THE London region has certainly pulled out all the stops in preparation for their All-Ireland hosting at Courtmacsherry this weekend.
An All-Ireland bowling launch will take place at Courtmacsherry Hotel on Friday, 6th, at 8pm. Bishop Emeritus John Buckley, County Mayor Joe Carroll, and Mons Finbarr O’Leary, Timoleague, are the special guests.
Also attending will be all who are participating in the weekend’s competitions, including the newly-qualified Cork qualifiers from Saturday, Liam Crowley and Colm O’Regan, as well as team representation from the outside regions.
The Joe O’Sullivan Acorn Life senior tournament in Eyeries, Castletownbere was on last weekend where once again James O’Donovan showed his prowess in capturing the prestigious trophy with a series of big wins. He dethroned cup holder Thomas Mackle with a commanding performance on Saturday and bested Gary Daly in a thrilling final late on Sunday evening. Four other scores completed a successful weekend.
One of the better contests mid-week was a Jim O’Driscoll cup qualifier at Ballincurrig involving Denis O’Sullivan and Timmie McDonagh. Runners-up and junior A county winners in 2022/23 both had pedigree enough and hit the high spots from the off. With €3,200 total at issue O’Sullivan’s brilliant fourth to ‘Bob’ was followed by a piece of ill-luck when he missed the ‘no-play’ line with his next.
McDonagh, who was also thriving, beat it well and held handy law until O’Sullivan, with a brilliant sequence on the ‘straight’ and follow-up turned it his way by making sight at the ‘big turn’ in ten a figure that would have left him ahead of many seniors on the well-practiced route. Despite a late blip, he was out the last bend in 14 shots, a convincing winner and a place in the next round.
Tim Young probably needed the win more from his Templemartin meeting with Wayne Parkes having been on the receiving end of some recent reverses to the Clon man at various fundraisers. He certainly did the spade work in a terrific Tim Foley Cup encounter holding sway for long periods in a sparkling contest, but an error or two close to the finish left Parkes who was bowling well too in the clear.
For a €2,000 total it was Young who started in style with an outstanding opener giving him a fifty metres lead at ‘Slynne’s’. Parkes knocked a hundred metre deficit to three with a massive ninth, but Young held him at bay with a super tenth with both at the ‘schoolhouse cross’ in those figures. Young rose 100 metres again at ‘Buttimer’s lane’ but Parkes rebounded with a massive 15th to sight at the ‘pub corner’ to swing the ascendancy his way. He defeated Young who saw his hard work unrewarded with a big last shot. It was back to Ballincurrig for the plucky Parkes, his exertions of the previous evening notwithstanding, for another Jim O’Driscoll Cup qualifier this time against a second leading exponent in the grade, Paul Buckley. Not too dissimilar to the previous evening only in roles reversed, it was Parkes, who having dominated, lost out by a mere three metres in the final exchanges.
In regional action the Mid Cork junior ladies final played at Beál na Bláth was a keenly contested affair between the Allen sisters, Ciara and Róisín. Both fired shots of prodigious length with Róisín, prominent on Ból Chumann’ youths team in Germany in May, showing the signs of her practice and training. The elder, Ciara, had that little bit more experience and put in a strong finish to capture the winner’s prize. At Ballinacurra, Birol Kat won from Cormac Desmond for €800 and Ronan O’Donovan won from Garrett Bourke, last shot, for €1,200.
