GAELTACHT bowler Micháel Desmond had a convincing win over John A Murphy at Templemartin.
Played for €1,800, both were out to Slynes corner in four great bowls, and it was seven and eight each to the end of the straight where Desmond had minimal odds of ten metres.
After a huge eighth shot from Desmond to O’Riordan’s Cottage, Murphy kept it under the bowl here by two metres. Desmond replied again with a huge ninth past Collin’s wall that rose the bowl for him. He drove on yet again with another big one to the school cross where he was throwing big odds with the bowl. Two more super bowls down around the stone field corner rose the second bowl, and there was nothing Murphy could do with those exceptional five shots. With the same score back, Micháel Desmond won again for €1,600.
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In an intermediate tournament semi-final at Lyre, Timmy McDonagh could only manage one fore bowl from Tim Young. Playing for a total stake of €3,500, both made the Forest Entrance in two good bowls, but after a poor third from McDonagh in right, Young put nothing on this. Two more each over the tunnel where Young gave away a lead, misplacing his bowl, but recovered with a tremendous sixth shot up past Crowley’s Wall and took back the lead.
Three poor bowls from the tunnel got McDonagh up to Crowley’s bend where Young was throwing his odds over 25 metres. Young did not crossover fully and McDonagh made the double gates. Young was not up full sight at McCarthy’s bend and McDonagh only beat this tip by 20 metres. A good bowl from a bad stand from Young with his 11th shot and McDonagh kept it under the bowl by 20 metres. Young then delivered one of his special ones and McDonagh missed this by a big margin. He missed the line again and Young progressed to play Denis O’Sullivan in the final of this tournament.
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At Ballygurteen, Michael Bohane opened the new O’Connell/Dullea Cup tournament with a victory over Wayne Parkes for a stake of €2,520 a-side. Parkes opened the first bend with two huge bowls, though Bohane kept it under the bowl for the next three shots to the Women’s lane and up past O’Mahoney’s Avenue, where Parkes had a misplaced bowl and the odds were only 40 metres.
Bohane got a massive ninth shot and Parkes made the same tip, so the score was dead level. A turning point came in the next shots – Bohane’s tenth went out too far, turned in and caught a pole. Parkes came up the middle, pulled his bowl right and went inside the pole and half way to O’Donovan’s bend. Bohane only beat this tip by 20 metres with his next.
Parkes rose the bowl of odds with a smashing bowl up and around O’Donovan’s bend – but from here his form dropped dramatically. Bohane made McCarthy’s cross in two well-played bowls. Parkes made a dreadful blunder with his 13th in Burke’s entrance, and only beat Bohane’s tip again by ten metres.
It was expected that they would sail out to the bridge in two from here but that did not materialise. Bohane got a much unexpected lead at O’Mahony’s house, when Parkes dropped his bowl and it fell left. Both were out around the bridge with their 15th shots and Bohane had a 15-metre advantage for the last shot. Parkes put down a good bowl but it was not enough, even though Bohane was very left of play it was enough for him to beat the tip by five metres. In a return score Donal McCarthy beat Ger O’Leary by the last shot for €1,000 as.
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Rosscarbery was the venue for a Michelle Hayes Memorial Cup score, as James O’Sullivan and Adrian Buttimer played for €1,800 a-side. They were level at the Priest's House and up the hill to Barry’s Boreen. On to the B&B, nothing separated them. Next came a great bowl from Buttimer here to Maguire’s sheds, before both made Cahermore Cross in two more – Buttimer at the first line throwing his odds over O’Sullivan on the second line. Buttimer made Froe Cross and O’Sullivan through the cross, and after Buttimer rose a bowl with four shots to go, he undid all his good work from the back of the high pillars. O’Sullivan opened the last bend and Buttimer only beat this in two shots to force a last-shot finish. O'Sullivan put down a good last and Buttimer missed this.
