MOST of last weekend’s fixtures fell by the wayside due to the weather. Of those that did go ahead, at Whitechurch Denis O’Sullivan and Patrick Flood engaged in a ding-dong battle for a total stake of €14,000.
Both reached the back of Buckley’s with their first shots, before Flood got a huge second. After three and four each at Quirke’s wall, Flood had almost a bowl of odds. O’Sullivan replied with an incredible bowl three quarters of the way to Boula Lane that knocked the bowl. On up past the guard’s house, O’Sullivan was keeping it under the bowl. Flood got a poor bowl from here and O’Sullivan another super bowl to Downey’s and the odds were down to 40 metres.
O’Sullivan got another cracker from here that yielded him his first lead in this score. Looking down at the farm in two more, O’Sullivan covered whatever Flood threw at him. Flood got a good bowl through the Devil’s Bend and O’Sullivan was too tight so Flood was back in front again. O’Sullivan replied with a good bowl to the White wall, a tip that Flood should not have missed, Flood missed the line and O’Sullivan had nothing to beat to take the honours.
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Grange squeezed in two scores after their senior score got cancelled. In the first score out from the pub, young Anthony Crowley did record-bowling to beat Jimmy O’Driscoll by two bowls of odds, for a stake of €2,300.
O’Driscoll got no lead in this score, as Crowley opened the first bend and almost made Fiona’s House with his first shot; this rose for him almost a bowl of odds. He got another huge bowl down to Noelies Bungalow and his third to John Bill’s, but to go out to the middle of the School green from here in two more is nothing short of phenomenal bowling. O’Driscoll was there in six which is excellent bowling.
Crowley made the Well with his sixth and two more to Hollands Wall and another out sight at the Stud Farm where he had two bowls of odds. The general feeling is this is a new record for the road.
Back in, Michael Harrington and Ryan Buckley played for €2,500. Harrington was in control of this score for the first six shots. At Noelies Bungalow he had a bowl of odds, but as we know from years of looking at scores back in this road a bowl of odds is nothing at Noelies. Buckley powered on up the hill and was knocking odds with every shot, with three shots to go the odds was down to 60 metres, Buckley took an unexpected lead at Seamies Wall, both down to the pub with their next and Buckley won by the last shot.
Some regions were due to get their championships started last weekend but this did not happen for most due to the weather. However, North Cork got started on Saturday with two novice D scores where Mark Bourke (Jnr) beat Oran Manning by one bowl and Timmy Cronin beat Dylan Browne; there were no stakes.
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In between the showers on Sunday morning, Castletown held two scores. In the first Shane Crowley beat Liam Murphy by the last shot for a total stake of €3,000. Both got great opening bowls to Spillane’s entrance, as Crowley followed a big second from Murphy.
Crowley rose nice odds with the aid of a touch with his third but Murphy had the odds down to 20 metres at Round Tower Cross. Three more each out sight at Nyhan’s Corner where Murphy was now in control. Crowley made a good effort to go sight for the netting but it just fell short, Murphy out sight and a terrible blunder here from Crowley when he buried his bowl in right and he found himself a bowl of odds down. This didn’t faze him and he played three of the finest to go out Forshins Cross level bowling – his first got a beautiful touch off the netting, the second up past Fehily’s Lane and the third out the cross.
Crowley got a beauty off the cross and Murphy’s bowl fell in left and Murphy’s next fell left again. Crowley beat this by 60 metres and Murphy missed the line and Crowley had nothing to beat. In a return score Gearoid Lucey beat Colm O’Regan by two bowls for €2,200.
