Wilmot books Munster final spot with all-the-way victory
He set up the score with an impressive start that saw him open a good lead with three great bowls to light at the water and he raised a bowl with his fourth shot to light facing Shorten’s Cross. O’Leary increased his challenge from there and had the lead well under a bowl at Long’s Lane.
He cut the lead to just 60m at the farmhouse and kept up the pressure to the garage. Wilmot put clear road between them again with a great bowl to the big corner, which stretched his lead to almost a bowl. O’Leary did well again in the shots towards the novice line, where the lead was down to 30m, but missed light with his next shot and his challenge dissipated.
Wilmot played a great bowl past the line to take his lead close to a bowl again. He will contest the Munster final at Derrinasafa on Saturday June 25 against either Michael Bohane or Donal Riordan who meet at Grange next Saturday.
Bohane secured his semi-final place with an exceptional performance against Billy McAuliffe at Templemartin. He opened with a massive shot past Desmond’s, which McAuliffe missed by just a few metres. They were at the end of Desmond’s after the next exchange and they both narrowly missed Slyne’s Corner in three. McAuliffe got the better fourth shot.
Bohane was back in front after another big bowl on the straight and made Collins’ with his next. They were both just shy of the Schoolhouse cross in eight and well through it in nine. It looked to be heading for a grandstand finish until Bohane got a brilliant bowl past Buttimer’s Lane, followed with a great bowl to the pump. Those two put him almost a bowl in front at the pub cross. He raised the bowl with his next shot and then beat the line with an excellent 16th throw to hold his odds.
In the Ulster Intermediate, Fergal Donnelly joined Thomas Mackle on two wins in the race to secure three wins. Paul Rafferty finished second, but is still on just one win. Sunday’s score at Knappagh was played in driving rain, Mackle falling two bowls behind by Grimley’s corner. They other two were locked together with four to go, but Donnelly closed it out with a brilliant finish.
The championship season will reach its peak in the next two weeks as the race to the first All-Ireland series in Dunmanway pushes into its final phase. Two Munster Junior A semi-finals will be played next weekend. Arthur McDonagh and PJ Cooney play at Carrigaline on Saturday and Denis O’Driscoll and Michael Gould meet at Templemartin on Sunday.
Gould took the last semi-final place with a good win over London champion Denis Cooney at Sally’s Cross. He was almost a bowl clear after three good bowls to Breen’s Well. He raised the bowl at the garage, but Cooney rallied strongly to bring the lead under a bowl at Sally’s Cross. He increased his challenge to the cornfield bend where the lead was back to 35m.
That lead still separated them at the Creaghleen. Cooney got a good bowl from there, but Gould held his odds. Cooney’s next bowl drifted right. Gould’s reply looked better, but it missed the line. Cooney’s last shot looked good, but it never settled and hopped onto the right bank.
The Ulster Junior A champion will be either Philip Corrigan or Paul O’Reilly. Corrigan pulled off a sensational win over Stephen McCann at Portmor in the semi-final. It was close for the first five, but Corrigan took control to McCusker’s. He then played two sensational bowls to go two clear and he raised a third bowl before the line.
The senior championship will spring back to life next Sunday in a mouthwatering quarter-final between Eamon Bowen Jnr and Edmund Sexton at Whitechurch. The winner will have the dubious honour of facing either All-Ireland champion Martin Coppinger or King of the Roads David Murphy in the semi-final. Murphy and Coppinger play the following weekend at the Marsh Road. The last remaining quarter-final between Christy Mullins and Pat Butler will be at Lyre, with the winner facing Aidan Murphy in the semi-final.
In Ulster, Brian O’Reilly and Conor McGuigan will contest the senior final.
Martin Toal can make it a three-hander if he beats McGuigan in the last round-robin score. Last year’s champion Eddie Carr is out of the race following defeat by O’Reilly at Knappagh.
Darren Santry and Evan Murphy contest the Munster U14 final at Castletownkenneigh. Santry beat Michael Faulkner by two bowls at Enniskeane and Murphy beat Daniel O’Sullivan at Clondrohid.
In the All-Ireland final the winner will play either David Devlin or Ryan Gamble, who contest the Ulster final on the Markethill Road.
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