Murphy’s master class joy to behold
Even after four shots of that score an older generation were comparing him to Mick Barry and Denis Scully in terms of sheer skill and athleticism. He has a long way to go to match Barry’s records, but he will bow to few of any era in terms of sheer class.
Some even among Murphy’s own supporters were willing the best from his great opponent James Buckley, because it was clear the champion was operating on a different plane. They wanted to see him stretched to see what he could deliver.
Pundits were sated with low fast bowls like his fourth, delivered so close to the edge it would be foolhardy in a lesser bowler. He lofted with precision, dropping bowls that spun left and right at will. He had speed when speed was demanded and he had the finesse of a diamond cutter. He enthralled the gallery and brought gasps from the Dutch and German followers. He came closer to perfection than any bowler ever to grace the Ballincurrig road.
Murphy did the business with less flash against Martin Coppinger and Dutch champion Ivo Egbers in Saturday’s semi-final. He led from the off, taking advantage of two poor openers from Coppinger to go a bowl in front of the All-Ireland champion. He had almost a bowl on Egbers too after his second.
Coppinger closed the gap with a brilliant fourth, but Murphy was in the clear again after a great fifth towards the no-play line. He controlled the score to Leahy’s, where Coppinger produced another Herculean bowl to light at the big corner to bring it back to a level bowl. Murphy pushed clear again but Coppinger and Egbers kept up the hunt.
James Buckley did everything asked of him in his semi-final too. Ralf Rocker won the opening tip with a great bowl to light, but Buckley was to the fore at every subsequent tip. He won the second well and for most of the score it was a battle between Rocker and Ulster’s Eddie Carr for second place.
Buckley had a clear lead after a brilliant fourth shot to the creamery, but took two to make the lines, where Carr was level and Rocker was still in contention after a great seventh to Heaphy’s. The German champion raised his bowling from there and was breathing down Buckley’s neck at Leahy’s. Buckley gained ground in the shots to the big corner with Carr and Rocker locked together.
Carr missed light at the top of the short straight and his challenge ended. Rocker kept battling though. It took an exceptional bowl from the sycamores, followed by a brilliant 15th past the line for Buckley to book his place in the final.
The victory for Raymond Ryan and Rose Twohig over Fergal Donnelly and Carly Grimley in Saturday’s Dairypower Challenge was as dramatic as unexpected after the Ulster pair controlled most of the score.
They raised a bowl after two shots to the elbow and were still almost a bowl in front at the top of the short straight. Twohig levelled with a great bowl to the big corner and Ryan took their first lead with his next to Leahy’s. Armagh pushed clear again till another big bowl from Twohig to O’Riordan’s closed the gap. Ryan had them back in contention at Hegarty’s, but Donnelly took a commanding lead with his next.
The Cork pair then played three exceptional bowls to snatch victory. Ryan regained the lead with a great bowl to the creamery, Twohig followed with a great shot towards Geary’s and Ryan finished with a brilliant bowl past the line.
Armagh won the other supporting scores. In the Smart’s Bar President’s Prize Seamus Conlon and Ethan Rafferty started well to reach the short straight in five where they had a big lead on German youth Keno Vogts and Tadhg O’Driscoll. Rafferty then made light at the big corner, after Vogts had missed, to raise a bowl.
Vogts wiped out most of that lead with a brilliant shot onto the long straight. Conlon raised almost a bowl again with a sensational shot to O’Riordan’s. They had well over a bowl at Heaphy’s and kept the lead close to a bowl till Vogts got a great shot to Geary’s. Mistakes by both O’Driscoll and Conlon put it back to a last shot, which Rafferty won by a few metres.
Thomas Mackle and Seamus McKee had a comfortable win over brothers Killian and Wayne Kingston in the Charlie McCarthy Cup on Sunday.
The Kingstons were a bowl in front after two, but they failed to hold the upper hand as Mackle and McKee gained almost a bowl to the big corner. They were almost two in front at O’Riordan’s following a big shot from Mackle. The Kingstons intermittently closed the gap, but Mackle always produced the one to stretch it again.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
