David Hubbard holds off Wilmot in Barrett Cup thriller

David Hubbard parried three magnificent bowls from Denis Wilmot to win a sensational Bill Barrett Cup quarter-final by 20m at Caheragh.

He opened well, winning each of the first three shots to Lisangle cross. Wilmot rallied with a good fourth through the cross and followed with a sensational bowl to just short of the bridge. Hubbard did well to miss that by just five metres.

Hubbard’s next was too tight left. Wilmot looked set to extend his lead, but hit a pillar with the first of three very short shots. He was short of Reenrue cross in two more where he was a bowl behind. He knocked the bowl in the shots to the lawn. Hubbard responded with a brilliant bowl to Sheily’s, while Wilmot only reached the tunnel, leaving a full bowl and 100m between them.

Wilmot then played a sensational bowl to the farm gate. Hubbard missed that by just 30m. He followed with a good bowl past the novice line. Wilmot got another exceptional bowl past the river gate, but Hubbard beat it by 70m.

Wilmot closed with another incredible bowl past the line. Hubbard played his reply well, it cracked left but still beat the tip.

Michéal O’Sullivan bowled brilliantly at Jagoes Mills to beat Tom O’Donovan by a bowl.

He made full sight at O’Brien’s corner in three to go a full bowl clear. He took his lead well over a bowl at the footpath. O’Donovan upped his game to the railway where he had the lead back to a bowl. O’Sullivan increased his odds to the power station and cruised home.

His next outing is in the feature score of Navan Road series in Armagh, next Saturday.

Here he takes on former underage star Cormac Garvey. The event is part of a programme to raise $120,000 (€105,000) to send baby Emily Toal to the US for treatment for the very rare TAR Syndrome.

Davey Fitzgerald had a bumper weekend, with three wins at two venues. He had a double over Craig Moynihan at Templemichael and he beat Cian Boyle at the Bog Road.

At Templemichael Moynihan won the first three to sight. They both missed the white wall in four, with Moynihan unlucky to lose the lead. Fitzgerald increased the lead with is his next and had close to a bowl after two more to Sarsfield’s Court cross. He raised the bowl with his next and it was just under a bowl after two more to light.

Moynihan cut it to 50m with a super shot from there. But he lost momentum to the last bend and Fitzgerald won comfortably. The second score was competitive for the first quarter. Once Fitzgerald found his rhythm he pushed clear and won by a bowl.

He finished strongly to catch Cian Boyle at the line at the Bog Road. Boyle led to the Major’s and raised a bowl with a huge shot to sight from the dump.

Fitzgerald knocked the bowl after a brilliant cannon off the factory wall and was level at Danny’s lane. His big last shot sealed it. Earlier Shaun Buckley beat James O’Sullivan by almost two bowls. He raised a bowl at the Major’s.

Frank Kiely led all the way to a bowl-of-odds win over Thomas Boyle in the Josie Crean Cup at Whitechurch. He raised a bowl at Boula lane. Boyle fought back to bring the lead down to 20m at the farm. Kiely edged clear again and raised a bowl with his second last to the wall. Cian Boyle beat James Cooney by almost a bowl at the same venue.

At Grenagh, Craig Moynihan closed with two super shots to beat Darren Oliver. After a close start Oliver took control in the middle of the score and went a bowl clear at the double gates. Moynihan won the lead after two huge bowls to Boula lane. He sensationally lost the lead with his shot to last bend, but recovered with two incredible bowls to the second cross.

At Ballydehob Muiris Buttimer and Killian Sheehan beat Ger and John Connolly by two bowls. They were a bowl up after three. They had two bowls after eight to the cottage and Buttimer increased the odds with a brilliant ninth. Finbarr Coughlan beat Diarmuid Hurley in the last shot of the return.

William Hobbelink was the best of the senior men in the second round of the Dutch championship, beating the line on the dead straight Fort track in six shots. He beat Tim Meijer by two shots. In the second score Patrick Zieverink beat Bart Polhuis by a few metres, both beating the line in seven.

In the senior women, Silke Tulk and Carlijn Hammink had a win each, with Lindsay Leussink second in both.