BALLYGURTEEN held the inaugural hosting of the Paddy Murray Memorial Cup, as Jimmy O’Driscoll from Skibbereen played Bandon bowler Denis Wilmot for a total stake of €9,200.
O’Driscoll enjoyed a fast start with two great opening shots, while Wilmot was up and around in three and down past Dullea’s new house with his fourth, as O’Driscoll still had nice odds. Two more great bowls from Wilmot to the women’s lane where he had almost a bowl of odds, while O’Driscoll got no traction out of his well-played bowls.
O’Driscoll recovered well with a huge bowl to the back of O’Mahony’s avenue that Wilmot only beat by 15 metres in two. They were shot for shot to O’Mahony’s bungalow where Wilmot caught the ESB pole. They both went up level to O’Donovan’s cottage where Wilmot had a two-metre advantage. From here O’Driscoll lined two huge bowls to McCarthy’s cross that rose almost a bowl on Wilmot, and O’Driscoll took the honours.
On hand to present their father’s cup were Paddy Murray’s daughter Joan and his son John, who thanked the club for putting up a cup in memory of their father. Club chairman Vincent Dullea thanked all the players who took part and Timmy O’Brien who got the final over the line. In a return score, Mickey Harrington beat Luke O’Connor for €1,600.
***
The Pike club held a quarter-final round of the Ferghal Beamish Cup, and John A Murphy from Templemartin was in top form to beat Liam Hurley Togher by a convincing margin. The stake at issue was €2,900. Hurley won the first shot but that was to be his only lead; his third bowl caught a pillar and this resulted in him being a bowl down at Whites Cross. The only blip Murphy made was his shot off the Cross, it was very left but he recovered with three great bowls to Drapers where he had almost two bowls. He got the perfect rub off the bridge with his eighth shot that gave him sight for Drapers. Hurley hit the back of the bridge. From Drapers up Murphy scored the novice line in three more great bowls where matters were terminated.
***
At Ballinacurra, Ger Connolly pushed Adrian Buttimer to a last shot. For €3,500 aside, they were level in three great bowls each to Brinny Cross. Buttimer had a small margin of odds at the gas works, and Connolly levelled matters up at the GAA entrance. Two very poor shots from Buttimer and Connolly had a nice lead at the silvery gates, on to the novice line and up the home straight. Connolly lined what looked like a winner of a last shot but Buttimer played his bowl well and just beat the tip. At Jagoes Mills in a junior tournament semi-final, Timmy Murphy led from start to finish over David Hegarty for €6,200.
The Gaeltacht region completed their novice E championship at Clondrohid, as Seanie Lehane from Inchigeelagh and Trevor Tobin from Terelton battled for a total stake of €3,320, and the honours went to Tobin.
***
Lyre held the last semi-final of their nine-man tournament and Nadd man Edmund Sexton took the honours from Noel O’Regan, Togher, and Donie Harnedy from Skibbereen. They played for a three-way stake of €1,100 aside, and a €4,000 aside stake between Sexton/O’Regan.
Sexton led this one from trap-to-line. There was a bowl of odds on Harnedy early in this score due to four poor opening shots from him to the forest entrance. O’Regan’s third went up left and Sexton’s third hugged the yellow line on the right and rose big odds on O’Regan. After two more to the tunnel Sexton was in control, throwing big odds over O’Regan and odds with a bowl on Harnedy.
In the law of average when you are at the tunnel or over it, you should open Crowley’s bend in three, but on this occasion Sexton fumbled his seventh shot left and had no sight. Harnedy missed Crowley’s bend with his ninth, O’Regan went full sight with his eight and suddenly we had a score again.
Sexton made a good bid at going sight past the concrete but it just fell short, Harnedy missed the crossover so two bowls on him again. O’Regan played a nice bowl to make sight up for McCarthy’s bend. Sexton was tight right but had nice odds on O’Regan and big odds with two bowls on Harnedy. O’Regan should have done better with his next but it was always going right and only just beat Sextons tip.
Sexton was way too tight at McCarthy’s bend and O’Regan got a great touch off the right ditch to take him to the farmyard. Harnedy made the end of the railings with his 13th and Sexton recovered big odds with a mighty bowl to the big tree. O’Regan’s 12th fell down right and there was no denying Sexton his victory. He now plays Conor Creedon and Ger O’Driscoll in the final. In a return score Kevin Flynn beat Deckie O’Mahony for a total stake of €3,000.
