Coppinger opens title defence in style

Martin Coppinger opened the defence of his Munster senior championship title with a comfortable win over Brian Wilmot at Durrus on Sunday.

He got a lucky opening shot from the village that rubbed the left. Wilmot’s bowl caught the right and missed it by 30m, but he got a good second past the novice line. Coppinger missed that when his second was unlucky to veer into an entrance.

Coppinger then missed sight to leave himself vulnerable. Wilmot looked certain to make the bend and push his lead towards a bowl of odds but missed that chance, and although he was still level after the next shots to the bend, his challenge began to wane.

Coppinger got a great bowl up the hill past Ward’s cross. Wilmot missed that by 60m and only beat it by 30m with a poor follow-up. Coppinger had a full bowl after his next shot to O’Flynn’s. Wilmot knocked the bowl with his following throw and still had the lead under a bowl at Evans’.

Coppinger then played a brilliant bowl into the next bend and pushed his lead to almost two bowls of odds. From there he took complete control. He was three bowls clear at Blair’s Cove, where Wilmot conceded.

The 2014 Ulster Senior Championship is organised into two groups of four, with the winner of each group qualifying for the Ulster final. Group A is Eddie Carr, Brian O’Reilly, Paul Rafferty and Thomas Mackle. Group B is Martin Toal, Conor McGuigan, Cathal Toal, and Peadar Toal. All the group scores and the Ulster final will be played over the Knappagh Road.

On Sunday, Ulster champion Eddie Carr opened his account with a last- shot win over Brian O’Reilly. Thomas Mackle beat Paul Rafferty by almost a bowl over the return route from Grimley’s corner.

Brian O’Reilly won the opening shot from the school, but Carr took over with his next three past Knappagh Angles. O’Reilly hit back strongly with three brilliant bowls to the Planting corner, where he was a bowl in front. Carr increased the tempo in the next series to regain the lead at Farley’s. Chances were missed by both players to the Condy corner where Carr was just fore. O’Reilly missed the line with his bowl from the Condy and Carr beat it easily with his reply.

Paul Rafferty opened with a big shot up the hill to take the opening tip against Thomas Mackle. He increased his odds with a great second past the phone box and was well placed to open the Condy corner in two more. But it was Mackle who went out in two, while Rafferty’s poor third and fourth shots saw him fall almost a bowl behind.

Mackle pushed on to raise a bowl at the Minister’s. Both players bowled brilliantly from there and Rafferty kept pressing to the line, but could not bring the lead under a bowl.

James Buckley beat Gary Daly in an exceptional score at Grenagh. He edged the opening tip by five metres. He reached the speed limit with a great second to lead by 70m. He was at the playing field with his third, with Daly fending off a bowl of odds. He had over a bowl after two more great shots to the new house. He beat a big bowl from Daly past the halfway line to increase his lead to 150m.

Daly knocked the bowl with a great shot to the wall. Buckley’s next beat that tip by just 120m. Another massive bowl from Daly to the triple-gates cut the odds to 20m. He lost ground with his next, but followed with a massive bowl to Boula lane to cut the lead to less than a metre. They both made sight on the finishing straight in two more, where Daly had his first lead.

Buckley closed with another massive bowl past the line. Daly lined his reply on the centre, but it drifted left and hopped onto the bank, five metres short of Buckley’s tip.

Michael O’Leary beat Dave Dennis by a bowl in the first round of the East Cork-West Waterford Junior A championship at Ballincurrig. He won the first two shots to light. Dennis followed with two massive bowls to the green to go almost a bowl clear. He misplayed his next to the left and missed O’Leary’s tip. O’Leary went past the play line in seven, while Dennis was just at the line.

O’Leary did better in the shots to O’Riordan’s. Dennis hit back with a good bowl up the straight and levelled to the big corner. O’Leary got a better shot up the short straight and increased his odds to the muddy gap. Dennis closed the gap again, but he followed with three poor throws to fall a bowl behind.

Peter Nagle beat David O’Mahony in the last shot at Ballinacurra. O’Mahony won the first two, but his third got an unlucky hop and was just hind. Nagle was well over a bowl up at the bridge. O’Mahony kept plugging away and when Nagle missed the line, he had a slight chance but his last bowl didn’t trouble Nagle.