Donncha O’Brien made an explosive start to his Marshall Clarke Cup quarter-final clash with Denis Wilmot at Derrinasafa, which set him on the way to a comprehensive win.

The world of road bowling was rocked by the sudden death of James Caverley, one the most prominent figures in the sport from the 1980s to the early part of this century.

The Ireland squads for this month’s European Bowling championships in Pesaro, Italy were announced last night at a ceremony in which four new European team cups were also unveiled.