Coppinger beats Mackle in baby Emily fundraiser
Martin Coppinger beat Thomas Mackle in the Joe O’Sullivan Cup final at Castletownbere on Sunday hot on the heels of his Friday win over Killian Kingston in the Mick Barry Cup at Ballincurrig.
Sunday’s win was the feature score of the Team Emily Fundraiser, which raised close to €14,000 to fund medical care for baby Emily Toal. With a stake of €76,000, the clash of Coppinger and Mackle made a significant contribution. Coppinger was in supreme form from the off.
He opened with a brilliant bowl, that was slightly unlucky, but still gave him 50m odds. He followed with another brilliant bowl on the white line to hold his lead.
Mackle played a great third, but Coppinger replied with an even bigger one to push his lead out to 70m. Mackle rallied, but Coppinger pushed on with a brilliant sixth and raised a bowl with his seventh. There was no holding him from there and he won by almost two.
On Friday, at Ballincurrig, he scorched to the green in three and raised a bowl on Kingston with a brilliant fourth past the creamery.
Kingston closed the gap with three good shots onto the long straight. Coppinger raised a bowl again with a great bowl past the halfway line and a super loft put him almost two clear after 10 to the big corner. Kingston lofted a dead bowl in response, which ended the contest.
Arthur McDonagh beat Kingston in a sensational score on Sunday. They both beat the line in 15. McDonagh missed it by less than two metres in 14 and took top spot in the series from Coppinger.
He dominated the early shots. He got a brilliant fourth past the creamery, which Kingston missed to fall a bowl behind. Kingston limited the damage by beating the no-play line with his next. McDonagh took a bowl of odds onto the long straight. Kingston was unlucky to miss light with his next, but he cut the odds to an even bowl.
They both got brilliant bowls from the big corner. Kingston followed with a massive shot to the sycamores to knock the bowl. McDonagh then got an incredible bowl to light at the last bend only for Kingston to beat it. McDonagh missed the line by just over a metre with a brilliant 14th. Kingston’s last was unlucky not to go further into the green. McDonagh beat it well.
In the same competition, Gary Daly raised a bowl on Séamus Sexton after three to the green. They both beat the no-play line in two more. Sexton then played a massive seventh bowl to sight at O’Riordan’s to bring the lead well under a bowl. He made Leahy’s in two more big shots to cut the lead to five metres. They were still level after 11 each to the big corner.
Sexton missed light with his next and Daly went full light to win a big lead. It looked over until Sexton got a brilliant 15th to light at the last bend. His hopes of a grandstand finish evaporated when he clipped the bend with his last and missed the line.
This final Mick Barry Cup round sees McDonagh and Coppinger leading on 35 points each, Daly is third on 33 points and Kingston fills the last semi-final spot on 30 points. In the semi-final McDonagh plays Kingston and Coppinger plays Daly.
Brian Coughlan beat Adrian Buttimer in the last shot of the Munster Junior C final at Grange to book his place in next month’s All-Ireland semi-final at Drogheda. He opened with a brilliant bowl to the stud farm to take the first by 40m. Buttimer levelled with his second to sight. Coughlan increased his lead with his next to Holland’s wall and led to the school hill.
Buttimer won his first lead with his sixth to the school cross. He had 50m odds after his next and then beat Coughlan’s big shot to sight. They both got big shots to O’Sullivan’s, with Buttimer leading by 30m. Coughlan regained the lead to Hodnett’s farm and was 80m clear after two more past the bungalow. He edged close to a bowl in the shots to the pub.
Buttimer made one last bid for victory with a great last shot, but Coughlan beat it well. Martin Coppinger beat Thomas Mackle in the Joe O’Sullivan Cup final at Castletownbere on Sunday hot on the heels of his Friday win over Killian Kingston in the Mick Barry Cup at Ballincurrig.
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