Edmund Sexton edges Thomas Mackle in Dingle
He opened with a great bowl in the right track. Mackle went left with his. It broke off rough surface and hit a pillar on the right. He only beat Sexton’s tip by 70m with his second and never got back into contention. Sexton was close to the first bend in two more where he was just 30m short of a bowl of odds.
Sexton’s fourth was right, but it still made clear sight. Mackle beat that by just 20m with his fifth. Sexton followed with a brilliant one, which Mackle beat by just five metres. Sexton’s sixth was another rocket and gave him a bowl and 30m odds. He beat the line in three more, for a total of nine, and won by a bowl.
Denis Murphy beat Noel Bowen by a bowl and Donncha O’Brien by two bowls in the opening score. Murphy took control early and was 60m ahead of Bowen and a bowl clear of O’Brien after three. He held his bowl on O’Brien in the next two and edged close to a bowl on Bowen. Bowen got a massive 10th to cut the lead to 30m, but O’Brien was still almost a bowl behind. Bowen snatched his first lead after a great 11th. Murphy was just three metres hind, with O’Brien 80m off the lead. Murphy regained control with his next around the bend. Bowen just beat that in two, while O’Brien lofted a dead bowl and fell two behind.
Murphy restored his bowl of odds on Bowen with his next. Bowen then got a poor shot and conceded.
Emma Fitzpatrick beat Claire O’Sullivan by close to two bowls. She made the first bend in five to go almost a bowl in front. She followed with a great shot to raise a full bowl. She held that for the next three and then played a big 10th to go almost two in front.
Brendan Hayes and Pat O’Sullivan (SV) both advanced to the Munster Vintage C (over-60) semi-finals. Hayes beat DD Carroll at Lyre and O’Sullivan beat PJ Connolly at the Pike. Hayes plays Kevin Ruby and O’Sullivan plays Kevin Leahy in a double-header at Clondrohid on the first Sunday of November.
Hayes led Carroll from the off and won by almost two bowls. He opened with a good bowl to the farm and Carroll hit a fencing post with his reply. That left him almost a bowl down after two. Carroll recovered with a big third bowl, but Hayes took a good lead to the start of the mason’s hill. Hayes pushed a bowl clear in the shots down the hill to the pillars. Carroll briefly knocked the bowl before the school, but Hayes raised it with his next and held that lead past the creamery. He put the contest out of sight with his shot over the hump that ran towards the cross.
At the Pike, O’Sullivan and Connolly were level after seven each to White’s Cross. Connolly won the next by 20m and increased his lead with a great bowl to the bridge. O’Sullivan got an extraordinary bowl over the bridge to bring him level at Dreaper’s.
Connolly looked to have broken the deadlock when he got the better of the shots to the last bend. O’Sullivan made good sight with his second last. Connolly misdirected his into a gateway and missed the tip. He closed with a super shot past the line, but O’Sullivan beat it by 15m.
Jimmy O’Driscoll beat Mick Hurley in the last shot of the opening score of the West Cork benefit festival at the Clubhouse on Saturday. It was close until Hurley was too tight on the left with his shot at O’Riordan’s. That gave O’Driscoll vital odds, which he held despite missing the line with his second last.
John O’Rourke finished strongly to beat Johnny O’Driscoll by a bowl. O’Driscoll got away smartly and went a bowl in front after two and was still close to a bowl ahead at O’Riordan’s. O’Rourke hit back with four brilliant bowls to the chips to go a bowl in front and he held that past the line.
Tom O’Donovan carried his excellent King of the Roads form into the second last international trial at Castletownkenneigh. He increased his hopes of wearing green at the 2016 European Championships in the Netherlands by winning the youth trial with David Horgan second. At senior level Billy McAuliffe and Kieran Murphy were the top two Ciara Buckley and Louise Collins headed the senior women’s trial. Tegan Hurley and Hanna Cronin were best in the u-18 girls trial.
John Donnellan will be bidding to win his third successive William Wolfe Memorial trophy at Waterloo on Sunday. He plays Liam Scannell and Tony Dunlea in the opening semi-final on Saturday, with Gearóid Spillane, Johnny Byrnes and Declan O’Mahony meeting in the second.
