The line-up and draw for Hurley’s of Midleton King of the Roads 2018 were resolved on Saturday when Killian Kingston beat Colm Rafferty in the last of the Mick Barry Cup semi-final at Ballincurrig.

Team Éamon Bowen (Éamon Bowen, Michael Barry and Denis Murphy) won the first big prize of 2018 when they beat Team Joseph Murphy (Joseph Murphy, Denis Connolly, Celly Spillane) in the John O’Donovan Cup final at Bottlehill on New Year’s Day.

Gavin Twohig beat Éamon Bowen by almost a bowl in the first round of the Munster senior championship in driving rain at Templemartin on Monday.

Cathal Toal secured his place in the Ulster final of the Joe McVeigh Cup qualifier for the Ból-Fada with a line-to-line win over Bryan O’Reilly and Eddie Carr.

James O’Donovan is the first name on the Willie Whelton Cup after a sensational performance saw him beat All-Ireland champion Thomas Mackle by three bowls of odds at Grange.

Edmond Sexton opened his 2017 campaign with an impressive win over James O’Donovan in the first score in the renewal of the Dennis McGarry Cup at Whitechurch.

The James O’Donovan juggernaut continued in the Co-Action benefit in Casteltownkenneigh where he beat Killian Kingston. Brothers Aidan and David Murphy beat Martin Coppinger and Séamus Sexton in the opening score there.

James O’Donovan added another significant win to his current run when he beat Killian Kingston by three bowls in the semi-final of the Paddy Barry Cup at Rosscarbery.

Aidan Murphy beat Killian Kingston by a bowl in the feature score of the Mid-Cork fundraising weekend at Ballinacurra on Monday.

Susan Greene is set to vacate the chair of Ból-Chumann na hÉireann, having led the national governing body since 2001.

Paul Buckley bowled brilliantly at Newcestown to beat Kieran Murphy by over two bowls in the Munster intermediate championship quarter-final. 

Colin O’Donovan scorched to within three metres of the line in 12 brilliant shots to beat David Cotter by a bowl of odds in the Dinny McCarthy Cup final at Derrinasafa.

Road Bowling

David Hubbard scored the line in 15 great bowls at Ballinacurra where he beat Paul Buckley by almost a bowl.

Christy Mullins won the Noel Phair Cup final at Shannonvale where he beat both Gary Daly and John Creedon by well over a bowl.

Séamus Sexton and Willie O’Donovan will contest what promises to be an exceptional Munster intermediate final at Jagoes Mills on Sunday.

The Irish funds industry could grow by another $1tn (€734m) and add up to 10,000 jobs over the next six years, according to a new report by the consultancy firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers.

A 79-year-old man who grabbed a woman’s breast in a lift at Blarney Woollen Mills has paid her €2,000 as a token of his remorse.

A 79-year-old man, never in trouble in his life, denied grabbing a young woman’s breast in a lift at Blarney Woollen Mills. And he told a court: “If it was to free Ireland, I would not do it at all, ever.”

Christy Mullins reached his second successive Munster senior final when he dethroned Munster and European champion David Murphy in the last shot at Shannonvale on Sunday.

WAYNE O’DONOGHUE became aggressive with gardaí because of delays in the search for schoolboy Robert Holohan.

Wayne O’Donoghue took an active part in the search for Robert Holohan after his disappearance – and even reacted angrily to gardaí about delays.