Wilmot on an upward curve
Bowen missed light but got a good second shot to hold the lead at a bare bowl. They contested that lead in the next three to the corner of the lawn. Bowen knocked the bowl with a great shot past Mehigan’s, which brought Wilmot 100m hind. Wilmot bounced back with a great bowl to the point of the next bend to push his lead to almost a bowl again.
He restored the bowl of odds with his next shot, but Bowen knocked it again with a great bowl past the old senior line. Wilmot raised the bowl for the last time with another good shot to the end of the straight. Bowen then played an astonishing bowl that went all the way to Dan Herlihy’s corner. Wilmot did well to come close enough to loft his next and hold a solid 40m lead.
Bowen won his first lead in the shots up the hill after Wilmot blew his bowl to the right. He held the lead past Murphy’s farm, but Wilmot won the following tip. Bowen only reached Field’s lane with his second last. Wilmot had a chance of scoring the line, but missed by less than a metre. Bowen took poor play for his last shot and Wilmot didn’t have to throw again.
Pat Butler beat Eamon Bowen Jnr in the last shot of an equally tight tie at Cobh. Butler won the first two shots and extended his lead to 60m lead with a good third through Ballydelea cross. Bowen did better in the next three past Dennis’s where the lead was just ten metres. Butler held that lead to Durkin’s boreen and pushed into a commanding lead between there and Sam’s corner.
He made a mistake with a loft there and he dramatically lost the lead. He recovered instantly with a super bowl to McCarthy’s cross to level it again. He was just fore after two to the bottom of Clash and there was just a metre between them after two more past Foran’s. Bowen played his last bowl to the right and just beat the line; Butler beat that tip by 70m.
Edmund Sexton opened with three sensational bowls at Killumney in a start to finish win over James Buckley. He was a bowl in front after the first two to Gurranes cross and he increased his odds with his third. After five he had well over a bowl, but Buckley cut the odds to an even bowl with his next two to the cul-de-sac. Sexton did better to the next bend where he had almost two bowls.
Buckley knocked the bowl into the bend and had a chance of levelling facing Connie’s corner. He played his bowl too weakly there and Sexton pushed almost two bowls clear between there and the novice line. Buckley rallied on the rough and brought the lead under a bowl, but Sexton got a brilliant last shot and raised it again.
Louise Collins beat Gretta Cormican in the last shot in the Munster women’s senior championship at Bauravilla. Cormican led after three to the cross, but Collins took the next five to the rock. Cormican fought back with two good bowls to light and she dominated to the bridge where she was almost a bowl in front. Collins levelled after a mistake by Cormican at the top of the hill and went to win in the last shot.
Trevor O’Meara had an easy win in the three-hand Ballinacurra final against Thomas Mackle and Killian Kingston. He was level with Kingston after three through Brinny cross, a short opening shot had Mackle a bowl behind. O’Meara was just short of Perrott’s in two more to put a bowl on Kingston and two on Mackle. After four more he had almost two on Kingston and three on Mackle. Two big shots brought Mackle level with Kingston and he took second in the last shot.
Dan O’Halloran beat Liam O’Sullivan in the last shot in the Marshall Clarke Cup at Derrinasafa. O’Sullivan got a very short first shot. O’Halloran had a lead of between 20 and 30m at every tip to the Darkwood turn. O’Sullivan cut the odds from there and won his first lead just past Walsh’s lane. O’Halloran regained the lead at O’Grady’s and looked to be safe till O’Sullivan played a massive last bowl. O’Halloran did well to beat that tip.
Billy McAuliffe was brilliant at Donoughmore where he beat PJ Cooney by three bowls. Cooney made a mistake with his second and McAuliffe immediately raised a bowl. He had close to two bowls after four to Ring’s corner. He made the start of the straight in three to go two clear. He raised a third bowl by covering most of the straight in two more.
John Shorten beat David Hubbard comfortably in the last shot at Templemartin in the Flor Crowley Cup. He led the first three shots, but Hubbard took the fourth to Slyne’s corner. Hubbard got two great bowls on the straight and took a big lead to the stonefield bend. Shorten levelled with two great bowls past the monument. It was on a knife-edge till Shorten closed with two good bowls.
