TIMMY McDonagh got his hands on the Mick Young Cup in Bantry on Sunday after winning the two-day intermediate tournament event.
In the first semi-final on Saturday, Mick’s son Tim played Paul O’Reilly and David Shannon for a total stake of €17,000. Young led early in this score but Shannon took his first lead with his fifth shot. Young was back in front after nine with O’Reilly trailing, but the latter got himself back into this score from the junior line. Shannon hit the front again with four shots to go but a bad blunder from the junior line put him out of the score. Young forged ahead again and held on to contest Sunday’s final.
In the second semi-final, favourite Timmy McDonagh justified his billing when he beat Anthony Crowley and John O’Rourke. O’Rourke had a marginal lead after three shots, but McDonagh took the lead and held out to win by a bowl on both.
In Sunday’s final, local man Young was favourite to win the inaugural Mick Young Cup and looked a winner with four shots to go. Playing for a total of €7,000, Young opened with three huge shots to McSweeney’s Farm that gave him a bowl of odds. After four more for Young to Casey’s boreen where he had just a bare bowl, McDonagh unleashed a cannon from here cut up Cronin’s bend, and Young missed this by 50 metres; he was lucky to come out of the right dyke.
Young got a super bowl here to the crush, but McDonagh was putting in a strong finish. Young rose the bowl again with a great 12th to the hedging. McDonagh got an unbelievable rub off Connolly’s wall up full sight, while Young was unlucky to get caught in Connolly’s pillar and his next slipped from his hand in left. Young had 40 metres for the last shot but McDonagh shaved the right bend and got an incredible bowl over the line. Young caught the right and missed the tip by 30 metres, to give McDonagh the title and his only fore bowl of the score.
In supporting scores Colm O’Regan beat Flor Crowley by two bowls for €5,000 a-side, Conor Lucey beat Chris Murray for €3,050 a-side, Denis O’Sullivan beat Barry O’Reilly by one bowl for €4,000 a-side and Jim Coffey beat John Cahalane for €4,550 a-side.
Also at Bantry, a Dan Riordan Cup score was played between Aidan Murphy and Bantry man Martin Coppinger. Coppinger had big local support in this score going for a total stake of €26,000. Coppinger took the first shot and led no more after that. A poor second shot from Coppinger cost him a lot of odds. At the waterfall in five each, Murphy had a marginal lead of 25 metres, two more to Cronin’s cross Murphy just keeping his head in front. Coppinger got a super ninth to the Crush, and Murphy followed this to hold a 30-metre advantage. A totally misplaced 11th bowl from Coppinger was crazy right, Murphy took full advantage of this and got a sweet bowl to the end of the hedging. Coppinger stuck his next in right and the bowl of odds was up. There was no coming back from that and it is Murphy who progresses on.
After the Ballinacurra nine-man junior A final were, from left, Cian Boyle (winner), and Noel O'Donovan and Denis Wilmot (runners-up). (Photo: Denis Kelly)
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Ballinacurra wrapped up their junior A nine-man Christmas tournament where Cian Boyle from the City beat Noel O’Donovan and Denis Wilmot. Wilmot got three great opening bowls through Brinny Cross where he was throwing his odds, but slipped up with his next.
O’Donovan got a super bowl to the waterworks and led by 40 metres on both. Two more shots to the muddy gap and O’Donovan’s lead was down to five metres on Boyle and 50 on Wilmot. Boyle unleashed a super ninth to the GAA entrance and took the lead from O’Donovan; he held this lead at the double gates while Wilmot was falling behind at this juncture. Boyle got a huge 13th to the Junior C line that raised a bowl on both O’Donovan and Wilmot, but only three metres separated Wilmot and O’Donovan for second spot. Boyle missed sight for the line in two, it was under the bowl here. Boyle crossed the line in two more and won from O’Donovan with Wilmot taking third spot.
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Lyre held the semi-final of their Mother Hegarty Cup senior tournament. After poor opening shots from both players, Seamus Sexton settled the better in this score ; he had big odds after a massive second shot. Three more over the tunnel and James O’Donovan had the odds down to 15 metres, but this was as good as it got for him. O’Donovan missed Crowley’s bend in two and Sexton went up sight. three more bowls to McCarthy’s bend from O’Donovan where there was almost a bowl on him. Sexton rose the bowl with a huge tenth up past the ‘Big Tree’. O’Donovan laid down some good bowls towards the finish but Sexton followed and beat them to win by a bowl and take his place in the final against Arthur McDonagh.
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Mid Cork got their junior B championship under way at Beál na Blath between Ger O’Driscoll and Brendan O’Neill for a total stake of €3,200. Five each to Bradfield’s X where O’Neill had a 50-metre advantage. O’Driscoll’s two poor bowls from here and above Dan Joe’s lane O’Neill had a bowl of odds, O’Driscoll knocked the bowl and the bulls Gate but O’Neill went full sight for the Novice line and rose the bowl again, he held this up past O’Mahony’s avenue where matter were terminated.
Darragh Dempsey from Skibbereen made the long journey to Kilcorney where he played Andrew O’Callaghan for €1,500 a-side. Down to the Bridge in four each, O’Callaghan was 15 metres forward. Dempsey’s sixth was very left and O’Callaghan put big law on this. O’Callaghan rose the bowl before the novice line and rose a further bowl from here to the finish.
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The ladies committee of Ból Chumann held their second morning of trials for Newcastle at Castletown and qualified are: U14 – Chloe Hubbard, Layla Fleming, Lauren McCarthy and Saoirse O’Neill; U12 – Aoife McCarthy, Nicola Hurley, Amy McCarthy and Cait Young. Overall finals to be held in Newcastle, Co Dublin on Saturday, March 29th.
