Ból-Fada festival to set scene for season

The first barometer of the 2015 bowling season will be played out at the three-day Ból-Fada festival at Keady-Tassagh in Armagh over the weekend.

In the feature Joe McVeigh Cup, champion Aidan Murphy faces James O’Donovan in his semi-final on Saturday. Despite his loss to Martin Coppinger in the Kealkill Cup last weekend, his experience on the road should make him favourite.

In the opening semi-final, Ulster champion Cathal Toal will be the fancy too against Conor McGuigan. The result is far from certain though. Toal has the speed to burn off most players, but McGuigan has the capacity to produce his best on the big occasion.