Gould takes first big title of the year
He got the better of the opening shots by 50m after Hubbard’s opener hit a fence post. He was just short of Brinny cross in two more where his lead was back to two metres. They both made light at Foley’s in two more where Gould still had a 20m lead. They were just short of Perrott’s in two more with Gould still ahead.
Hubbard played a great bowl past Perrott’s. Gould’s reply looked good too, but it veered right and missed the tip by 40m to give Hubbard his first lead. He held that lead past the GAA field. Gould then got a poor shot to the bridge. Hubbard replied with a perfect bowl across the bridge which Gould beat by just 20m to leave almost a bowl between them. Hubbard pushed hard to raise the bowl in the shots onto the straight, but Gould refused to concede it.
A good bowl up the straight raised the bowl of odds for Hubbard. Gould hit back with a brilliant shot to light past Cronin’s. Hubbard was well short of that tip with his throw. His next bowl was not tight enough and only beat the tip by 20m. Gould played another massive bowl which beat the line, Hubbard’s reply lacked conviction and missed the tip by 25m.
Last year’s Munster senior women’s champion Carmel Ryan is fancied to emerge as one of the two quarter-finalists from Pool A following the 2011 draws. She will have to contend with Catriona Hubbard, Emer O’Donovan and Louise Daly, all of whom she would be confident of beating. Pool B has a very different complexion. Here 2009 champion Geraldine Daly will have a titanic struggle with three former All-Ireland senior champions Maria Noonan, Sharon Russell and Susan Cullen. Cork football star Juliet Murphy will be confident of winning one of the two spots from Pool C, where Louise Collins and Emma Fitzpatrick are likely to be ahead of last year’s intermediate champion Rose Twohig.
Catriona O’Farrell-Kidney looks the strongest player in Pool D, but it could be a battle for the second place.
Gretta Cormican has experience on her side, but Denise Murphy made a lot of progress in 2009 and Lorraine Hurley is another player on an upward trajectory.
All-Ireland senior champion Martin Coppinger will play Gary Daly in the Joe O’Sullivan Acorn Life Cup final at Castletownbere. Daly edged Christy Mullins in the last shot and Coppinger beat Eamon Bowen by well over a bowl.
Daly won the first three shots in his semi-final, but a big fourth from Mullins put him in front by 80m. Daly levelled after two more shots to Roadeen cross and was back in front after two more over the hill. Mullins took over again and looked to be heading for victory, but missed the line by a few centimetres with his last shot. Daly replied with a good which Mullins missed by four metres.
In the second semi-final Bowen led for the first five shots. Coppinger took his first lead with his sixth to to Roadeen cross. He was almost a bowl in front at the top of the hill and dominated the rest of the score.
Trevor McCarthy and Dan O’Halloran had the first two wins of the Mid-Cork Junior A championship. McCarthy beat Sean Murphy in the last shot at Béal na mBláth, reversing a big deficit at the garage. He levelled with a great bowl to the big turn and was just fore after five brilliant shots past the line.
Denis Wilmot edged the first two shots against Dan O’Halloran at Castletownkenneigh. O’Halloran took his bowling to another plane from there. He raised a bowl after four, he had two bowls at the triangle and was three in front after his ninth shot to the next cross.
John Young and Tim Young won the two opening scores in the West Cork race. John Young had just one fore bowl, the critical last one in his win over Jerry Gibbons at Drinagh. He levelled the score with a great fifth to the black stick, but Gibbons pushed a bowl clear with two good shots to the church and held it to the ‘barking dogs’. Young rallied to cut the lead to 30m for the last shot and closed with a great bowl to win by 20m.
Tim Young had a bowl on Donncha O’Brien after just three throws at Durrus. He raised a second with O’Brien missed light at the cattle grid and he added another in the shots to the mirror.
In the North East region Arthur McDonagh and Aidan Bowen had the first two wins in the new league format. Bowen beat Martin Daly in a Carraig na bhFear derby and McDonagh beat John O’Donoghue at Killavullen. McDonagh raised a bowl after an impressive start and increased his lead towards a second. O’Donoghuefinished strongly though and forced the score to a last shot.
Last year’s Munster Junior B champion Billy Dalton was an impressive winner over Dan O’Connor in the opening round of the East Cork Junior A championship. He got two massive bowls from O’Riordan’s to the big corner, but despite this O’Connor held him to a bowl of odds to the finish.
At Tassagh Connor McGuigan beat Martin Toal in the last shot of a good score. In the Champy Deasy Cup at Grange Johnny Murphy beat JC Desmond.
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