Murphy hits pay dirt at Drimoleague

World Champion Aidan Murphy hit pay dirt at Drimoleague on Saturday when he won the resumed Con Kelleher-Dan Hurley Cup final from what looked certain defeat and followed up with a convincing win over Martin Coppinger.

In early November poor light and heavy rain forced the Con Kelleher-Dan Hurley Cup final to be abandoned with just one shot to play. Murphy looked to have little prospect of victory as he trailed Gavin Twohig by ten metres with James O’Donovan an additional 45m ahead of Twohig.

Being ‘hind tip’ Murphy bowled first in Saturday’s sudden death last shot decider. He played an excellent bowl past the finish line. Twohig’s bowl looked good too, but it went left and missed Murphy’s tip. O’Donovan now had 115m to beat, with a slight curve to negotiate. He played the right track, but forced his bowl onto the left and it missed Murphy’s tip by seven metres and just beat Twohig’s.

Buoyed with that unexpected win Murphy was in the perfect place to take on All-Ireland champion Martin Coppinger in a full length score from the normal start line. Coppinger got a massive opening shot, which gave him an instant 60m lead and put him in a place where he could potentially make light in two.

Murphy changed the complexion of the contest with an absolutely perfect second bowl, which missed the cross by just 50m. Coppinger missed that tip and could do little but make light with his third. Murphy’s third shot was another gem. It wheeled well past the corner and gave him a valuable 50m lead. Coppinger got a good bowl to the bottom of the hill, but Murphy hit him with a brilliant reply, which made light and opened a lead of almost a bowl of odds.

In that brief period of magic, Murphy had effectively put the score out of reach. They battled over the bowl of odds from there till Coppinger got a great bowl onto the wide road. Murphy beat that tip to just hold his bowl of odds. Coppinger followed with another great shot to the top of the hill. Murphy was lucky that his bowl came off the right and missed that tip by just 40m.

Murphy played another good bowl from there towards the forge. Coppinger needed to beat that by at least 50m to get a shot at levelling the score. Instead he missed the tip, the bowl was restored and all chance of victory dissipated.

William O’Driscoll bowled exceptionally well in the Jerry Desmond Cup at Shannonvale where he beat Stephen Desmond by close to three bowls of odds. From the off he was in the zone. He made Desmond’s cross in six impeccable bowls where he had a bowl on Desmond, who made it in a respectable seven throws. He was relentless from there, building up odds with every shot till he was almost three bowls in front at the novice line.

Earlier David Hubbard beat Patrick O’Donoghue in the last shot. There was little between them in the first five shots to light at the quarry. Hubbard made Desmond’s line in three more to go a bowl in front. He then beat two good bowls from O’Donoghue to just back of Sam’s lane.

O’Donoghue then played a good bowl on the straight, which Hubbard took two to beat - he misplayed his first to the left and the next to the right. O’Donoghue increased the pressure to Hayes’s and took his only lead with his second last throw. Hubbard was 30m hind and back at the last corner, but he played an amazing bowl past the novice line and out for light. O’Donoghue’s reply never looked like matching it.

Vincent Kiely proved too strong for Jim Coffey at Donoughmore where he won by a bowl of odds. Neither player got a good opening shot, but Kiely edged it by ten metres. He continued to lead in the next four to the bounds. Coffey kept in touch and edged into his only lead with his sixth to Ring’s corner.

Kiely responded with three good bowls to the wall where he had a ten-metre lead. He increased his odds to 50m with his next shot onto the straight. He followed this with two good bowls to the end of the straight where he had a bowl of odds. He held that lead to the finish.

In Armagh the annual Northern Builders tournament got under way at the Cathedral Road. Paddy O’Neill caused the biggest upset of the weekend when he beat James Oliver in the last shot. Veteran Harry Toal had a last shot win too at the expense of Eamon O’Neill. Shane Feighan beat Terence Rafferty by a bowl and Stephen O’Neill eliminated All-Ireland Novice II champion Joe Shortt by almost a bowl.