THE junior A nine-man final at Lyre on Sunday provided a score packed with excitement and it wasn’t over until the last shot was thrown.
After Conor Creedon’s first four shots saw him in total control and leading by a bowl, many were left asking afterwards how could it go so wrong for him?
The battle of Edmund Sexton v Conor Creedon v Ger O’Driscoll played for a total stake of €10,500. O’Driscoll took two leads in this score, with his first shot and third shots past the forest entrance, and Sexton was almost a bowl out of it at this juncture. Creedon was over the tunnel in four phenomenal bowls, which is akin to top senior bowling. Here he had a bowl on O’Driscoll and throwing his odds over Sexton.
Usually, it is three handy bowls to Crowley’s bend from here but unfortunately it took Creedon five, allowing both O’Driscoll and Sexton to close the gap. But an incredible ninth bowl from Creedon saw him bounce back not alone did he cross over from a bad stand but went half way to McCarthy’s bend. That shot restored his bowl of odds advantage again and O’Driscoll went ahead of Sexton by ten metres.
Both O’Driscoll and Sexton missed sight for McCarthy’s and this was a huge opportunity for Creedon to consolidate his lead and put this score away but unfortunately he also missed sight.
Sexton made the middle of the farmyard with the aid of a rub. O’Driscoll got a huge bowl to the end of the railings but unfortunately it was ‘called’ and his second effort only just beat Sexton tip. This was still Creedon’s score but he got two poor bowls in succession and now there were only odds in it between the three.
Two poor bowls from O’Driscoll and he was almost a bowl down, while a huge 13th from Sexton won him his first lead in this score. Creedon beat the line but it was not enough to deny the Nadd man Sexton victory and take the first prize of €700.
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Ballinacurra played off a junior A quarter final score between Peter Murray from Togher and Eoin O’Riordan from Macroom, playing for €4,000. Murray found himself a bowl of odds down very early in this score, from two poor opening shots in fact.
Four and five shots each to Brinny cross where O’Riordan had a bowl and 15 metres. A huge sixth shot from O’Riordan extended his lead to almost two bowls. Murray never got going in this score at all. O’Riordan rose the two bowls with an incredible ninth shot from back of Perriots to three-quarter way to the GAA entrance.
Murray’s best was his 12th shot past the GAA entrance and sight for Innishannon Cross that O’Riordan missed but instantly restored his two bowls when Murray’s 13th veered in left. O’Riordan out the last bend for the straight in two more rose a further bowl.
The finalists in the junior A nine-man final; from left, Ger O'Driscoll (runner-up), Conor Creedon (runner-up) and Edmund Sexton (winner).
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Rúnaí Micháel Ó Ceallacháin got off to winning ways in his Gaeltacht novice veteran score against Niall Murphy at Clondrohid. Ó Ceallacháin had 20 metres at the steel shed and doubled this odds at the bark mulch. He got a great bowl to the small gate and a bad blunder here from Murphy cost him a bowl of odds.
Ó Ceallacháin held this odds through Teir Beg cross and on past O’Leary’s pillars. He extended his lead to a bowl and 50 metres at the black house; a blunder from here could have got Murphy back in this score but his bowl fell in 20 metres fore only. Ó Ceallacháin made the graveyard with his next and Murphy missed this to go two bowls down. Two more each to Kelly’s hump, still two bowls the difference.
Murphy did well to go out Moore’s bend in two but Ó Ceallacháin followed them and opened the last bend to win by two bowls. In a return score in the same championship Tony Healy had a convincing win over Pat Healy.
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At Béal na Marbh in a Tigh Ui Laoighre Cup semi-final score Matty McDonagh from Clondrohid beat local man Liam McCarthy for a stake of €500 a-side. McCarthy did well to keep with McDonagh for the first three shots, but after two more to the top of the hill McDonagh was extending his lead. The winner made the middle of the lawn in four more good bowls where he had a big bowl of odds. McDonagh held these odds to the end of the straight and won out in the end by a bowl. He awaits the winner of Martin McSweeny or John MacSullivan.
