Edmond Sexton holds off James O’Donovan in cup thriller

Edmond Sexton opened his 2017 campaign with an impressive win over James O’Donovan in the first score in the renewal of the Dennis McGarry Cup at Whitechurch.

He played a good opening shot to the concrete at Brickley’s. O’Donovan was left with his opener and missed the tip by 70m.

His next was left too and only made Kelly’s. Sexton hit back with a good second bowl to just short of the return finish line. O’Donovan beat this by just 15m with his reply to fall almost a bowl down.

Sexton intensified the pressure by just missing sight at the top of the hill in four. O’Donovan beat this tip by 10m in five, though his bowl was a little unlucky. Sexton’s next only reached the middle of the hill. This gave O’Donovan his first real chance to level, but he just beat the tip.

He was instantly ruing this when Sexton played a massive bowl to the middle of the straight towards Boula lane.

O’Donovan only made the end of the wall with his reply to leave a big bowl of odds between them. He played his next to the right and missed Sexton’s tip again to concede a second bowl of odds.

Sexton increased his lead with a good bowl through Boula lane. O’Donovan closed the gap with a great bowl to Downey’s line and he matched Sexton in each of the next four shots to the farm, where there was still two bowls between them.

O’Donovan lost ground when he played his next shot to the left. Sexton beat that well.

O’Donovan made sight at the Devil’s bend with his next, but Sexton went well past the bend to give him an unassailable lead.

Andrew O’Callaghan gave a sensational display over his home road at Gortroe where he beat Thomas Boyle by three bowls.

Boyle didn’t go down sight in his first, stopping 30m shy of the piers. O’Callaghan hit back with a great bowl that reached the bridge. Boyle beat that by just 40m with his second to the railings. O’Callaghan beat the white piers with his second to keep his lead close to a bowl. The same odds divided them after the next exchange into the wood.

O’Callaghan then got a super fourth throw to the bridge in the wood, which Boyle missed by 50m with his fifth. O’Callaghan made the end of the wood with his next to extend his lead to almost two bowls. He had well over two bowls after a huge bowl onto the straight facing the Well Bar. He went past the Well Bar in two more to extend his lead. From there he played a brilliant ninth bowl to sight facing the novice line, which took his lead to three bowls.

Cathal Toal beat Mark Toal by almost a bowl on the Cathedral Road. The contest was in play till Cathal Toal got two great closing shots to put it out of reach.

Johnny Kelly featured in three scores, on the same road, but won just one against Donal Daly. He was leading Daly by 100m at Brannigan’s in the first, but Daly got a super bowl down the hill and beat the line to snatch victory. Kelly reversed that by a bowl in the return. Philip Corrigan beat Kelly by almost a bowl in the third score. Corrigan led by almost two bowls, but Kelly finished well to bring the lead under a bowl.

Tadhg Creedon reached the Kilcorney final when he beat James Collins by a bowl. He led from the start. Collins lost a chance to take the lead when he missed Coleman’s bridge. Creedon got two great bowls past McKeering’s road, but Collins kept in touch. Creedon finally put the score to bed when he played some great bowls to the line.

Meanwhile a London selection beat Dunderrow in the annual Pat Kiely Shield series at Dunderrow.