Rocker roars to King of the Roads final
Mullins won the opening tip with a great bowl to light and he increased his odds with an excellent second bowl past Moore’s gate. Rocker got a huge third bowl to Geary’s to take a lead he never conceded. Daly and Mullins got poor shots there, though they followed with great bowls to the creamery. Rocker kept control though with a good bowl past the creamery and another to just short of the no-play line.
He had a bowl there on Mullins and kept clear of Daly with a good bowl to Heaphy’s. Mullins got a sensational bowl off the line to O’Riordan’s, but Rocker held his bowl of odds by beating the tip. Daly stormed back with a brilliant bowl up the long straight to push a bowl clear of Mullins and cut Rocker’s lead. Rocker kept his composure and his odds by reaching Leahy’s in nine.
Mullins then produced the shot of the day from the top of the straight to full light at the big corner. Rocker rose to that challenge with a perfect reply which beat Mullins’ tip. Daly narrowly missed light there to fall just behind Mullins. Both Daly and Mullins took two to make the top of the short straight while Rocker went in one to push two shots clear.
From there to the finish all interest turned to the battle between Daly and Mullins and the destination of the €8,400 stake. That went to a last shot, which Daly won by a slender margin after Mullins’ last bowl was accidently blocked.
The Queen of the Roads final will be between holder Kelly Mallon and Dutch star Silke Tulk, who won in 2009.
Mallon led all the way against Carmel Ryan and German champion Fenja Frerichs. Ryan’s opening bowl missed light and she was always on the defensive. Mallon was two bowls clear after four to the top of the short straight. Ryan dug deep though and threw three brilliant closing bowls to push Mallon to a last shot.
Tulk had a very clear win over Catriona O’Farrell-Kidney and Denise Murphy in the second semi-final.
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