Mullins secures Barry Cup with win over Daly
He got a great first shot onto the hill, which Daly missed by 40m. Daly quickly found his rhythm with good second and third throws to push into a 60m lead.
Mullins was well short of the priest’s house with his fourth and Daly kept his lead. Mullins played his fifth to the right and just beat the priest’s house. Daly was left with his and only beat that tip by 50m.
Mullins cut the odds to 40m with his next bowl onto Barry’s Hill. They were both at the top of the hill in two more, but Mullins now had the odds back to just 5m. He then got a great bowl towards the guesthouse. Daly delivered his bowl to the left and just beat Barry’s Boreen, 60m hind of Mullins’ tip. Daly cut the odds to just 10m though when he got a great bowl from there. They both played poor shots from there, with Mullins 20m fore. The score changed when Daly played a very short bowl. They both missed the no-play with their next shots, but Mullins now had a full shot of a lead.
Daly cut the odds with a brilliant bowl from Cahermore Cross, which Mullins missed by 70m. Mullins made up for this with his next, which put him almost a bowl in front again.
He consolidated with another great bowl to the lodge gate to end the contest. Dan O’Halloran finished strongly to beat All-Ireland Junior A champion Liam O’Sullivan in the opening round of the Bill Barrett Cup at Caheragh.
O’Sullivan won the first tip by 30m with a big shot from the church hill to the Caheragh sign. O’Halloran made Sweetnam’s Gate with his second, which O’Sullivan beat by 50m. O’Halloran got a huge third bowl to the bridge, but O’Sullivan beat that too by 30m. O’Halloran cut the lead to 10m with his next to the new house and he followed with another big shot to the lawn to take his first lead, by 7m.
O’Sullivan got another great bowl to the tunnel, but O’Halloran’s bowl brushed the left and beat it by 10m. O’Sullivan then played a spectacular bowl down the right side past the farmhouse to regain the lead by 60m. O’Halloran was not done though, he replied with a brilliant bowl past the novice line which clipped the odds. He followed with another great shot to the junior line and the lead was now down to 5m.
After his next he looked vulnerable, as he had no chance of scoring the line. O’Sullivan replied with a poor shot to the right and lost the lead by 50m. He only beat O’Halloran’s tip by 70m with his following bowl. O’Halloran hit back with a big bowl towards the line to effectively seal his win. O’Sullivan was just short of the line with his last shot.
Chris Murray beat Alan Butler by over a bowl in the Pike final. He led all the way after taking the opening tip by 20m. Butler levelled with a good second and they were still together after three. Murray then got a huge fourth shot which guaranteed him White’s Cross in five, while it took Butler six. He had a bowl and 40m after his bowl from the cross got a lucky rub. Butler continued to press, but still trailed at Dreaper’s.
Murray got a poor bowl from there that went right at the V, but Butler beat it by just 10m. Murray hit back with a massive bowl to light at the last bend, which took his lead well over a bowl again. Murray held that lead despite Butler’s good shot towards the line.
Noel Bowen and Michael Barry beat Padraig Scanlon and Jerry O’Donovan in the last shot in the Finbarr Walsh Cup at Carraig na bhFear. There was nothing between them to Fitzgerald’s corner. Bowen and Barry made the creamery cross in two from there and Scanlon and O’Donovan missed in two to fall almost a bowl behind. Scanlon and O’Donovan were back level at the top of the rise. Barry then got a sensational bowl toward the novice line, which raised almost a bowl. Scanlon squeezed the odds with a great bowl to the last bend, but Barry hit the knockout with another brilliant bowl to full light.
John Young and Aidan Hurley beat Sean Murphy and Denis Wilmot in the last shot at Drinagh. This was a great contest to the church, but Young and Hurley raised winning odds reaching the barking dogs in two.
Coláiste Pobail Bheanntraí won the overall Munster Schools title. Jimmy Hurley beat Ethan de Burca by two bowls in the Paddy O’Donovan Cup final at Lyre. Earlier Tim Allen beat Mick Coakley in the Novice D final at the same venue.
