty meters in two. After the next exchange there was only the bare bowl in it. But Riordan put down another one of his special ones back of the big pillars and matters were terminated here.

Cillian Kelleher made the long trip to Ballyhooley to play Micheal O’Donoghue in the premier junior a championship, no stake in this encounter. After two bowls out sight Kelleher had ten meters of odds. Out around the double bends in three more Kelleher held a ten meter advantage. O’Donoghue got a super seventh that covered the straight and gave him his first lead. O’Donoghue did not take advantage of a poor eight from Kelleher as he only beat the tip by five meters. Kelleher gave O’Donoghue chances enough to pull away as he got poor ninth and tenth shots and O’Donoghue was still only five meters fore bowl with the line approaching. Kelleher took back the lead with an average eleventh shot, but it was short-lived as O’Donoghue line a huge twelfth that Kelleher missed by twenty five meters. Nothing separated them after their next shots with O’Donoghue just fore bowl for the last shots. Kelleher lined a good bowl but O’Donoghue beat it.

SEAN SNATCHES VICTORY FROM LIAM IN LAST SHOT ENCOUNTER

Liam Murphy will have nightmares about the way in which he lost his tournament score at Ballinacurra to Sean Murphy, playing for €1,500 a-side. After crossing the main road in four each Liam led by five meters. Liam raised forty meters with his next two shots to the nooks but undid his good work with a poor seventh that gave Sean back the lead by twenty meters. Liam was back in front again at the hurling alley by forty meters. Up past the silvery gates in two more for Liam where he was throwing his odds over fifteen meters. Liam raised the bowl of odds with his next shot out onto the straight, he held this odds and big odds with it at the laurels. Sean played his fifteenth well but missed out sight for the finish line, Liam made the yellow wall still a bowl in it with only two shots to go. Sean went out and around full sight for the finish line and Liam missed this tip by thirty meters and only beat the tip again by fifteen meters. Sean lined a huge last up past the farm entrance and Liam missed this well hind bowl.

O'DRISCOLL BOOKS HIS PLACE IN MID CORK B FINAL

Ger O’Driscoll booked his place in the Mid Cork Junior B championship final with a victory over John Butler at Newcestown. After three shots to Mac’s cross O’Driscoll was just fore bowl. After two more from O’Driscoll past Allen’s lane he had almost a bowl of odds, four more good bowls out to Desmond’s lane where Butler was keeping it under the bowl of odds. Butler unleashed a huge tenth shot down the hill that won him his first lead as O’Driscoll was unlucky to get caught in a pole, but this lead was short lived as O’Driscoll got a great bowl to Buttimer’s to take back the lead by two meters. O’Driscoll went out O’Brien’s cross in three more and Butler missed out in three where he fell a bowl of odds down. O’Driscoll went down full sight by the pitch and putt course and Butler was very right and missed sight to go almost two bowls down.

Lyre finished off their mixed doubles tournament, the pair of Eoin Hurley, Kilronan and Emma Hurley, Drinagh proved their favouritism when they were convincing winners by two bowls of odds over P.J O’Driscoll, Lyre and Grace Ahern, Ballineen, playing for a stake of €700 a-side. P.J. and Grace had one lead in this score and that was their second shot, they missed sight at the mason’s bend in four, Emma got a huge fourth shot to the top of the Hill and this was the defining shot of the score as they were throwing their odds over thirty meters from here. Eoin raised the bowl of odds at the bottom of the Mason’s hill, and they raised further odds between this and the double gates. At the school Emma & Eoin had two bowls of odds, that they held past the Creamery. It was under the two bowls at Ballinascarthy Cross but on top of the line.

Beal Na Marbh held the semi-final of their Hancy Hubbard Cup, Ger Connolly, Shannonvale booked his place in the final when he beat Beal Na Marbh clubman Conor Lucey for a stake of €1,500 a-side. Both went up sight in two where Connolly was just fore bowl. Two more huge bowls up the top of the hill for Connolly where he raised a bowl of odds, he held this odds on past Hubbard’s and the Lawn and at the end of the straight he had to bowls where Lucey conceded.

NICE TURNOUT FOR LADIES DAY AT ROSSCARBERY

The Ladies committee of Bol Chumann held a ladies morning at Rosscarbery, where the Carbery girls of Lauren & Aoife McCarthy and Jessica Baker came first in the team event from Abbie O’Callaghan, Megan Collins and Rebeca O’Callaghan with Eileen McCarthy, Amy McCarthy and Aimee McCarthy taking third spot. In the long shot competition Lauren McCarthy got a huge shot of 89.1mt to take the Under-13 category, her mum Eileen took the over-age category with a shot of 73.3mt and Rosie O’Sullivan took the u-9 category with a shot of 69.9mt. Caroline O’Leary, chairperson of the Ladies Committee thanked all who took part, thanked the parents for bringing their children and the Rosscarbery club for hosting.

GIRL'S FINALS @ THE PHALE ROAD

It was also Ladies weekend at the Phale Road where Ted Hegarty wrapped up four of his girl’s under-age, Meave Cuinnea beat Cliona O’Brien in the U-16 Final. Jodie McCarthy beat Nicola Hurley in the U-14, Aoife McCarthy put in an awesome finish from the triangle to deny Cait Young and Ava Hurley in the under 12, and Sheila Bradley beat Farrah Healy in the girls u-10.

BALLINACURRA & KILCORNEY TAKE TOP SPOTS IN NOVICE TEAM FINALS

The Ból Chumann Novice Team event that qualifies teams for the all-Ireland finals in Westport in September were wrapped up on Sunday last, with two teams of three players from each region leading to 54 players taking to the road in a three hour contest. Berrings and The Marsh Road led the competition for three quarters of the day but in the third last group we had strong players from Kilcorney and Ballinacurra who dislodged the placings. The Ballinacurra club of Chris Hayes, Brian Galvin, and Martin Cronin finished in first place with a distance of 1205.9mt and took the Sliabh Ban Trophy, in second place were Kilcorney, Martin McSweeney, Evan Murphy and Kevin Healy with 1168.3mt, in third place were Grenagh, Aaron McDonnell, Darragh O’Donovan and Joe Walsh with 1143.6mt and in fourth place we had Berrings, Jim Martin, Mark O’Flynn & Kieran Buckley with 1138.6mt.