Thomas Mackle’s final flourish secures Phair Cup
Sexton dominated the score from the off, with Daly battling Mackle for second place.
After his big bowl from Desmond’s Sexton looked set for victory. Mackle kept the lead within reach and finished with three amazing bowls from just short of Tobin’s.
Sexton won the opening shot from Mackle, with Daly third. He stretched his lead to 100m after two more past McSweeney’s, but he lost ground with his fourth. Daly and Mackle hit back with good fifth shots to the quarry. Sexton still led there, but there was just 35m between him and Mackle in third place.
Daly and Mackle lost ground again with their following shots. Sexton punished them with a big bowl past Buttimer’s pillars and he drove on to lead by a full throw at Desmond’s after seven. He followed with a near record eighth up the rise towards Sam’s Lane, which put him over a bowl clear, with Daly just edging Mackle into third place.
Mackle put more life in his challenge with a big bowl past Sam’s Lane, which pushed him well clear of Daly. Sexton just made the wall and after the next exchange, he led Mackle by just a bowl. Mackle responded with another great bowl towards Tobin’s which Sexton missed by 10m. He now had less than a bowl on Mackle, with Daly almost two bowls down.
Sexton increased the intensity with a big shot towards Campbell’s Lane. Daly beat it, but critically Mackle beat it well to gain more traction. Neither Sexton nor Daly got good bowls from there. Mackle prised the score open with another big bowl to the ruin. Sexton needed a rub to beat that tip by five metres to just hold the lead. Mackle closed with another huge bowl that beat the line by 15m. Sexton’s bowl went right and missed the tip by 70m, to concede the lead for the only time in the score.
Michael Bohane got the first win of the new Willie Whelton Cup at Grange, where he beat Brian Wilmot by two bowls.
Despite a short opening shot, he made the stud farm bend in three to raise almost a bowl. He was a full bowl clear after three more to de Barra’s. He then got a massive rub from behind the school that took him to the school cross and put him two bowls clear. Wilmot closed the gap to O’Sullivan’s. Bohane restored his second bowl with his shot to Hodnett’s Farm and never relinquished it.
Bohane made it an all-round good weekend when he carded the top score in the Irish squad training at Castletownkenneigh on Sunday morning. Catriona O’Farrell-Kidney was best of the senior women. Eoin Healy and Maria Nagle won their respective U18 sections.
At Whitechurch, David Hubbard advanced to a meeting with Denis Murphy in the Josie Crean Cup final by beating Paul Buckley by two bowls.
Hubbard edged clear with a great third bowl to the bend at the top of the hill. Buckley then got three poor shots to the end of the wall, which left him over a bowl down.
Hubbard raised the second bowl with his shot from Boula Lane and they contested that lead to the finish.
Jerry Gibbons beat David O’Mahony comfortably in the last shot in the Bill Barrett Cup at Caheragh.
This was highly competitive until well into the second half. It all changed when O’Mahony got too poor shots to Sheily’s which left him almost a bowl adrift. He closed with a huge bowl, but Gibbons had too much in hand and beat it well.
PJ Cooney beat Seán Murphy by almost a bowl in the Flor Crowley Cup at Jagoes Mills.
They were level after six each to the dump. After another four to the railway Murphy led by 20m. Cooney then got a short bowl and fell almost a bowl behind.
Murphy held that lead towards Ballinvard Cross. Cooney got a super shot through the cross. Murphy just beat that by 50m in two. Cooney beat the line with two more good throws.
Francie O’Callaghan beat Seán O’Donovan in the last shot of a final at Béal na mBláth. O’Donovan started brilliantly and led by almost two bowls facing Shorten’s Cross.
O’Callaghan quickly wiped out the odds and led. O’Donovan battled on, but O’Callaghan sealed it with a great last shot.
Gavin Twohig beat Kieran Murphy by two bowls also at Béal na mBláth. He raised a bowl after two to sight and was at Long’s Lane in seven where he was almost two clear. He raised the second bowl with his shot to Twohig’s Farm. He increased his odds to the big turn, where he had well over two bowls.
- Kevin Garvey who cycled to watch Timmy Delaney defeat Peter ‘Hammerman’ Donnelly at Knappagh in 1928, celebrated his 100th birthday yesterday. In January 2013, he attended an historical society event in Ballincollig where he gave a vivid recollection of that famous score.
- The Cork Local Sport Partnership novice team finals will be played at Castletownkenneigh next Sunday.
