Wilmot wins Dan Joe Holland Memorial Cup Final
- bolchumannweb
- Jan 16
- 3 min read
While most scores fell afoul of the wet weather on Sunday, Denis Wilmot reigned in Ballinacurra to capture the Dan Joe Holland Memorial Cup title. Up against Kieran Murphy in the final, they played for a stake of €2,000 a-side.
Both were well back off Brinny cross in three shots, mainly due to the surface water. Also, both went through the cross with their fourth shots, with Murphy leading by a minimal margin of three metres. At the waterworks in two more, tips were dead level. Two more good bowls from Wilmot past Perrot’s sheds gave him his first lead that he would not relinquish. He extended his odds at the bridge and on past the novice line. When Murphy missed sight for the straight with his 13th shot, Wilmot put big odds on the tip for the last shots. Murphy missed the finish line and Wilmot had nothing to beat.
The North Cork region completed their Novice E Championship at Béal na Marbh, as Cathal Hanlon beat Tomas Barrett by the last shot for €900 a-side. This was a ding-dong battle. After two shots each to the start of the hedging, Hanlon had ten metres of odds. He followed and beat a massive fourth from Barrett by 15 metres. After two more to the Cottage, Barrett was holding on to Hanlon, but then the latter unleashed a huge bowl past the Rock that Barrett beat by ten metres in two shots. At the start of the straight Hanlon raised the bowl of odds but Barrett had it under the bowl again at the Palms.
A blip by Hanlon with his second-last shot gave Barrett a little hope, but then Barrett missed the line and Hanlon beat it to take the honours. In a return score Dave Harrington beat Ross Lynch for €500 a-side.
A score at Whitechurch had everything in it to keep the spectators intrigued, firstly Sean Paul McDonagh — who was to partner Patrick Flood — took a bad fall in practice and was replaced with Michael John O’Brien. They were playing Martin Coppinger and Dermot McCarthy for a stake of €3,000 a-side. At the top of the hill Coppinger/McCarthy had a 50-metre lead. Flood got an incredible bowl to the wall and Coppinger and McCarthy only beat that by 30 metres in two. Two more great bowls past Boulaa Lane for Flood and O’Brien, and they raised the bowl fully — they had these odds to Downeys house. From here things got a bit messy as Flood and McCarthy got called. Then Coppinger replied with a huge bowl that levelled the score.
McCarthy got called again, and it is to be expected that if you call someone you can expect a call back — and that’s what happened to O’Brien when he got called on his next shot. Then a smite took place where O’Brien and Flood threatened to take their stakes but were persuaded otherwise by those in the know. And so they bowled with only 30 metres separating them with Flood and O’Brien leading. Coppinger’s next played well but was called. Flood played a perfect bowl but it was accidentally blocked one metre fore bowl. Two more shots each over the line where Flood and O’Brien won by big odds. Certainly a score that had everything. In a return score Jim Coffey beat Michael Quilligan by the last shot for €3,000 a-side.
Ballinacurra are progressing on with their Novice D tournament and recent Novice E championship winner Clement Deane took on Eoin Delaney for a stake of €2,850 a-side. Playing towards the pitch and putt course, Delaney made the pub cross in six good bowls where he had a bowl of odds. Another great bowl from Delaney to the soccer pitch where he raised almost a second bowl. At the pitch and putt course Delaney raised the second bowl, but Deane was not giving up. He laid down a few good throws that brought the odds back to a bowl and ten metres. But Delaney had too much in hand and won in the end by a bowl of odds. In a return score Kevin Walsh beat Darragh Lordan for €1,450 a-side.
