McDonagh, Cronin and Murphy claim weekend honours
Queen Qualifiers Finalist at Ballincurrig
INAUGURAL WINNER ARTHUR MCDONAGH AT CLONDROHID
Arthur McDonagh has become the first holder of the Johnny Creedon Memorial Cup. The competition in memory of the late Johnny Creedon who passed away in January 2025 was played for at Clondrohid, the village where he was born and reared.
Two semi finals were played on Saturday and the Cup will be heading North East as Patrick Flood beat Martin Coppinger by the last shot for €500 a-side and Arthur McDonagh beat James O’Donovan by three bowls for a stake of €3,800 a-side. In the first semi-final a poor start from Coppinger left Flood raise an early bowl of odds after five shots up past the Bark Mulch. Coppinger knocked the bowl of odds with a big sixth but failed to go sight at the black house with his seventh, Flood went full sight and had almost a bowl of odds again. Flood raised the bowl with his eight shot back of the Bell Inn as Coppinger buried his ninth in left. Three more great bowls from Flood up past Geoff’s Lane where he now had a bowl and twenty meters. Coppinger went peeping sight for Kelleher with his fourteenth and Flood went full sight to hold his bowl advantage. Flood held this odds past the farm, Coppinger got a great bowl but Flood and even better one, Coppinger opened the last bend before the finish line and Flood was very left but still had a bowl and twenty meters. Coppinger unleashed a huge last shot well past the finish line, Flood had no bowl to beat the finish line but left it very left and missed it by a foot, his last caught the right dyke and it came out and beat the tip by ten meters.
McDonagh was in control of the second semi-final from the start, he opened with an incredible first shot that O’Donovan only beat by ten meters in two. McDonagh raised the bowl of odds with another powerful drive past O’Riordans’s gates. Four more each out and around the Black House bend where O’Donovan had it under the bowl by six meters. At the double gates above the Bell Inn in seven and eight it was an even bowl of odds for McDonagh. O’Donovan missed sight at Kelleher’s bend in three more from here and McDonagh went fully out to raise almost a second bowl, O’Donovan had a dead bowl with his next and that gave McDonagh almost a three bowls of odds win.
The final on Sunday was a stake less affair, with McDonagh a hot favourite. Flood got one of the longest shots seen on the road for a while with his opening bowl up to the bark mulch entrance, McDonagh missed this by eighty meters, and Flood second was of the other extreme very shot bowl that gave McDonagh the lead by ten meters. Flood third was another big bowl to the start of Tier Beg cross and McDonagh’s bowl picked in right well hind bowl again and his fourth was too tight right again. McDonagh went half way to the Black House and Flood was very tight right and went peeping sight. McDonagh got a massive bowl that won him back the lead. Flood a poor bowl to the Bell Inn way left, McDonagh took full advantage of this and made the double gates. Flood got two attempts with his next as his first shot was “called” and was a big one and his second effort only beat McDonagh’s tip by forty meters. McDonagh got an excellent shot to Kelly’s Hump and Flood was well right and just beat the tip to fall almost a bowl down. McDonagh missed out to Kelleher’s bend in two more that gave Flood a chance to level the score up. He played his bowl well and went out and around, McDonagh got the most incredible break out of the heart of the dyke that took him sight for the Junior Line. Flood missed this in two shots to fall a bowl down. McDonagh had two bowls at the junior line and became the first holder of the Johnny Creedon memorial Cup.
Two exciting supporting scores were held at Clondrohid also, the first a mixed doubles between All-Ireland winners Ailbhie O’Shea and Eoin O’Riordan playing Mark Bourke and Lisa Hegarty, playing for a stake of €1,700 as. Back of Kelleher’s farm in five each Bourke and Hegarty had a two meter lead. Out sight for Geoff’s Lane went both pairs, the ladies from here got poor bowls O’Shea went right and Hegarty went left , Bourke got an incredible ninth to the top of Kelly’s hump and O’Riordan was right and made the start of the hump. O’Shea and O’Riordan made the graveyard wall in two more bowls on a tough surface to give them the lead by twenty five meters. Both pairs went up and out full sight at the Black house in two more with O’Shea and O’Riordan just fore bowl. Hegarty’s next went right to the end of the fencing and O’Shea had a big opportunity to put big odds on the tip but she also went right and only beat the tip by ten meters. Bourke and Hegarty were back in front after Bourke got a massive bowl through Tier Beg cross and off the netting, but O’Shea got them back in fron again by a foot after their next. Bourke got a massive sixteenth that O’Riordan followed and beat by ten meters. Hegarty’s next went right and again O’Shea had an opportunity to put this score away but her bowl turned in left and missed the tip. O’Riordan beat the finish line and Bourke beat the tip easy.
Another cracking score was held between local man Cathal Creedon and Daivd Hegarty, playing for a stake of €3,700 a-side. Both made Kelleher’s wall in four where Creedon had five meters of odds. Hegarty missed sight for Geoff’s lane with his next and Creedon came fully out. A big bowl with a valuable rub from Hegarty past Geoff’s lane, Creedon beat this by seventy meters, Hegarty got a huge bowl up Kelly’s hump and again Creedon beat this by sixty meters. Hegarty got a sensational shot to the graveyard wall that levelled up the score to even tips. Poor bowls from both with their next Hegarty just fore, Creedon went up and full sight at the Black House and Hegarty looked like going also but caught a stone in the left dyke that stopped it in its tracks no sight. He beat Creedon’s tip by forty meters with his next. Two milers from Creedon raised a bowl of odds for him. Hegarty got a massive fourteenth shot down the left track that wound around the bend for him, Creedon missed this by twenty five meters. Creedon missed the finish line by half a meter, Hegarty’s last was an unbelievable shot, held the middle of the road until it ran out of steam, Creedon’s last went right mounted the bank came off and dribbled over the tip by two feet. Two supporting scores on Sunday saw Johnny O’Driscoll beat Conor Creedon by one bowl for €2,000 a-side and Sean Paul McDonagh beat Cillian Kelleher for €2,050 a-side.
