Exciting talent O'Driscoll storms into Munster Junior B final

O’Driscoll, at 22, is like the elder statesman of this generation. Crowley is still a teenager. Already, they are turning the dial of history as the inheritors of the future of elite bowling.

Brian O’Driscoll stormed home for a comprehensive win over Anthony Crowley in an epochal Munster junior B semi-final at Clondrohid.

Ostensibly, this is bowling’s fourth tier, but in reality it represents the future and is populated with some of the most exciting talent seen in the sport for a generation. O’Driscoll, at 22, is like the elder statesman of this generation. Crowley is still a teenager. Already, they are turning the dial of history as the inheritors of the future of elite bowling.

O’Driscoll was in the zone from the off, releasing the first bowl of the day to full light. Crowley’s bowl clipped the right and missed the tip by 100m. He bounced back immediately with a big bowl to the mulch yard to cut the lead to 25m. He put it up to O’Driscoll with a massive bowl to Tierbeg cross to bring the lead down to just ten metres.

Crowley won the lead with a huge fourth one to O’Leary’s pillars. O’Driscoll responded with a titanic bowl to the Black House, to regain the lead. He gained a 60m advantage to the Bell Inn, but Crowley levelled with a huge bowl to the grotto. He nosed back in front with another big one to Kelly’s.

That ironically marked the dimming of Crowley’s challenge. He missed light at Kelleher’s in two, while O’Driscoll scorched out in two. O’Driscoll was now at another level. He played a massive bowl to light at the novice line, to go a bowl clear. He raised a second bowl with a big 13th shot out the last bend.

In the other side of the draw Michael Desmond and Alex O’Donovan are coming in somewhat under the radar.

Desmond beat Shane Collins by a bowl at Castletownkenneigh in his quarter-final. They both had leads in the early stages, but once Desmond got into his stride, he began to push clear. He raised a bowl at the netting and never looked back.

David Hegarty advanced to the final of Zone C of the Munster junior A championship through a comprehensive win over London representative Colm O’Donovan at Bauravilla.

Hegarty was on top from the off. He made bare light in two and was out the netting in another two, to forge almost two bowls clear. 

He raised the second bowl past Dekker’s. He scorched out the rock in seven. He was three up before the bridge. O’Donovan brought it back towards two in the shots to Madore station.

O’Donovan was in far better form at Ballygurteen where he qualified for the semi-final at the expense of Donal Riordan. Riordan was very much off colour in this one, missing light in three to drift almost a bowl of odds behind. He never sparked from there and the contest was over well before the end.