Road Bowling: Nagle edges Murphy in Josie Crean Cup

James Nagle won the Josie Crean Cup at Whitechurch on Sunday, beating Denis Murphy in the last shot, having led at all but one tip.

Nagle edged the first shots to Kelly’s. He then beat a big second shot from Murphy and followed with a brilliant third to the cottage, which put him almost a bowl clear. He went halfway down the hill with a great fourth, which Murphy missed with his fifth. He won the next exchange by 120m to push his lead close to a second bowl.

Murphy then got a big shot on the flat. Nagle was too tight with his reply and just beat that tip. Murphy followed with a brilliant bowl through Boula lane. Nagle missed that and had just 70m odds after his next. Murphy cut the lead to 15m towards Downey’s. Nagle came out well on top in the next three to the light at the top of the straight.

Murphy hit back with a super bowl to the farm. Nagle responded with an equally good one to clear light, keeping him in a 60m lead. He kept control past the novice line.

Murphy then played a good bowl to clear sight at the Devil’s bend. Nagle lofted his reply, but it lacked conviction and missed the tip, costing him the lead. He recovered instantly with a great bowl to the wall. Murphy misplayed his reply to the left and missed that by 80m. From what looked a lost cause he played a brilliant last shot past the line. Nagle delivered his last one to the left and beat it by only five metres.

PJ Cooney beat Patrick Flood by a bowl in the Brickey Whelan Shield at Cappoquin. He led all the way, gaining a grip on the score by opening the first bend in two. He raised a bowl with a brilliant third throw. Flood knocked the bowl with an exceptional eighth shot in the wood. Cooney raised the bowl again towards the high hedge and made light with his next to push his odds to almost two bowl. Flood then produced his best bowling. He delivered a super loft followed by a big bowl to the spout, but Cooney held his bowl of odds. Flood played another great shot towards the tunnel to knock the bowl. It was just under a bowl after the next exchange. Cooney then put it to bed with a big bowl towards the line.

Tim Young beat Trevor O’Meara by a bowl at Lyre. Young gained 40m odds in his first three and increased his lead with his fourth. O’Meara played a brilliant fifth to the tunnel to bring the lead back to 40m. Young regained the upper hand by reaching the wall with his next. O’Meara rallied again with a super bowl to the farm to cut the odds to just 20m.

He lost momentum though by taking two more to Crowley’s bend. Young went past the bend to the concrete to raise a bowl. They made McCarthy’s bend in two more and hit the back of the wall in another to leave exactly a bowl between them. O’Meara got another great shot there, but Young beat it by a metre to hold his bowl of odds. They beat the line in two more.

Brendan O’Neill beat Muiris Buttimer by a bowl at Ballygurteen. They were close to the first bend in two. O’Neill shaded the third to sight, but there was little in it to the women’s lane. Buttimer got a short bowl there. O’Neill beat it well and edged towards a bowl of odds on the straight. Buttimer had a chance to level from the cross, but missed O’Donovan’s. This secured O’Neill the bowl of odds and he held it to the line.

The Dublin Newcastle Club is hosting a gala event on Saturday. It includes a repeat of the All-Ireland senior women’s final between Carmel Carey and Dervla Mallon and a series of Ulster-Munster scores.