Murphy lands title after strong second-half surge

SEÁN MURPHY won the Ballinacurra Christmas Tournament by two bowls of odds after a powerful second half display saw him burn off the challenges of Wayne Calnan and Raymond Ryan respectively.

Calnan, the favourite, made a good start and he took a 50m lead after three shots through Brinny cross. He tightened his grip by making light at Foley’s, while Ryan and Murphy both missed. He held the upper hand in the next exchange and eased into a 60m lead with his sixth shot. Ryan missed Perrott’s with his next and was never a contender again.

Murphy ignited his challenge with a monstrous bowl to the end of Perrott’s. Calnan missed that by 100m. Both Ryan and Calnan played their next bowls to the left, Ryan missed Murphy’s tip to concede a bowl of odds and Calnan beat it by just 20m.

In the next two throws Murphy held a bowl on Ryan and kept close to a bowl in front of Calnan. He got another great bowl to the novice line, which pushed him a bowl clear of Calnan too. It was all Murphy from there as he increased his lead to two bowls at Cronin’s lane. Calnan beat Ryan by one metre for second place. Gary Daly advanced to the semi-final of the Joe O’Sullivan Acorn Life Cup at Castletownbere after he beat Gavin Twohig in the last shot.

Daly won the first two shots by 70m and increased his odds with a good third. Twohig cut the odds to 60m with his fourth and took the lead with his fifth. He gained a valuable 50m lead with his seventh. Daly didn’t get a great bowl to the wall and Twohig looked certain to increase his lead, but played his bowl too wide and missed the tip.

Daly got the better of the shots over the hill and was well clear after his next throw to the hollow. Twohig picked up the pace again and was just 40m hind for the last shot. His last bowl broke left and Daly had an easy task to book a meeting with Christy Mullins in the semi-final.

Defending champion John O’Rourke beat Brian Wilmot by almost a bowl in the John Cronin Cup at Cloyne. Wilmot looked stronger on the main road and had a good lead after three to just short of the cross. He continued to press ahead, but O’Rourke fought back and levelled at the top of the hill.

He then got a sensational bowl to the no-play and when Wilmot missed, the score was out of his reach.

David Hubbard had mixed fortunes at the weekend. On Saturday he beat Patrick O’Donoghue by a bowl at Carraig na bhFear, but on Sunday Ulster player Thomas Mackle beat him by almost a bowl at Drinagh.

Both Hubbard and O’Donoghue got slow starts at Carraig na bhFear where they made poor light in two shots each. Hubbard got a good third, which gave him the lead. O’Donoghue took up the running from the next exchange and increased his lead past Fitzgerald’s. He looked to be heading for a bowl of odds after a great shot to just before of the creamery.

Hubbard looked to have no chance of making the creamery, but he played a brilliant bowl, which levelled the score. He didn’t get a great bowl from the cross, but O’Donoghue missed the tip. From there the floodgates opened as Hubbard played a series of brilliant bowls to go well over a bowl clear at the last bend.

At Drinagh he had the upper hand against Mackle after a promising start put him into a nice lead at Shandrum cross. Mackle got a sensational bowl from there to the black stick and grabbed his first lead. It looked set for a last shot showdown, but Hubbard hit his leg while delivering his bowl at the pond and got a very short shot. This gave Mackle most of a bowl which he held it to the line.

Vincent Kiely and Richard Murphy shared the spoils at Gortroe. In a lightening start they were over the bridge in four throws. Kiely turned the score with a brilliant bowl to the end of the wood and he raised a bowl at the Well Bar. They contested that lead until Murphy got a great bowl past the novice line and regained the lead for the last shot. Kiely got a brilliant last shot, which Murphy had little chance of beating.

Murphy got revenge in the return trip when a massive bowl to the end of the wood propelled him almost a bowl clear.

Declan O’Donovan beat Stephen Desmond at Rosscarbery. They were locked together until Desmond made a mistake with his shot at the well. That set him almost a bowl behind and he got no chance to close the gap as O’Donovan scored the line in 11 throws.

Ulster U18 champion Mick O’Neill beat Ruarí O’Reilly by two bowls in the Northern Builders tournament on the Cathedral Road.