KIERAN O’Driscoll, John Nagle and Benny Hoare will contest the 2024 vintage final this weekend.
Three vintage finals were played this past weekend. On Saturday at Bantry, John Nagle, Rosscarbery, beat James O’Leary, Macroom, in the Vintage B final, playing for a total stake of €2,500.
Nagle didn’t have the best of starts in this one, and O’Leary had big odds at McSweeney’s cross. O’Leary had a big chance of rising more odds at Casey’s cross but got two poor bowls together. From here on, Nagle finished with six of the finest bowls but O’Leary wasn’t giving up and Nagle only won by a big fore bowl.
On Sunday the other two finals were played at Ballinacurra. In the vintage A Kieran O’Driscoll, Ardfield, played Chris O’Donovan, Ballineen, for a total stake of €1,000. O’Driscoll was through Brinny cross and almost at the church in four great bowls where he had a bowl of odds. An excellent fifth past Foleys raised almost another bowl. O’Donovan got a great eighth to the Muddy Gap that knocked the bowl. At the end of Perriots sheds O’Driscoll was throwing over 30 metres but it broke badly on him and suddenly the odds were down to 30 metres. After two more to Innishannon Cross, O’Driscoll had 40 metres. O’Donovan missed sight in two from here and O’Driscoll just peeping. O’Donovan got a good 14th out on the straight road, but O’Driscoll beat this by 30 metres for the last shot. O’Donovan lined his last well but not enough as O’Driscoll beat it easily.
Back in the same route, the Vintage C final was played between local man Tom O’Donovan and Benny Hoare from Glenabo, playing for €600. It was three each back of Innishannon Cross where Hoare had 15 metres of odds. After three more up past the GAA entrance, Hoare extended his lead to 25 metres. A massive seventh from Hoare to the Muddy Gap rose a bowl of odds, but O’Donovan responded with a good bowl of his own and knocked the bowl at the Gasline. After three more to the waterworks Hoare was throwing his odds. Two more down through Brinny Cross for Hoare where he now had a full bowl of odds, O’Donovan knocked the bowl again between here and the pedestrian crossing, but Hoare finished with two very speedy shots to win by a big last shot.
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At Ballinacurra on Saturday, a junior score played between Gavin Twohig and Kieran Murphy resulted in a bowl win for Murphy. Twohig got off to the dream start, having a bowl of odds after his first shot. He was through Brinny Cross in three more where Murphy had it just under the bowl. Twohig raised the bowl again with a super bowl to Foley’s and on past the Waterworks with his sixth where he had almost two bowls. Two more well-played bowls to the Crush from Twohig but Murphy had it under the bowl here.
Murphy got two great bowls to sight for Innishannon Cross and here there was only the bare bowl in it. Murphy got a super 12th bowl up to the silver gate that knocked the bowl as Twohig was right of play and only made Innishannon Cross. The odds were down to 40 metres after Twohig’s next. Both were out the bend for the last straight and only five metres separated them here. Murphy bowled this straight better and took his first lead at the avenue wall. A terrible error here from Twohig meant he faced a bowl-of-odds deficit with the line fast approaching and no road to recover. Murphy finished with two great bowls to win by a bowl. In a return score at Ballinacurra, Jimmy O’Brien beat Eoin McCarthy for €2,200.
Rosscarbery bowler John Nagle won the vintage B final last weekend.
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At the Marsh Road, Skibbereen, an intermediate tournament quarter-final between Tim Young, Bantry, and Wayne Parkes, Clonakilty, was played for a total stake of €5,000. Young had the better start in this encounter, passing the NCT centre entrance with a massive first shot, but squandered a lot of odds when he misplaced his second bowl right. A huge third and fourth shot from Parkes, even if they were helped with the aid of rubs, saw him take his first lead at the start of the Council Yard wall – this was a lead he would not relinquish anymore. Three more well-played bowls from Parkes to just back of the Silvery Gate where he had big odds with the bowl. Four more great bowls out and around the Steps bend for Parkes where he doubled his odds. Things got no better for Young as Parkes rose a third bowl out the bend for Ballyhilty.
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Ballinagree held a couple of club scores. In the first, local man David Crowley took his one and only lead in a last-shot win over Kevin Ó Crualáoi. Both were out to Mannning’s Lane in three where Ó Crualáoi was slightly fore. Three more each to McCarthy’s Cottage and still Ó Crualáoi had minimal odds. Down on past Harrington’s Cottage and on for the bridge, Ó Crualáoi still had only slender odds. For the last shot Ó Crualáoi had 30 metres of odds but it was Crowley who lined his last better and took the honours. They played for a total stake of €1,200.
Back in the road in Ballinagree, another local player, Stephen Spillane, played Paudie McSweeney, for €1,800. In this score McSweeney was in control from the off – he was almost a bowl up at the bridge, and rose the bowl after O’Leary’s House. McSweeney held this to McCarthy’s Cottage but Spillane made inroads into his lead between this and the pump house. Out the last bend at Mannings Lane, only ten metres separated them. They were level at the Ploughman’s yard and Spillane took the score with a great last shot.
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Martin Coppinger, a beaten finalist in the last Willie Whelton Cup at Grange in September, opened the new tournament with victory over David Murphy, played for €12,000. In the inward journey from Lislevane, three each to the stud farm bend where Coppinger had two metres. They had three more down to De Barra’s Murphy had a 50-meter advantage. A blunder here from Coppinger into the right nook and Murphy made the start of the green, Coppinger down and around to the other side of the green. Murphy, throwing his odds, played a perfect parley que that went peeping sight. With Coppinger with another poor bowl, Murphy was now almost a bowl up. Both were up to Mickey Sullivan’s with their next, Coppinger got a great bowl from here to John Bill’s and Murphy just back of Noelies Bungalow huge bowl; Coppinger missed this to concede a bowl.
Luck was on the side of Coppinger’s next, even if it was his 13th. With ferocious power it ricocheted nicely off of the concrete entrance and made it up to the back of the white house. Two wayward bowls from Murphy and suddenly his odds was down to 20 metres. Two more each to Seamie’s wall from here, Coppinger made the car park and Murphy got caught left and was well back of the pub. Coppinger won by a big fore bowl.
