O’Donovan bags impressive success in Béal na mBláth

He opened with a good bowl, which Murphy missed by 30m. Murphy played his second bowl to the right and O’Donovan increased his lead to 60m.

Murphy was just at the water in three and O’Donovan went well around it to hold a substantial lead.

O’Donovan was at the bend before Shorten’s cross in two more where he had an even bowl of odds. He held that lead through the cross and onto Long’s lane, which he reached in eight throws. He had a bowl and 50m at Twohig’s farm and he held his bowl to the big corner.

He increased his odds past the Junior C line and onto the Junior A line. Murphy rallied with a good bowl towards the line, but O’Donovan had the last say with a great last shot to take his winning margin to two bowls.

Aidan Hurley beat Jerry Gibbons by a bowl in the quarter-final of the West Cork Junior A championship at Derrinasafa.

He won the first three shots to the end of the rock, but Gibbons got a good fourth past Daly’s to take his first lead. Gibbons just edged the next two tips to the gully. Hurley missed light at Ross’ from there, Gibbons’ reply got a lucky rub off the left and made light to give him a solid lead.

Hurley could do little with his next shot, but Gibbons missed a chance to push clear and only beat the tip by five metres. Hurley grabbed that opening with a good bowl through Cotter’s cross, which put him into a 30m lead. They took two more each to open the Darkwood turn where Hurley had 20m odds.

He increased his lead in the next exchange and he beat Walsh’s lane with his next to stay in control. He had almost a bowl at O’Grady’s after two poor returns from Gibbons. He raised it with his next throw to O’Neill’s cross. Gibbons knocked the bowl with his shot past the old junior line, but he finished poorly to concede it again.

Sean Murphy had a comfortable last shot win over Trevor McCarthy in the Mid-Cork Junior A championship at Jagoes Mills. He had 30m after three shots to light and was 40m in front after another three to O’Brien’s bend. McCarthy cut the lead to ten metres at Lawton’s and won his first lead at the railway line. He pushed his lead close to a bowl after Murphy made a mistake at the power station.

Murphy recovered with a brilliant bowl to light at Ballinvard cross which cut the odds to 30m. His next was not so good, but McCarthy played his bowl to the right and missed the tip. McCarthy’s last bowl just beat the line and Murphy beat it well.

Brian Daly had two good wins over Davey Fitzgerald at Templemichael. Fitzgerald started with four great bowls to full light at the farm, while Daly was just short of light. Daly missed Murphy’s with his next, but Fitzgerald didn’t exploit it. He just shaded the next exchanges, but he then got a brilliant bowl up the straight past O’Shea’s to take a big lead.

Daly bowled with greater consistency from there and was level at the last bend. Fitzgerald got a poor shot from the bend, while Daly went far enough to score the line. Fitzgerald missed the line with his last shot and Daly beat it comfortably. He had an even clearer win over Fitzgerald in the second score.

Fitzgerald dismissed that setback the following day at Whitechurch where he beat both Patrick O’Driscoll and Michael O’Brien. The big surprise at Whitechurch though was the ease with which Paddy O’Donoghue beat Raymond Ryan.

He led all the way taking advantage of a short opening shot from Ryan to go a bowl clear at the bottom of the hill. He had close to two bowls just past Boula lane and he was almost to three in front at the famhouse. In the Josie Crean Cup Thomas Boyle finished strongly to overturn Jimmy Cowhig in the last shot.

Martin Daly bowled impressively in his win over Mick Hurley at Carraig na bhFear. He made light with his opening throw and quickly raised a bowl. He made the creamery cross in seven where he was two bowls clear. Hurley bowled better on the straight, but Daly had too much odds.

Seamus McKee and Kevin McQuaid will contest the Northern Builders Cup final at Knappagh. McKee bowled well in his bowl of odds win over Malachy Lappin in one semi-final while McQuaid beat Sean O’Reilly by just a metre in the other one.

Declan O’Donovan beat David O’Mahony in the last shot of a closely contested Béal na mBláth semi-final. They made the water in three each with O’Donovan just fore. They reached Shorten’s cross in six and they were at Long’s lane in eight. They matched each other in the next four to the big corner. O’Donovan kept the upper hand to the line and won by 40m.