O’Donoghue’s purple patch too much for O’Driscoll
On Sunday, Sexton beat David Hubbard by almost a bowl at Kilcorney while O’Donoghue defeated Patrick O’Driscoll by three bowls at Carraig na bhFear.
Hubbard had just one fore bowl against Sexton, when his powerful opening bowl took the first tip by two metres. Sexton responded with a great second shot. Hubbard delivered his second bowl too far to the right. Sexton raised almost a bowl with a good third to Cooney’s. He increased that to a full bowl in another two to Coleman’s bridge.
Hubbard rallied from there, making gains on Sexton, but he never looked like regaining the lead. He had the lead well under a bowl at Patricia’s and reduced the odds again to the middle of the straight. Facing the line he had a small chance to force a last shot, but his last bowl just beat the line. This left Sexton almost a bowl in front again.
O’Donoghue’s win at Carraig na bhFear was due almost entirely to a purple patch of three incredible bowls on the straight, before which O’Driscoll looked the winner.
O’Driscoll won the opening shots well and quickly his lead to a full bowl after two more past the doctor’s. He held that lead to Daunt’s and looked as if he might have a second bowl at the creamery. O’Donoghue denied him that lead with a great bowl to the pick-up line, which O’Driscoll narrowly missed.
O’Driscoll got a great loft over the creamery to keep his lead well over a bowl. It looked serious for O’Donoghue when he got a poor shot off the line and O’Driscoll beat it by 60m with his bowl to the gate.
But everything changed after those shots.
O’Donoghue got a sensational bowl over the top of the rise. O’Driscoll’s reply was well hind and he had only 60m odds after his next shot. O’Donoghue rattled him with another brilliant bowl past the novice line which O’Driscoll missed to lose the lead for the first time.
He recovered with a great bowl to light at the next bend, which looked certain to put him back in control. But O’Donoghue produced another miracle bowl and beat the tip.
O’Driscoll missed the second cross with his next and O’Donoghue beat the cross to raise 90m odds. O’Driscoll just beat the cross with his following shot to leave him almost a bowl down. He hit a bad patch from there and was close to three bowls down at Crowley’s farm.
Vincent Kiely advanced to a Munster Junior A quarter-final with Martin Daly at Ballincurrig on Friday after an emphatic win over Wayne Calnan at Killumney. He set a new road record of 15 shots and won by two bowls.
He got a poor first shot, but Calnan left his opener to the right and missed the tip by ten metres. Calnan made up for this with a great second past the doctor’s, which Kiely missed by 70m. Calnan won the next tip by 40m, but Kiely regained a slender lead with his fourth and led to the finish.
He increased his lead to 30m with his fifth. They both missed light before the cul-de-sac in six. Kiely played a great seventh out that bend, which Calnan missed with his eighth to concede a bowl. Calnan knocked the bowl with his shot past the cul-de-sac. Kiely got a great bowl from there to put him well over a bowl in front again.
He raised a second bowl after two more to light at Connie’s corner. He held that past the novice line and the rest of the score hinged on the winning margin. Kiely had the last say there too, beating a big last shot from Calnan by 15m. The winner of his clash with Martin Daly will play Killian Kingston in the semi-final.
Brendan O’Neill will play Brian Wilmot in the other semi-final. He beat London champion Tim Young by almost a bowl at the Marsh Road. He was just fore after five each to the council yard. They made the silvery gate in two more where O’Neill’s lead was just two metres. He gained a decisive advantage by making light in two to the steps, which Young missed. He edged close to a bowl in front with two more to just short of light at Ballyhilty corner, but his lead was back to 30m after his shot around the bend.
He regained the upper hand with a good bowl to light past Ballyhilty cross after Young had missed. Young played his next to the left and O’Neill copper fastened his lead with a great bowl to light at the last bend. He beat the line with his 15th throw to keep his lead close to a bowl.
The National Executive will fix venues for these semi-finals and the Munster Intermediate final Wednesday night.
Fergal Donnelly beat Johnny Kelly by almost a bowl in the Ulster Junior A semi-final at Portmor; Conor McGuigan beat Paul Rafferty in a brilliant Ulster intermediate tie at Knappagh while Kelly Mallon beat Caitriona White in the Ulster senior women’s championship.
