CASTLETOWNKENNEIGH Bowling Club has been nominated by the Mid Cork region as hosts for the 2024 All-Ireland bowling finals.
July 13th and 14th are the appointed dates for six national deciders that will include senior women, intermediate and junior A men as well as under-age play offs. Castletown’s nomination is a popular one as it brings the game’s premier event to an active, progressive club who have given exceptional support to various Ból Chumann endeavours over a long period of time. Currently, it is the location for the series of international trials that will determine selection on Ból Chumann teams for the 2024 European Championships in Germany next May.
A central venue with a variation in roads to choose from, Castletown has been pivotal to the efficient running of countless inter-regional scores including county finals down through the years.
It is, of course, a vibrant area known for its active sporting community, boasting numerous sporting clubs and activities for enthusiasts of all ages and interests. The famed Diarmuid Ó Mathúnas hurling and football clubs spearhead the diversity. Castletown Celtic are prominent soccer’s in West Cork League and dart teams compete in local leagues. Cork AutoGrass race on their track adjacent to the soccer pitch, which also serves as a setting for the sport of pigeon racing.
Next year will mark the 30th anniversary since Mid Cork began a three-year hosting that is still remembered for the monumental battles that took place during that mid-1990s period. Chief amongst them was the 1994 senior final clash on the Bandon road between Michael Toal and Bill Daly. Toal emerged the winner from a hotly contested, drama filled contest that had its share of controversy.
Saturday’s finals on that inaugural Mid Cork weekend were played under a deluge. Gretta Cormican won senior ladies, Phillip O’Donovan junior A and Percy Deane veteran while future senior All-Ireland winner, Conor McGuigan of Armagh, won the U18 from Drinagh’s Donnacha O’Brien.
