Buckley recovery too much for Butler
He got the better of the opening shot by 10 metres. Butler won the second tip by 25m and dominated till the closing stages. He had 80m odds after his third over the top of the hill. Buckley got a good bowl down the hill, but Butler beat it comfortably with a great bowl onto the flat. Buckley beat that tip by just 20m to leave almost a bowl between them. Butler made Boula lane with his fifth and raised a full bowl of odds.
He held that lead in the next five throws to the top of the straight. Buckley got a brilliant bowl from there to well past the farmhouse. Butler played his reply into the right, but he still had a good lead after his next throw. Buckley went towards the Devil’s bend with his next and amazingly Butler missed the tip. Buckley’s next went well around the Devil’s bend. Butler missed that to fall a bowl behind and conceded.
Tim-Pat O’Donovan made his first appearance of the 2012 campaign at Donoughmore, where he scored a last-shot win over Billy McAuliffe in the Munster Intermediate Championship.
McAuliffe won the opening tip but O’Donovan took the next three to the bounds. McAuliffe got a great fifth shot to Ring’s, but O’Donovan beat it. He increased his lead in the next exchange. McAuliffe didn’t get a good bowl to the halfway line. O’Donovan had a chance of extending his lead but he played his bowl to the right and missed the tip.
They were at the end of the straight in two more, with McAuliffe just fore. He increased his lead with his next bowl towards the nook. O’Donovan’s next was a good bowl to light and it cut the lead to just five metres. McAuliffe got a nice rub with his next to hold 25 odds facing the line.
O’Donovan got a good bowl towards the line. McAuliffe took poor play for his throw and sent his bowl into the left to miss the tip by 30m. He got a good last bowl up the hill past the line, but O’Donovan beat it by 15m.
The Carbery—South West Festival at Grange had a total of 26 scores over four days from Thursday to Monday. On Thursday, Jeremiah Fitzpatrick gave a very polished performance in his two bowls of odds win over Jer Connolly.
Denis Wilmot was the star of the next two days. On Friday he beat Vincent Cahalane comfortably in the last shot of a good score. He raised a bowl at Hodnett’s, but Cahalane got a brilliant shot to O’Sullivan’s to take the lead. Wilmot got the better of the shots to the school cross though, to gain most of a bowl again, which he took to de Barra’s.
Cahalane still had a chance but he needed to not only beat the line, but to get his bowl to wind past Holland’s wall. He made the line, but he didn’t go far enough. Wilmot showed him how to do it when he was in virtually the same dilemma against JC Desmond the next day. He played his bowl perfectly and it went well past Holland’s. It proved too much despite a good response from Desmond.
On Sunday, David O’Mahony beat Ian Callanan by a bowl. He had a nice lead at Hodnett’s bungalow. Callanan closed the gap at the farm, but then failed to make O’Sullivan’s with his next. O’Mahony had a bowl at the school cross and held it to the finish.
On Monday, Vincent Dullea played a great last shot to deny Florence O’Sullivan in their score out from Grange, but O’Sullivan got recompense when he won comfortably in the return journey.
Dave Fitzgerald beat Brian Daly by a bowl in the Ballincurrig 27. They were level after two to Moore’s gate. Daly took a big lead with his next to Geary’s, but followed with two poor shots past the creamery. Fitzgerald had almost a bowl at the no-play line. Daly got an incredible bowl to the top of the long straight and they were level at the big corner. Daly missed light with his next and Fitzgerald raised and won by a bowl. Daly won the return score by a bowl.
Seamus Sexton bowled well at Whitechurch where he beat Trevor O’Meara by a bowl in the Billy Molloy Cup. Sexton won the first two tips. O’Meara led with a good third to the cottage and increased his odds with a fine bowl down the hill. Sexton turned the tide with three good bowls to Boula lane, where he was a bowl in front. He held that lead to the line.
Jerry Murphy had a last-shot win over Johnny Murphy in the Mid-Cork Junior B Championship at Ballinacurra. He led from the off and raised a bowl at Perrott’s, where both players hit the same pillar.
Johnny bowled much stronger from there and had the lead down to 10 metres for the last shot. Jerry held his nerve and won the last exchange comfortably.
