MAEBH Cuinnea capped off a wonderful year of bowling when she captured the county U14 title at Béal na Bláth on Saturday, winning her battle with Mid Cork’s Anna Deane.
Adding to her U16 title that she won earlier in the year, it completed a remarkable double for the Rosscarbery bowler. Maebh has improved immensely since taking the U12 title in 2022.
Anna opened with a massive first shot that gave her the only lead in the score. Maebh took the lead with her second shot and relinquished it no more. Maebh was past the novice line in four bowls and had a bowl of odds here; a super bowl from here out of sight for Anna but Maebh followed and beat it. Anna played bowls beautifully but got no justice for them, though she kept the gap to the bowl down past the Bulls Gate. But a poor tenth bowl to the left and suddenly there were almost two bowls in it. Anna finished well but Maebh had too much in hand and won by a bowl in the end.
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Good news coming from the Ard Comhairle meeting between Ból Chumann Ard Mhaca and Ból Chumann Cork is that there will be an All-Ireland for the junior ladies in 2025 and an All-Ireland for the girls’ U12 and U14 in 2026 but it will be held away from the mainstream All-Irelands along with the boys’ U12 and U14. This will keep the ladies on par with the boys and the men with an All-Ireland for all grades.
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There was plenty of junior tournament action this past weekend. Whitechurch held a Josie Crean Cup score between David Hegarty, Lyre, and Michael John O’Brien for a total stake of €12400. This was a trap-to-line win for O’Brien; three powerful opening shots saw him a bowl of odds up. He carried this on past Boula Lane, and on down to the Farmyard Corner. Two poor bowls here from O’Brien but Hegarty didn’t take full advantage as he played his bowl too tight left. Hegarty finished with two great shots to the finish line to save the bowl of odds.
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At Rosscarbery Noel O’Donovan got pipped at the post by Denis Wilmot. O’Donovan dominated this score all the way; he had a bowl of odds at the Priests House up there in four great bowls. Wilmot reeled him in from here to the B&B where they were level, with O’Donovan still fore bowl marginally. Out to the no-play lines at Cahermore Cross, they were dead level. Still nothing between them at Quakers Cross, before O’Donovan raised nice odds with his next two shots and looked comfortable with two shots to go. But he made a very bad blunder, going sight for the last bend and gave Wilmot a glimpse; O’Donovan beat the line but it was not enough as Wilmot lined his perfect and beat the tip to take the score with his one and only fore bowl. They played for a total stake of €7,800.
Gretta Cormican, Lyre Bowling Club secretary, presents Paul Twomey with the Paddy O'Donovan Memorial Cup. Also pictured is runner-up Tadhg O'Driscoll.
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Templemartin held the last of their three-way nine-man tournament semi-finals where local man John A Murphy took on David Hubbard (Béal na Marbh) and Cillian Kelleher (Kilnamartyra), and the total stake in this one was €4,710. Five each out to Slynes Corner for Murphy and Kelleher and seven for Hubbard, two bowls of odds on him. Kelleher put down a smashing sixth shot, well up past the New House and took his first lead of the score, leading Murphy by 40 metres with Hubbard well back. After two more past O’Riordan’s and on to Collins, Kelleher held a 30-metre lead on Murphy while Hubbard conceded. A huge ninth from Kelleher extended his lead to 80 metres and he was just short of the bowl at the School Cross. A very poor effort from Kelleher with his 12th, buried it in left, and now the odds were down to 40 metres again. Two more down to the stone field bend, Kelleher 80 metres up again, and held this odds to the finish. He now plays David Hegarty and Kenneth Murphy in the final.
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In Ballygurteen in another tournament semi-final, Jimmy O’Driscoll, Skibbereen, took on Cian Boyle, Farranree, for a total stake of €4,000. O’Driscoll had a poor start in this score but recovered well with a great third to sight at the first bend.
A smashing fourth bowl down the left track won O’Driscoll his first lead. Two more well-tracked bowls to the Women’s Lane where O’Driscoll had odds of 12 metres. Boyle was back in front at O’Mahoney’s Avenue. O’Driscoll took the next and Boyle the next three up and around O’Donovan’s bend, holding a 30-metre lead here. O’Driscoll played an absolute beauty from here just back of Burke’s entrance. Boyle only beat this by 50 metres in two shots and the advantage was back with O’Driscoll again. He lined another miler just back of the finish line, two incredible bowls that raised the bowl of odds as Boyle got caught right. Denis Wilmot is O’Driscoll’s opponent in this final pencilled in for Saturday, November 30th.
Ballinacurra had a junior A score on Saturday between James O’Sullivan, Fairhill, and John Young, Drinagh. Both got to Brinny Cross in three great bowls with Young fore by 40 metres. Two more past the church and onto the waterworks where O’Sullivan took his first lead by one metre. From the Crush, O’Sullivan made it past Innishannon Cross and up to the Silvery Gate in two incredible bowls where his odds were now two bowls. After two more back of the junior C line, Young had enough.
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At Timoleague a vintage C group A semi-final was held between DD Carroll, Skibbereen, and Tom O’Donovan, Crossbarry, for a total stake of €2,200. This score was nip and tuck for the first five or six shots where O’Donovan had 60 metres of odds at Hollands. O’Donovan played some great bowls from here to the Monument where he had a big bowl of odds and rose a further bowl from there to the finish line. In the other semi-final at Ballinacarriga, Jim O’Neill, Togher, had a convincing win over Donal O’Sullivan, The Pike. There was no lead for O’Sullivan in this one, played for a total stake of €300. At the other side of the county in the Vintage C Group B semi-finals, Benny Hoare got the better of Pat Scanlon at Ballincurrig and at the same venue John Twohig, Waterfall, beat Joe Welsh, Grenagh, for a €500 stake.
