Murphy masters Ulster champ in McVeigh Cup final

Aidan Murphy is Joe McVeigh Cup champion following his bowl of odds win over Ulster champion Eddie Carr on the Markethill Road in Keady yesterday.

Murphy played his first bowl into the left and got a very poor shot. He only beat Carr’s opening tip by 30m with his second. They made the lane in another shot and Carr had a full bowl after four to sight at Twynam’s.

Murphy began to fight back with a great shot from there over the rise. Carr made the top of the rise with his reply. Murphy followed with a great seventh to the creamery lane to level the score and they were still level after eight.

The lead changed hands in the next four shots to the bottom of the straight. Murphy then got a good 13th to the end of the wall, which Carr missed by 30m. Carr’s next caught the left shy of the bridge and Murphy’s reply hit it for a vital 30m lead. Carr beat that tip by just 40m with his 15th. Murphy followed with a great bowl up the hill to close in on the bowl of odds. They went over the hill and down to the tree in another two each with Carr still holding off the bowl of odds. Murphy raised the bowl with a super second last that missed the line by just five metres and he easily beat Carr’s last throw.

Murphy beat Martin Coppinger in the last shot in his semi-final. He was a bowl down after very short fourth and fifth shots. Coppinger didn’t build on this and Murphy regained the lead at the bridge. He easily beat Coppinger’s last bowl.

Carr beat Thomas Mackle in the other semi-final. Mackle led early with two good opening bowls. His form dipped from there and he fell a bowl behind at the creamery lane. Carr kept that lead to the line.

Yesterday Cathal Toal beat Christy Mullins by over three bowls. Mullins won the first tip, but Toal turned the score by making Twynam’s corner in four to go almost two clear. Toal raised the second bowl after seven to the creamery lane. He was three clear at McCann’s and held that to the bridge. His big last shot took the lead closer to four.

Colm Rafferty showed senior potential with a blistering display with his cousin Mark Toal against Michael Murphy and David Hubbard. Rafferty’s phenomenal fifth past the garage raised a bowl and another to the creamery lane pushed the lead to two bowls. His great bowl to Twynam’s took the lead over three bowls.

Joe Shortt and Malachy Lappin were two bowls too strong for Terry Sexton and Tony Carey. Later James Oliver and David Devlin beat Kieran and Chris Murphy in the last shot. The Murphys led by a bowl till they missed sight at Twynam’s and Devlin big shot to the last bend was decisive. Nicholas Carey beat Paul O’Reilly in the last shot on the Viaduct Road on Friday. That was Munster’s only win till Aidan Murphy beat Eddie Carr. Carey was a bowl in front after five and he held that to the bridge, though he had chances to go further in front. O’Reilly finished strongly and took the lead for the last shot. Carey played a good last bowl, which O’Reilly just missed. Also on Friday Sinéad Kiernan and Denise Galvin beat Ciara Buckley and Megan Collins in the last shot. Conor O’Neill and Paul Grimley also had a last shot win over Tony O’Flynn and David Hughes.