O’Rourke triumphs in Cronin Cup final
He dominated the early part of the score after a good first shot from the timber yard. Fitzpatrick’s bowl lay second and hot favourite Daly was third. Daly pushed into second place with his second throw and the rest of the score was effectively a battle between himself and O’Rourke.
O’Rourke was still 20m fore of Daly after his fourth, with Fitzpatrick now almost a bowl down. He held his odds on Daly and raised a bowl on Fitzpatrick with his next shot to Falvey’s. Daly closed the odds to just three metres to the soccer field, with Fitzpatrick still well off the pace.
O’Rourke gathered momentum in the next two throws to increase his lead on Daly. Daly levelled the score with a great ninth bowl to the corner at Kilcrone House. He followed with another good bowl to the big gates, but O’Rourke beat that too to hold the lead. Fitzpatrick rallied too, but he conceded the bowl of odds again in the shots to the stones, where O’Rourke was just 10 metres fore of Daly.
Daly then delivered one of the best bowls of the day to make light. O’Rourke missed and lost the lead for the first time. Daly extended his lead in two more to the next bend where he had most of a bowl on O’Rourke and a full bowl on Fitzpatrick.
O’Rourke closed the gap with a good bowl to light at Durkins. Still Daly had a nice lead after the next exchange. O’Rourke then played a great shot to light at Sisk’s Bend. Daly should have beaten it but he turned his bowl into the entrance and beat the tip by just a metre. Fitzpatrick was now just under a bowl back in third place.
O’Rourke’s next bowl was tight on the right but it settled perfectly and beat the no-play line. Daly missed it to concede almost a bowl; Fitzpatrick was now close to two behind. Daly was then hampered by overhanging trees and could not loft his next bowl. O’Rourke pinned him down with another good bowl to the top of the hill to raise a bowl on both Daly and Fitzpatrick.
Donal Riordan finished strongly at Bauravilla to beat James O’Donovan in the semi-final of the Mick Crowley Cup. A short first put Riordan in trouble and saw him almost a bowl down after two and three to the cross. O’Donovan beat Coppinger’s gate with a good third, which Riordan missed by 70m to concede a bowl. Riordan then missed the netting with his next shot, which meant that O’Donovan had almost two bowls after his shot to light.
Donovan held well over a bowl in the next two throws. Riordan then missed light at the rock, handing O’Donovan a chance to raise a second bowl. But O’Donovan missed too, so there was an even bowl between them at light.
Riordan made the bridge in three against four for O’Donovan to cut the lead to three metres. He followed with a good bowl over the hill, which O’Donovan missed by 25m to lose the lead. O’Donovan only beat that tip by 30m with his next. Riordan hit him with a huge bowl past O’Donoghue’s to lead by well over a bowl.
O’Donovan cut the lead to 35m with his second last but his next went left. Riordan seized the chance with a tremendous last to beat the line by 100m.
Liam O’Sullivan secured a place in the Connie O’Sullivan Cup final at Skibbereen with a sensational last shot win over Billy McAuliffe.
O’Sullivan missed an easy tip to Crowley’s Boreen. He compensated with an exceptional last bowl past the line towards the bridge, which McAuliffe missed by 50m.
Seamus Sexton beat Michael Bohane three bowls at Donoughmore. He was a full bowl clear at Ring’s. Bohane brought the lead well under a bowl with a great shot to the wall, but missed chances to close the gap in the next two exchanges.
Sexton played a great bowl to the end of the straight to go almost two bowls in front. He made the nooks in two more where he had two in full. Bohane lofted a dead bowl there to leave three between them.
Martin Coppinger reversed his previous week’s defeat to Andrew O’Leary with a masterclass at Fermoy. He made the Rushfield Gate in six where he had well over two bowls of odds.
In the Paddy Duffy Cup semi-finals on the Cathedral Road, Gerard Rafferty and Mark McParland beat Raymond Grimley and Paul Mullen and Adrian and Sean O’Reilly beat Jarlath Devlin and Paddy Rooney, both in the last shot.
All-Ireland champion Michael Toal plays Aidan Murphy and Gavin Twohig in the Connie Killarney O’Sullivan Memorial Cup at Kealkill on Saturday.
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