CRONIN CAPTURES GRETTA CORMICAN QUALIFIERS CUP
The Ballincurrig Bowling club held a double header, the Queen Qualifiers final that was won by Hannah Cronin from Denise Murphy with Juliette Murphy back in third position, there was a stake of €900 between Cronin and Murphy, the Mick Barry Cup was won by Aidan Murphy from Thomas Mackle with Eugene McVeigh back in third position this carried a 3 way stake of €1,500 and a stake of €3,200 between Mackle and Murphy.
In the Queen qualifiers final Denise Murphy started in a blaze, she was at the top of the short straight but not full sight in four huge bowls where she had a bowl of odds on Cronin and throwing her odds with a bowl on Juliette Murphy. Juliette made the big corner in two more, Denise sixth shot got caught left no sight and Hannah played a perfect bowl down full sight. Denise made the crab tree and now here odds on Hannah was back to twenty five meters. From here they were both throwing their odds over Juliette. Both Hannah and Denise got huge bowls to the top of the long straight and Juliette got caught at Leahy’s a big bowl of odds down. Hannah got two massive bowls down the long straight that raised two bowls on Juliette and big odds on Denise. Denise next shaved the left dyke and went to the middle of the acre, Hannah gave away the lead when she was too tight left and it broke in hind bowl of Denise by thirty meters and now getting caught back of all the winds on the road. Juliet got a good fourteenth to Heaphy’s, Hannah was right and Denise extended her lead when she made Hegarty’s. A super effort from Hannah to make the pony gate but it fell right, Juliette got caught left and Denise was always right but survived with the left pull back of the pony gate. Juliette conceded here. Hannah made the Creamery in two more excellent shots but Denise made a slip with her fifteenth down right and now only ten meters separated them with three shots to go. Denise had nice odds at Geary’s after their next but Hannah delivered a huge seventeenth shot down towards the line that Denise missed by five meters. Denise last shot got too much dyke on the left that killed it and Hannah beat this well to book her place in next Friday’s Queen semi-final playing Kelly Mallon (Ulster) and Anke Klopper (Germany).
AIDAN MURPHY DEGEATS THOMAS MACKLE AND EUGENE MCVEIGH TO TAKE MICK BARRY CUP
Back out from Smarts Bar the Mick Barry Cup, forty meters separated them after two each to Moor’s Gate with Mackle fore bowl. Murphy got two sensation shots to the end of the Creamery where he raised huge odds on both Mackle and McVeigh. Mackle missed the no-play line with his fifth, McVeigh agonisingly missed the no-play line by half a foot, and Murphy had a huge advantage now he beat the no-play line but missed the second line well. Murphy had a bowl on Mackle and throwing his odds on McVeigh. Up the long straight in three more each, they were all in contention Murphy leading the pack with McVeigh in second and Mackle trailing. Two more each to the bottom of the short straight and the order stayed the same. Mackle got an incredible twelfth shot up the short straight full sight. McVeigh was too tight right and made no sight and Murphy beat Mackles tip by five meters. What an astonishing thirteenth shot from McVeigh, rasher tight on the right it cut up and made Din Tough’s, Mackle missed this tip even though he played his bowl well and Murphy brought his too far and it went up right, he was now back in third position. All three went out the last bend in two more with McVeigh fore bowl for the last shots and only ten meters between them all, Mackle’s last kept going right never crossed the white line and into the green, Murphy beat this by twenty meters through the green and McVeigh was way right and missed both tips. With two to qualify from this final, Aidan Murphy will now play Colm Rafferty (Ulster) and William Hobbelink (Netherlands), while Thomas Mackle will play Fabian Schiffmann (Germany) and reigning King Arthur McDonagh both in Saturday’s semi-finals.
The Mid Cork Region held a Dan Joe Holland Junior A c-ship score at Ballinacurra between Denis Wilmot and Kieran Murphy playing for a total stake of €4,000. Both crossed the main road in four each where they were level. Murphy made the gasworks entrance in two more where he raised a bowl of odds. Two more each to Perrot’s where Murphy extended his lead to a bowl and Thirty meters. There was no let up from Murphy as he made the silvery gates in two more huge bowls where he had almost two bowls of odds. Two more shots each out onto the home straight and Murphy still led by a bowl of odds. He raised a second bowl with a huge shot to the avenue and progresses on to the next round.
A lot of vintage scores got played over the past week, at Ballinacurra Tom O’Donovan beat Batty Foley, at Ballincurrig John Donnellan beat Gene Hourihane and Michael O’Leary beat Noel Hoare. At Carrignavar Michael O’Leary beat Tom Allen and Noel Hegarty 3 x €500 a-side in that one. At Terelton Denis Murphy beat John O’Callaghan and at Macroom Mick Murphy beat Dan O’Regan
