Confident Hurley sees off Wilmot at the Clubhouse
He didn’t get a big opening shot, but Wilmot missed it. He won the second exchange by 40m.
Wilmot then missed sight at the school and Hurley replied with a big shot to sight. Oozing confidence he shaved the edge with his bowl past the garage to the top of the hill. He played another super shot to O’Riordan’s, which Wilmot beat with a great reply to keep the lead under a bowl.
Hurley followed with a brilliant bowl to Murray’s pillars to give him a clear bowl of odds. After another massive throw he was at Clonakilty cross. Wilmot’s bowl was accidently blocked there to leave two bowls between them. Hurley held that to the chips and cruised home with two bowls to spare.
Donal Riordan and Alex O’Donovan beat Michael Harrington and Jim Coffey by a bowl of odds at the same venue. Harrington and Coffey led by 20m after four to the chips. Riordan and O’Donovan won their first lead after three more to Clonakilty cross. They increased their lead to almost a bowl in another three past the school. They raised and won by a bowl in the final shots.
Emma Fitzpatrick beat Clare O’Sullivan by a bowl in the final of the Gretta Cormican Cup at Derrinasafa. That win puts her into the semi-final of the Queen of the Roads, she will be joined by the winner of the Top 10 contest at Ballincurrig next Sunday.
O’Sullivan got a great start to open up a 100m lead in three shots to the end of the railing. Fitzpatrick reduced the odds with a big fifth. She rubbed the left with her sixth to cut the odds to 40m and was in front after her next.
She increased her odds by making sight at Ross’s in two more. She had almost a bowl at Cotter’s cross and was still well clear at the Darkwood turn. She had 60m odds after a good bowl from the bend and increased her lead to Walsh’s lane. She beat the line in three more to win by a bowl.
Mick Murphy and Christy Butler will meet in the Munster Vintage A final. Murphy beat John Falvey by almost a bowl in an exciting semi-final at Donoughmore. Falvey won the first two tips. Murphy took a big lead with a good third shot past the old line and raised a bowl with his next to the bounds. Falvey fought back strongly to regain the lead at Ring’s.
Murphy went a bowl clear again with a sensational bowl to the middle of the wall. Falvey recovered with two great bowls on the straight to cut the lead to 60m for the last shot. His last bowl was not enough to trouble Murphy though.
Christy Butler put in a storming finish to beat his brother Tommy at Ballinacurra.
After a slow start Tommy gained the upper hand and had a big lead at Perrott’s. Christy played four great bowls from there, but was still hind bowl facing the line. He threw an amazing last bowl, which left Tommy with virtually no chance.
DD Carroll reached the Vintage B (West) final when he beat Jim Fitzpatrick by two bowls at Drimoleague. They were locked together in four each to Deane’s and they both made the bridge in seven. Carroll won the next exchange by 60m, but Fitzpatrick was back in front at the quarry. Carroll made the no-play line in two more to go a bowl clear and increased his odds to the line.
Joe Mackey was brilliant in his win over Mick Cahill in the Vintage C (East) final at Carraig na bhFear. Jerry Connolly advanced at the expense of Con O’Donovan in the Vintage C (West) at Derrinasafa.
David Hubbard finished with two brilliant shots to beat Vincent Kiely in the semi-final of the Moss Twomey Shield at Ballincurrig. Kiely won the first four, Hubbard led with a big fifth past the creamery and they were dead level after six to the no-play line. The lead was hotly contested in good bowling to the big corner.
They both missed the top of the short straight. Kiely took a big lead with his next and extended his lead in his next two past the elbow. Hubbard levelled with a massive second last and won the last exchange with a big bowl into the green.
Frank Kiely beat Anthony Broderick in the Fergal Beamish Cup at the Pike. He was a bowl up after six to White’s cross. He raised a second bowl to Dreaper’s and beat the line in three more to win by three.
Finbarr Coughlan got the West Cork weekend off to a flyer when he beat the line in 10 shots in a top class display against Pat Daly. Ciarán Nyhan and Eoin Murray beat Darren and Mark Shannon comfortably in the last shot. Nyhan was instrumental in turning that one around. Jim Coffey had a comfortable win over Eoin O’Riordan.
- Former Ulster secretary and treasurer, Paddy Comiskey has died. He was a charismatic and very able figure in the administration of the sport up to the turn of the century.
