Focus switches to All Ireland Series in Mayo, Mick Barry Cup Finalists emerge and Shannonvale fundraiser raises over €7,000

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  Pool C Vintage A Final at Drimoleague Kieran O'Driscoll bt Jimmy Collins with ref John O'Leary

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  Padraic Maloney bt Paddy Flavin Nov-E at Clashmore

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  Novice 2 Final at Newcestown, Don O'Driscoll (West) bt Robert Coleman (NE)

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  Mick Barry Cup SF at Ballincurrig Eugene McVeigh bt Páidín Stokes

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  CUH Cancer-Research Findraiser at Shannonvale Paul Buckley bt Wayne Parkes

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  Margaret Daly, main organiser of the CUH Cancer Research Fundraiser at Shannonvale with John O'Leary

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  Mick Barry Cup SF at Ballincurrig Aidan Murphy bt Gary Daly

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  At Ballincurrig, Mick Barry Cup SF Thomas Mackle bt James O'Donovan

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  At Clashmore in a Vintage C score Gene Hourihane bt Leo Hegarty

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  CUH Cancer-Reasearch Fundraiser at Shannonvale Johnny O'Driscoll bt Micháel Desmond

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  CUH Cancer-Research Fundraiser at Shannonvale Denis Wilmot bt Johnny O'Driscoll & ref Brian Sexton

HURLEY AND O'DRISCOLL SWITCH FOCUS TO ALL IRELAND SEMI FINALS IN MAYO

Eoin Hurley swelled his trophy collection with victory in the Novice-1 final played in wet conditions in Ballinacurra. Flying the West Cork flag Novice B champion Hurley from Kilronan, Dunmanway took on Novice-A winner Tommy O’Donoghue from East Cork playing for a stake of €7,200 a-side. It's a victory that sends Hurley into the All-Ireland series in Mayo this weekend. This was a hard fought win for Hurley, he was on the back foot in the early exchanges of this score. After two shots each past the bollards O’Donoghue had twenty meters of odds. O’Donoghue had big odds after two more to Brinny Cross. Hurley’s fifth shot was very right at the cross and O’Donoghue had big odds as he made the Church Wall. Hurley got an unbelievable rub off the church pillar with his sixth that took him down to Foely’s and kept him in the score, O’Donoghue beat this by forty meters. Past the Waterworks O’Donoghue looked in control when he had a hundred meters of odds after six shots. Hurley got a poor bowl from here that O’Donoghue did not capitalise on and dropped big odds. Hurley upped his game for the second half of the score with a massive bowl past Perriot’s farm that gave him his first lead by forty meters. Two more shots to the silvery gates from Hurley where he extended his lead but O’Donoghue went out full sight in two more where he was keeping it under the bowl of odds by sixty meters. Hurley beat this by fifty valuable meters. O’Donoghue lined an incredible last shot that beat the line by ten meters, Hurley’s last was a touch right but held on long enough to beat the tip.

The Novice-2 final between the Novice-C winner Don O’Driscoll from West Cork and Robert Coleman the Novice-D winner from North East was played at Newcestown, with no stake in this one. Both went out full sight at the first bend, Coleman was very left with his next and O’Driscoll made sight at the lollipops, both made O’Brien’s Cross in three and four shots where it was just under the bowl of odds. Two more bowls from O’Driscoll up past Pedroe’s Garage but Coleman followed both. O’Driscoll fifth a good bowl to Kingston’s farm that raised the bowl of odds for him as Coleman was very left of play, and his next was right and now he was almost two bowls of odds down. O’Driscoll made Hurley’s bungalow in two more where it was still under the two bowls of odds. On for Canty’s lane Coleman was knocking no odds. Two poor bowls in succession in left from O’Driscoll and the odds was suddenly back to an even bowl. Coleman got a big bowl to O’Callaghan’s new house but O’Driscoll steadied himself again and got an incredible bowl that beat the line, and booked his place in the All-Ireland semi-final next weekend.

MURPHY, MCVEIGH & MACKLE THROUGH TO MICK BARRY CUP FINAL

Ballincurrig’s preparations for their King & Queen of the Roads weekend on September 18th - 20th got under way over the past weekend. They held three Mick Barry Cup semi-finals, Aidan Murphy led from the start to beat Gary Daly for a stake of €5,365 a-side. We’re told the surface of the road has changed immensely since last year when it was newly re-surfaced, and with the wonderful summer we have had, with lots of traffic on that road it has created new plays. After two shots each past Moore’s gate Murphy held twenty meters of odds, he made the no-play line in three more super bowls where he had a full bowl of odds. Murphy playing with sublime power made the top of the long straight in three more shots where his odds was now close to two bowls. Daly missed sight at the big corner in two and Murphy went out full sight to hold a bowl of odds advantage. A big loft from Daly made his next up the short straight an easy one, Murphy opted for the right track with his eleventh shot, dangerous play for a player that has a right hand pull like Murphy has, his bowl pulled in right and he missed up full sight. Daly knocked the bowl of odds after two more to Din Tough’s, Murphy’s fourteenth pulled crazy right but Daly did not take full advantage of this as he was also right and missed the tip to fall a bowl of odds down again. Daly went sight for the last bend and Murphy followed and beat the tip to book his place in the Mick Barry Cup Final.

