Edmond Sexton wins Mick Crowley Cup

Edmond Sexton lifted the Mick Crowley Cup at the expense of David Murphy in a tremendously exciting final at Bauravilla on Sunday.

He recovered from a very short opening shot and resisted a blistering fightback from Murphy in the closing quarter. In terms of performance, it was probably Sexton’s best in 2015, and franked his growing stature as bowler who will be a serious championship contender in 2016.

Murphy opened with a super bowl that made sight at the bridge. Sexton played his first bowl to the left and only reached the pub, leaving him with a difficult shot to make the bridge. He played a good second bowl, which cannoned well off the bridge and ran to the end of the school wall.

Murphy got a great second bowl to Robin’s cross, but it was called. On the second attempt he played his bowl to the right and only beat Sexton’s tip by a metre. This proved a decisive turning point in the score. They both made Robin’s cross with their next throws, with Murphy holding a slender five metre lead.

Sexton then played a sensational bowl to full sight at the netting. Murphy only reached Coppinger’s pillars with his reply, which left him 100m short of Sexton’s tip. He played his next to the left and missed sight again. He was now a full bowl behind and it looked as if he would be closer to two down after his next shot.

Murphy reduced the deficit though with a good bowl up the straight, which beat Sexton’s tip by 70m. Sexton kept his foot on the pedal with a good bowl to Dekker’s pillars to keep his lead well over a bowl. Murphy then made sight at Dekker’s bend, but Sexton beat it well with his reply.

Murphy got an exceptional eighth bowl to the rock. Sexton was unfazed though and hit back with another great shot to just beat the tip and hold his bowl of odds. Murphy played his next to the left, but it was called. He gained 50m in the re-throw. Sexton beat that tip, but he too was called. His second attempt missed Murphy’s tip by 60m and left the lead under a bowl.

Sexton immediately regained lost ground with a good bowl past O’Sullivan’s. Murphy beat that tip by just 20m. They both reached the bridge in their next shots, with Murphy winning the exchange to keep the lead under a bowl. Sexton reached the top of the rise with his next. Murphy played his bowl too softly and missed the tip by 50m.

He needed an exceptional finish now to reel Sexton in. He produced that finish, but it was not enough. He got a great bowl over the rise, but Sexton beat it by 30m with his shot to the straight. Murphy then got a mammoth bowl past the novice line. Sexton hit back with one to match it and held his bowl of odds.

Murphy then played another exceptional bowl, this time falling just 20m short of the junior line. Incredibly Sexton hit back with another massive bowl and beat the tip by 30m. Murphy followed up with another herculean effort, which missed the senior line by just 10 metres. Sexton missed that tip, but by only 10 metres to ensure that his name would be on the cup for 2016.

The annual Christmas-New Year programme at Carraig na bhFear and Bottlehill commences next Sunday with the first round of the John O’Donovan Cup. Thomas and Cian Boyle team up with Liam Scannell against Michael Murphy, Kieran Daly and Jerry O’Donovan in the first tie.

An ‘A’ and ‘B’ competition for junior and novice players will run in parallel over the coming weeks, alternating between the two venues. Also at Carraig na bhFear on Sunday, Stephen Cahill and Pa Forde play Raymond Galvin and Kieran Conway in the Finbarr Walsh Cup final. Galvin and Conway beat Pat Scanlon and Deckie Conway in the last shot in the first semi-final last Sunday. They led from the off and had almost a bowl at the creamery. Scanlon closed with a huge last shot past the cross, but Galvin beat it.

Stephen Cahill and Pa Forde finished very well to beat Mick Cahill and Tony Dunlea by almost a bowl in the other semi-final. The score was level until the winners got three great bowls to sight from the novice line and they beat the finish in two more.

Timmy Moloney beat John Hickey and John Donnellan in the Newcestown final. Moloney led all the way, with Hickey his closest challenger. Donnellan got four good opening shots, but his form dipped dramatically and he was out of contention before Collins’s lane.

Moloney pushed clear of Hickey with a good bowl down the hill from Desmond’s lane. He missed sight at Collins’ lane, but Hickey didn’t take his chance. He raised a bowl with his next and held that lead despite Hickey’s great bowl to O’Brien’s cross. Hickey got another great bowl to sight past the water, but Moloney beat it. He held that lead to the last bend.