NEWLY promoted senior player Tommy O’Sullivan took on in-form player James O’Donovan in a Mother Hegarty Cup quarter final at Lyre for a total stake of €7,000. Both had great opening bowls, O’Donovan just fore. O’Sullivan threw a great second bowl to the forest entrance, but O’Donovan got the sweetest touch at the forest entrance with his second to give him a bowl of odds. He took this bowl of odds to Crowley’s bend. Both crossed over and it was from here that the score took a twist. O’Donovan caught the right dyke and missed McCarthy’s Bend and O’Sullivan went up full sight and around, O’Donovan missed this tip again and suddenly O’Sullivan had his first lead of the score. O’Donovan took back the lead with a tremendous bowl to the big tree. Both back of the line in three more, with O’Sullivan unlucky to miss the line by 30m and O’Donovan by 10m.
O’Sullivan lined a huge last to just back of the forge cross. O’Donovan had to do everything right to beat this and he played his bowl perfect and it just beat the mark by three metres. Next up for O’Donovan in this tournament is a semi-final joust against Seamus Sexton, Naad.
In a return score here Jordan O’Sullivan and Luke Connors beat Darren Harrington and Jim Coffey for a stake of €4,100.
Earlier in the day also at Lyre, a vintage c score between Tom O’Donovan, Crossbarry and Brendan O’Sullivan, Barryroe was played for a total stake of €1,800. Both were out to the Masons Bend in three each, O’Sullivan missed down the hill and O’Donovan down sight, two more for O’Sullivan to O’Donovan’s pillars and down to the double gates where it was just under the bowl.
O’Sullivan got two great bowls down to the School Gates. O’Donovan was left, then right with his next and only made the start of the footpath. His next fell left into the nook. O’Sullivan levelled things up at the Creamery but O’Donovan still had a marginal lead. O’Donovan upped his game again and made the hump and O’Sullivan got three poor bowls in a row to Ballinascarthy Cross where O’Donovan had almost a bowl of odds again and held this to the finish.
Bantry held the second semi-final of their Dan Riordan Cup, with Gary Daly playing local man Martin Coppinger for a stake of €4,800. Three massive opening bowls from Coppinger to McSweeneys Farm saw him take a bowl of odds. Daly produced a couple of milers of his own and at Casey’s Cross he had the score back to level tips, at the Crush only 20 or 30m separated them but a blunder here from Daly saw him fail to open Connolly’s Bend. Coppinger went out full sight to rise a bowl of odds again and hold it to the line. He now plays current holder of this cup Arthur McDonagh in the final.
Terelton held their annual Jerh Cotter Cup final, Niall Murphy, Clondrohid taking on Liam Kearney from Incheegalagh for a fine stake of €2,640. Kearney led from start to finish though only marginally in places. Kearney out to the end of the Graveyard in two bowls where he had 40m odds, but after three more the odds was down to a metre. Past the Garage, Kearney rose big odds again, at the duck house Kearney rose a bowl of odds, and held this to the end.
At Shannonvale, Tim Young who is having a good run of late kept a clean sheet against Paul Buckley in an intermediate tournament semi-final score for a stake of €4,000. They were level at the Quarry bend, from here Buckley went out Desmonds in three bowls which is the go of it and Young missed out in three but had a good loft from here. Two great bowls each down to Kingston’s and three more down to Campbells lane where Buckley had a slight lead of 40m. Young got a poor bowl from here up only to the Novice line and Buckley out sight for the Junior line. Young lined a perfect bowl that won him back the lead, Buckley got two poor bowls in succession and Young was in control from here to the line to win by a big last shot. Young’s opponent in the final is Wayne Parkes, pencilled in for next Sunday.
Templemartin held the first of a nine-man junior b tournament score between Knocknaheeny’s Michael John O’Brien, Ballyvourney’s Conor Creedon and Lyre’s David Hegarty. One fore bowl was all Hegarty gave away in this score, that being his second shot. Hegarty and Creedon went out Slynes Corner in five each with Hegarty having a 40m advantage. O’Brien was out in six keeping it just under the bowl. Hegarty fired five of the finest from here to the school cross. O’Brien’s eighth was his best of the day, making up just back of O’Riordans Cottage, where he knocked the bowl on Hegarty and took the lead on Creedon. From here to the School Cross, Hegarty rose a bowl on both O’Brien and Creedon. It would be a huge bowl to open the Stonefield Bend from here. O’Brien buried his bowl in left, Creedon went right and Hegarty was rasher tight on the left but got away with it three-quarter way to the bend. O’Brien got a huge 13th down full sight, Creedon missed down two bowls on him now where he conceded.Hegarty put nice odds on O’Brien’s tip to hold his bowl advantage. O’Brien made Buttimers dwelling entrance, it was going to take a monumental blunder from Hegarty to lose this one, but he held out beating all of O’Brien’s tips to win by a bowl. In a return score here Jim Coffey beat Evan Buckley by the last shot for a €6,600 stake.
Finals have come hot and heavy in October, at Curraheen on Sunday a novice a tournament final was played between Anthony Crowley and Eoin McCarthy, Crowley being a hot favourite in this one so there was no stake. It was a shot for shot duel to the bridge where McCarthy took his one and only lead, Crowley powered up the hill from here to win by almost three bowls.
A girl’s under-14 county semi-final was played at Lyre and here Anna Deane from Coppeen took on Shauna O’Driscoll, Drimoleague. After six and seven shots down the Masons hill, Deane was almost a bowl of odds up. O’Driscoll got a great eighth bowl halfway to the double gates. Deane passed the double gates big odds here, and when O’Driscoll was too tight left again, the bowl of odds was up. O’Driscoll got a fantastic bowl covered the whole straight to the school, Deane followed this and beat it by 20m. This was as good as it got for O’Driscoll as after three more to the line for Deane she had almost a two bowls of odds win. Anna now plays Maebh Cuinnea in the County final.