In the second semi-final on Sunday morning Eugene McVeigh made it worth his while when he travelled the long journey from Armagh to play Páidín Stokes for a stake of €2,550 a-side. McVeigh in recent years has mastered the Cork style and it seems to be working well for him. McVeigh opened with three monstrous shots to the green where he had almost a bowl of odds. He raised the bowl in two more to the no-play line even if it was a bit lucky as it took a massive hop. Both got caught in the right at O’Riordan’s, Stokes letting a couple of opportunities to knock odds go. Stokes knocked the bowl with a good ninth up the long straight as McVeigh’s bowl went in right, but recovered his bowl advantage again with a huge tenth shot to sight at Leahy’s Wall. Both out the big corner in two more Stokes keeping it just under the bowl. Both got huge bowls up the short straight full sight where McVeigh raised the bowl of odds again. Both made Din Tough’s with their next. A bad blunder with his fourteenth from McVeigh as he was too tight left and caught up, Stokes took advantage of this blunder and got a massive bowl that looked for an instant that it might go sight at the last bend but just fell short, McVeigh got a super bowl and opened sight at the last bend and had big odds for the last shot. Stokes beat this by fifty meters but not enough on this occasion as McVeigh beat the finish line.

In the last semi-final score at Ballincurrig last year’s Mick Barry Cup Winner James O’Donovan played 5-times King winner Thomas Mackle for a stake of €3,650 a-side, O’Donovan took the first two shots of this score up past Moore’s gate, Mackle was tight right with his third but it ran kindly into the green, O’Donovan was too tight left and missed tip by forty meters. Mackle beat the no-play line in two more, but O’Donovan was keeping it under the bowl of odds with a good sixth to sight at Heaphy’s. Mackle got three good bowls off the line that went full sight at Leahy’s at the top of the long straight where he now had a bowl of odds. O’Donovan went sight at the elbow in two more keeping the odds to a bowl. Both covered the short straight with their next. O’Donovan got a super bowl to Din Tough’s but it was “called” and his second effort was not as good. Mackle’s next bowl was “called” also but he improved on his first tip to extend his odds to a bowl and fifty meters. O’Donovan’s fourteenth shot was wide to the sycamores and Mackle put big odds on this with the bowl of odds. Both went sight for the last bend but the bowl of odds still separated them and Mackle booked his place in the Mick Barry Cup final.

In a Pool C, Vintage A final at Drimoleague, Kieran O’Driscoll from Clonakilty, had a convincing win over Jimmy Collins from Union Hall when they played for a stake of €1,500 a-side. Collins led after two shots but O’Driscoll took over from there and after four shots he had thirty meters of odds, O’Driscoll raised a bowl of odds at the first line and had almost two bowls at the second line, he powered on up the hill to the bridge where he had almost three bowls and now awaits the Vintage A winners from Pool A & B. In a Queen of the Roads Qualifier semi-final Denise Murphy beat Ailbhie O’Shea by the last shot at Grenagh.

ANNUAL FUNDRAISER AT SHANNONVALE RAISES OVER €7,000

The Annual CUH Cancer Research Fund-Raising weekend was held for the tenth year in Shannonvale under the guidance of Margaret Daly. Proceeding got under way on Friday evening where Thomas Maloney beat Ritchie Lawton by one bowl for €2,100 a-side, Eoin Connolly beat Aaron Ryan by one bowl for €750 a-side, on to Saturday where Gearoid Lucey beat Alan Brickley by the last shot for €3,350 a-side, Liam Murphy beat David Hegarty by one bowl for €4,000 a-side, P.J. O’Driscoll and David Hegarty beat Liam Murphy and Stephen Spillane by the last shot for €7,200 a-side and the final score for Saturday Eoin McCarthy beat Jim Coffey by three bowls for €3,100 as. On to Sunday where Denis Wilmot beat Johnny O’Driscoll by two bowls of odds for €3,550 a-side, Martin O’Donovan beat P.J. O’Driscoll by for €8,000 a-side.

In the afternoon score Paul Buckley beat Wayne Parkes for €8,300 a-side. Buckley was ten meters fore bowl after two shots to Cleary’s. Parkes got a good third shot to McSweeney’s entrance but Buckley beat this by forty meters. Two poor bowls from Parkes both left well back of the quarry bend where he was a bowl of odds down. Eight and nine shots out to Desmond’s cross, Buckley still held a bowl of odds. Parkes made back of Kingston’s Avenue in two more good bowls and Buckley made the entrance raising thirty meters with the bowl. Parkes knocked the bowl by twelve meters with a super shot to Tobin’s Bungalow, Buckley made nice sight for Campbell’s lane and Parkes beat this by a huge forty meters. Buckley missed the line, up left and Parkes buried his last in right.

In the return route Johnny O’Driscoll made up for his disappointing display in the morning score to beat Micháel Desmond by the last shot for a stake of €9,000 a-side. Desmond took the first shot and O’Driscoll the second past Mike Hayes’s. Desmond got a good third that O’Driscoll missed as his third was very right with no left hand pull, O’Driscoll got a huge fourth up the rising road back of Kingston’s Wall a super bowl, Desmond missed this by forty meters. Desmond missed out to Desmond’s Cross in three more he was very unlucky with his seventh shot, O’Driscoll went out full sight, Desmond lofted to keep it under the bowl of odds. O’Driscoll got a huge bowl past Buttimer’s Pillars but alas it was “called” and his second effort was way right and only beat Desmond’s tip by thirty five meters, two more each back of the double gates, O’Driscoll’s odds was only fifteen meters. Desmond’s next was “called” and his second effort fell right but was enough to win him back the lead by ten meters, as O’Driscoll’s bowl was too far right. O’Driscoll got a huge rub off the stone ditch with his twelfth shot and Desmond blew his bowl across right well hind bowl again. Desmond made the McSweeney’s Wall with his next and O’Driscoll’s was dreadfully unlucky to get caught on the right at the Rock, it was down to the last shots. Desmond ran too far to the left and his bowl turned in right just past the finish line O’Driscoll had nothing to beat and played it well.

Margaret Daly thanked all who participated in making this weekend another wonderful success, players, supporters, all who donated prizes for her raffle, all who bought tickets and the other clubs of the region who helped out over the weekend