Cathal Toal beat Martin Coppinger in the last shot of a thrilling Joe McVeigh Cup final at Keady, county Armagh yesterday.

Newry’s Ronan Mackle (Semog) came out best in a thrilling battle with Pallaskenry’s Ciaran Ryan (Kamikaz) to take victory in the Killarney Loose Surface Autocross at the Tralee Racecourse.

As 2018 comes to a close, we can reflect on a year of top-class bowling, but even some of those who achieved most will have a few regrets as the Christmas pudding is served.

Timmy Murphy won the All-Ireland Junior C bowling title for Cork in the autumnal glory of Wompatuck State Park south-east of Boston on Sunday.

Thomas Mackle created history by winning a fourth successive Hurley’s of Midleton King of the Roads at Ballincurrig yesterday.

Thomas Mackle is bidding to become the first player to win four Hurley’s of Midleton King of the Roads titles in succession this weekend at Ballincurrig.

David Murphy gave a bowling masterclass in yesterday’s All-Ireland senior final at Grenagh, to beat Ulster champion Thomas Mackle by a bowl of odds.

David Murphy put down a serious marker for all with aspirations of winning the 2018 Munster senior championship when he dismissed James Buckley in a one-sided first round tie at Firmount on Saturday.

While Thomas Mackle was lighting up the northern roads with his sensational bowling, the main attraction down south was the Carbery-South West festival at Shannonvale.

Aidan Murphy’s early season form continues to impress following his late surge to deny Martin Coppinger in the Willie Whelton Cup at Grange.

Future Ulster bowling fans will look back on this as the golden age. A decade ago not even the most optimistic supporter would have predicted Ulster winning both King and Queen of the Roads in three successive seasons.

Thomas Mackle will be bidding for a special place in bowling history when he defends his Hurley’s of Midleton King of the Roads title at Ballincurrig next weekend.

Michael Harrington leads the Munster team in the first All-Ireland series at Grenagh this weekend. The Killarney man is hoping to make history as the first Kerry native to win the title when he faces Paul Rafferty on Saturday.

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.

Martin Coppinger ended 2016 on a high after beating David Murphy in the last shot of the feature score in the RNLI benefit at Castletownbere.

Kilcoo (Down) 4-13 Maghery (Armagh) 0-12: It was far easier than they expected, and Kilcoo impressive enough yesterday to suggest they’re going to take a lot of stopping in the Ulster Club SFC final.

Kelly Mallon’s win over Silke Tulk in the final of the Global Catering Queen of the Roads was the standout contest of the 32nd King and Queen of the Roads at Ballincurrig.

Ulster completed the double double, when Thomas Mackle retained the Hurley’s of Midleton King of the Roads and Kelly Mallon the Global Catering Queen of the Roads at Ballincurrig yesterday.

Ulster visitors Cathal Toal and Thomas Mackle pulled off a significant double over Munster rivals at the weekend. Toal beat James Buckley at Ballincurrig in the Mick Barry Cup and Mackle beat Aidan Murphy in the Sonny O’Donovan Cup in Ardcahan.

All-Ireland champion Thomas Mackle bowled well to beat Aidan Murphy by almost a bowl in the Willie Whelton Cup at Grange.

Michael Bohane and Séamus Sexton had the two first wins in the Mick Barry Cup in the race to the Hurley’s of Midleton King of the Roads at Ballincurrig.

Thomas Mackle won his first All-Ireland senior bowling final with a solid performance against Killian Kingston at Lyre yesterday.

Killian Kingston is Munster senior bowling champion following a tremendously exciting contest with Edmond Sexton at Lyre yesterday.

Thomas Mackle beat David Murphy by almost a bowl in the Joe McVeigh Cup final at the Ból-Fada festival in Keady, Co Armagh yesterday.

Thomas Mackle finished with three record bowls at Shannonvale on Sunday to win the Noel Phair Cup final from Edmond Sexton and Gary Daly.

An Armagh man accused of having 20,000 cigarettes and 240 packets of loose tobacco for sale at the weekend in Cork without payment of duty told gardaí he was in Cork for a stag night but later said he was in the area for a road bowling match.

Ulster champion Thomas Mackle beat Christy Mullins on Sunday in the feature score of the benefit festival for the cancer unit at Cork University Hospital in Shannonvale.

David Murphy is back on top of the bowling world after winning his second All-Ireland senior title, for just under €50,000, with almost two shots to spare on Ulster’s Thomas Mackle at Port Mór-Blackwatertown on Sunday.

Several thousand spectators thronged the Portmore-Blackwatertown Road on the Armagh–Tyrone border to witness the clash of Ulster senior champion Thomas Mackle against his Munster counterpart David Murphy for the All-Ireland senior title.

David Murphy and Thomas Mackle meet in what promises to be a thrilling All-Ireland senior bowling final at Port Mór- Blackwatertown in County Armagh on Sunday.

David Murphy is Munster senior bowling champion, after a brilliant second-half display against Gary Daly, on the historic Masseytown Road, in Macroom, yesterday.

Thomas Mackle is Ulster senior champion following a last shot win over his uncle, Martin Toal, at Port Mór-Blackwatertown.