Toal champion of Ulster after edging never-say-die Mackle
Mackle opened with a great bowl to win the first tip well but his form dipped in his next three. Toal gained a foothold and drove almost two bowls clear after three good shots to the bridge. Mackle cut the odds with a big bowl through the cross and got an exceptional shot to Farley’s to cut the odds to 60m. Toal pushed his lead out to almost a bowl after a fine shot to the plum trees. Mackle didn’t respond strongly and looked to be falling out of contention as they approached the Condy corner. Toal was lucky to get peeping sight there to hold the upper hand. Mackle could only make sight with his next, but Toal beat that tip by just 30m for the last throw.
Mackle put down a big last shot that wheeled perfectly with the road and presented Toal with a formidable tip. He responded courageously with a perfectly played bowl that beat the mark by two metres. He’s now in the All-Ireland final where he’ll play the winner of next Sunday’s Munster final between Christy Mullins and Aidan Murphy at Whitechurch.
