Oliver goes into overdrive to claim win over Sexton
That completed an excellent weekend for Ulster with four wins from six in which they claimed the four top titles. Only Mairéad O’Driscoll (girls u18) and Conor Creedon (boys u14) raised flags for Munster.
In the intermediate final Oliver quickly took control. Sexton was wayward with his fourth and missed the orchard bend to fall two bowls down. He was still two adrift at the long lane.
Sexton’s good bowl to the brick house cut the lead to a bowl as Oliver missed it in two. He followed with two more good shots to the bus shelter to bring it dead level. He led for the first and only time with his next to McGleenan’s.
Oliver regained control with a brilliant, if lucky, shot to the chicken farm, which Sexton just beat in two. He followed with another great bowl, which Sexton just missed to concede a full bowl.
Sexton’s next bowl caught the right. Oliver replied with a perfect shot to Bagnell’s bridge. Sexton missed the bridge to concede a second bowl and could only get his next 20m past Oliver to leave almost three between them. Oliver followed with a good bowl to McOscar’s line and although Sexton beat the tip he concede with just three shots left.
Mairéad O’Driscoll dethroned Sinéad Kiernan in the girls u18 final. The opening exchanges were tight till Kiernan got a great fifth from the bridge. She increased her lead to the ‘capped-bullet’, but O’Driscoll pounced on a mistake to lead at the bus shelter. Kiernan regained the lead and looked set to raise a bowl.
O’Driscoll rallied strongly and opened the orchard with three great shots in succession to draw level. She got a brilliant bowl from there to the Point Road, which Kiernan just beat in two to leave almost a bowl between them facing the line.
Kelly Mallon beat Carmel Ryan by almost two bowls in the women’s senior final that was marred by heavy rain. She won the opening tip, but Ryan took the lead after three. Mallon got a poor fourth, but Ryan missed the tip and lost a chance to take control.
Mallon bowled strongly from there and was two bowls clear at Campbell’s. Her form dipped to McOscar’s, but she stayed and control to the finish.
Ruairí O’Reilly bowled brilliantly to go close to the line in 17 when beating Sean Murphy by almost a bowl in the Junior A final. He led the early shots and was almost a bowl in front at the orchard bend.
He raised the bowl at the long lane. Murphy rallied with two good bowls to the bus shelter where he had the lead back to 50m Murphy continued to press in the next two to the chicken farm where he had the lead down to two metres. He led with his shot to the kerbs.
O’Reilly regained the lead at the next tip and was ten metres fore at the bridge. He increased his lead to almost a bowl at McOscar’s and held that lead to the line.
David Devlin won his fifth All-Ireland and second in 2014 when he beat Kieran Sexton in the boys u18 final. He led at the orchard bend and raised two bowls between there and McOscar’s. Sexton rallied with three great shots to McGreil’s to cut the lead to a bowl, but could get no closer.
Conor Creedon beat Ulster’s Oisín Campbell comfortably in the last shot of the boys u14 final. He got a big first shot and increased his lead in his next two. Campbell snatched the lead with a fine fourth and gained almost a bowl in his next two. Creedon levelled to the long lane and won a decisive lead with a brilliant bowl to the orchard bend.
