James O’Donovan blitzes rival Martin Coppinger

By Seamus O Tuama

James O’Donovan bowled brilliantly at Whitechurch to advance in the Denis McGarry Cup at the expense of Martin Coppinger.

It was Coppinger’s first outing since he broke his foot while training for King of the Roads in September. His rehabilitation was far quicker than originally anticipated, but he will need a few more outings to clear the rust from his long layoff. O’Donovan gave him little time to find his feet on Sunday as he blitzed him in a ten shot extravaganza.

O’Donovan opened with a great bowl to the concrete. Coppinger’s first drifted left off the centre and missed it by 100m. Coppinger reached Kelly’s with his second and O’Donovan increased his lead to 150m.

Coppinger then got a great third shot, but O’Donovan replied with an even better one to the top of the hill. Coppinger missed this to fall a bowl behind.

Coppinger knocked the bowl with a good shot down the hill. O’Donovan hit back with another huge bowl towards Boula lane to restore his bowl of odds. He went through Boula lane with his sixth to push his lead to almost two bowls. Coppinger kept the lead under two bowls in the next two exchanges.

O’Donovan raised it it with a great ninth to the top of the straight. He followed with another super shot to the farm to take his lead close to three bowls and Coppinger conceded.

Jim Coffey beat John Cahalane by a bowl in the Seán Scanlon Cup at Firmount. He won the first shot. Cahalane played a sensational second past the return line which put him almost a bowl in front.

He kept the lead close to a bowl with a great third onto the straight. Coffey turned the score with a huge bowl to Curtain’s to win the lead. He increased his odds in the next two to light and was 80m clear at the bridge.

He had almost a bowl at the novice line and he edged ever closer to a bowl at Barrett’s cross. He raised it with another big shot past the grotto and held that to the line.

Cian Boyle beat Tim Young by almost a bowl at Lyre. He won a 10m lead after three. Young played his next to the right, but Boyle only beat it by 15m. Young regained the lead by 25m with his next over the tunnel, but didn’t push clear. Boyle got two good shots to Crowley’s bend to regain the lead. He followed with a big shot to sight past the concrete to go a bowl in front. He increased his lead in the next exchange. Young battled on though and saved the bowl of odds.

Flor Crowley beat Liam Scanlon in the last shot of the Ballinacurra final. Scanlon won the first, but Crowley followed with four great bowls to Ballinacurra cross where he had a bowl of odds.

He increased his lead in the next shot. Scanlon made sight at Murphy’s in three more to bring the lead well under a bowl. Crowley pushed clear again, but a huge last shot from Scanlon closed the gap.

Paul Walsh started and finished strongly to beat Ger Connolly at Shannonvale. He scorched to Desmond’s where he was two shots clear. Connolly closed the gap to a bowl facing down to Tobin’s.

He snatched the lead with a brilliant bowl to sight at Campbell’s lane. It was dead level in the next two towards the line. Walsh played a brilliant last shot, which Connolly missed well.

Liam O’Keeffe, one of the most iconic figures in bowling, stepped down at secretary of Cork City Region last week. He filled the post for four decades, having previously held office as Chairman and Treasurer in an unbroken sequence back to 1956.

Two years before that he won the inaugural senior championship at Cloghroe against Ned Barry. He retains his role as President of Ból-Chumann na hÉireann.

Kelly Mallon became the youngest person ever to be enrolled in the Bowling Hall of Fame last Friday. She is without question to most accomplished player of her generation. Although still with a long career ahead of her, she is arguably the best woman bowler of all time.

She now has more All-Ireland titles than Gretta Cormican.

It’s never easy comparing generations. Cormican certainly had a more competitive Munster championship to contend with than Mallon’s Ulster. For sure both of them share the ability to seize the slightest chink in their opponent’s armour and the bowling to dig their way out of almost any situation.

Mallon has eight All-Ireland senior titles and six Queen of the Roads crowns. She has consistently maintained incredibly high standards since 2007 when in quick succession she won both the All-Ireland senior and u18 finals and Queen of the Roads. She won the European senior gold medal just a few months later in May 2008.

All-Ireland U16 champion Wayne Parkes won the male player of the year award and Munster U14 champion Leah Deane got female player of the year. Referee and administrator Mick O’Driscoll won personality of the year.