THE Bill Barrett Cup has long been the signature tournament for Caheragh Bowling Club. While the latest hosting produced a decider that will not rank with some of the great scores played on the road, there was satisfaction at its completion given the long delays incurred by Covid and injury to players.
The meeting of Denis Wilmot and Denis O’Driscoll brought a fine crowd to the Carbery venue, but the expected fireworks never materialised as Bandonian Wilmot dominated almost from the off.
Drimoleague man O’Driscoll never hit the heights of an excellent semi-final performance against John Creedon and was uncharacteristically wayward with many of his deliveries as he attempted to claw back an early deficit. He would have needed to be at his best as Wilmot chose the day to show the full range of his talents, best exemplified by a sweeping, score-changing second shot.
O’Driscoll, the punter’s favourite in the €5,000 total stake, won the opening exchange but it would be a short-lived lead as it took him two to beat Wilmot’s ferocious drive from back of the church. A big fourth shot that hugged the right brought Wilmot a shot and 50 metres in front. When O’Driscoll had the ill-luck to see his seventh to the bridge accidentally blocked, the odds continued to mount.
Wilmot produced some of his best bowling in the next sequence to the ‘tunnel’, countering a game tenth of O’Driscoll’s that might have knocked odds, with an even better effort that increased his advantage to two bowls. There was no slacking on the Bandon man’s part, and he was declared the eighth winner of the Bill Barrett Cup with a few shots to go.
The imposing trophy commemorating Bill, a stalwart of the 1940s and 50s, was presented to Denis Wilmot by his grandson, Patrick O’Sullivan. Previous holders since its inception in 2001 were Kieran Gould, Johnny Murphy, Beal na mBlath, Michael Bohane, James O’Donovan, David O’Mahony, Jerry Gibbons and David Hubbard.
