Classy O’Mahony too hot for O’Neill

David O’Mahony showed a lot of class in his two bowls of odds win over Brendan O’Neill in the Bill Barrett Cup final at Caheragh on Sunday.

He opened with a scorching bowl to the churchyard. O’Neill just made the novice start line with his shot and beat O’Mahony’s tip by just 20m with his second. O’Mahony missed a chance to extend his lead when he only reached the top of the hill with his second. O’Neill missed a chance to close the gap when his third bowl unluckily hit a wall.

O’Mahony got a poor third bowl through Lisangle cross. O’Neill played his reply to the left and missed that tip to concede a bowl of odds. O’Mahony held that lead in the next two shots to the soccer pitch. O’Neill followed with a great bowl to the top of the bridge, which O’Mahony missed by 70m.

O’Mahony’s next was a rocket, as it settled perfectly and ran to the new house. O’Neill beat that tip to just hold off the bowl of odds. O’Mahony got a very short bowl from there and O’Neill hit back with a great shot to Reenroe cross.

O’Mahony’s next was another massive bowl that brushed at the cross and ran to the tunnel. O’Neill missed that in two attempts to fall two bowls behind. He rallied with a great shot to the farm, but O’Mahony came close to that tip.

O’Mahony produced another miler from there that went past the novice line. O’Neill conceded when his reply missed that by a distance to leave well over two bowls between them.

Noel Bowen rubbished the odds when he overshadowed Billy McAuliffe and Dave Fitzgerald in the Ballincurrig final in extreme weather on Saturday.

Fitzgerald just shaded McAuliffe in the opening shots, with Bowen well hind. Bowen only made the point of the bend with his second and McAuliffe led Fitzgerald in the shots to light. Bowen then played a great third shot to Moore’s gate to level the score.

McAuliffe came out well on top in the next exchange with a brilliant bowl to the green, with the other pair just making Geary’s. He held a good lead with his next past the creamery. Fitzgerald kept in touch with a big shot to the no-play line to stay level with Bowen, while McAuliffe made Heaphy’s to keep a good lead.

Bowen won his first lead with a super shot off the lines. He followed with another big throw well onto the long straight, which put him a bowl clear of Fitzgerald. He went out the big corner in three more to raise almost a bowl on McAuliffe and two full bowls on Fitzgerald.

He had a bowl on McAuliffe after a super shot up the short straight. McAuliffe battled on, but Bowen followed with three good bowls in succession to make the finish straight in 16 throws. That put him almost two clear of McAuliffe and well over three bowls ahead of Fitzgerald.

Denis Murphy reached the Champy Deasy Cup in equally difficult conditions at Grange where he beat Tim Young with a big last throw. He opened with two massive bowls towards Hodnett’s, which put him well over a bowl in front. Young rallied with three great bowls to level the score at the school cross. They were still level after two more to de Barra’s.

Young kept pressing and took a good lead with a great shot to sight at the stud farm. Murphy then missed the line and Young was just short of that tip. Young’s last was a great effort, but Murphy closed as he opened with a big shot and beat the tip. It was a disappointing result for Young who defeated Sean Murphy and Dave Dennis the previous week in the John Cronin Cup.

All-Ireland champion Martin Coppinger will play Michael Toal in the Sean Mullen memorial tournament on the Knappagh Road on the May weekend. That score will attract huge interest as Toal returns from retirement to play in the event.

On Sunday Coppinger had his first competitive run over the course. He teamed up with Darren Donnelly and scored a comprehensive win over Conor McGuigan and James Oliver.

Coppinger will defend his Munster championship title from Pool A, which also includes Raymond Ryan, Brian Wilmot and James Buckley. He is strongly favoured to win the pool and advance to the quarter-final, with any one of the other three capable of joining him.

Wednesday’s draw put his strongest rival, David Murphy, in Pool B with Gary Daly, John Creedon and Edmond Sexton. Murphy should have the power to see off these three, with Daly perhaps marginally ahead of the other two if he avoids injury.

Newcomer Killian Kingston is in a highly competitive Pool C with Christy Mullins and James O’Donovan. Experience favours Mullins and O’Donovan, but if Kingston is in good shape he could beat both.

Aidan Murphy is the strongest fancy in Pool D, which also includes Éamon Bowen Jnr and Trevor O’Meara. Arthur McDonagh is unable to compete because of injury.