Vintage display propels Hickey to Munster title

DENIS HICKEY is Munster Vintage A (over-60) champion following a brilliant contest with Mick Murphy (Innishannon) at Waterfall on Saturday.

They both got good opening bowls from the monument, with Hickey winning the first tip by 40m after making full light at the Glasha. He held that lead with his next shot up the hill. Murphy closed the gap in the third exchange past Lynch’s farm. They reached the corner of the lawn in another two, with Murphy edging closer to the lead.

He got a poor bowl towards Mehigan’s and Hickey replied with a brilliant shot to raise a bowl of odds. Murphy just knocked the bowl in the next shots to the big bend, but Hickey increased his lead again on the straight. Murphy brought the lead under a bowl again, but Hickey edged the shots to Dan Herlihy’s corner. He held his bowl of odds by beating Murphy’s good bowl up the hill.

Murphy knocked the bowl with a brilliant shot past Murphy’s farm and cut the lead further with his next shot. Hickey then played a super shot to just short of the line, which secured him the title and a bowl of odds winning margin.

In the ‘C’ semi-final at Donoughmore, Tommy O’Connor finished with four brilliant shots to beat Con O’Donovan in the last shot. He won the first three shots but his poor fourth throw handed the initiative to O’Donovan. O’Connor then missed the bounds in two to fall a bowl behind and looked to be heading for a second bowl when he missed light at Ring’s corner. O’Donovan held over a bowl in the shots to the end of the wall but he misplayed his bowl onto the straight to forfeit the bowl. O’Connor cut the odds with two good bowls past the old novice line. He found himself back in contention when O’Donovan blew his next bowl right to leave just 15m between them facing the line. O’Connor played an unbeatable last bowl that turned perfectly with the road.

Michael Bohane and Wayne Callanan had good wins in the Flor Crowley Cup first round.

Bohane controlled the second half of his score with Andrew O’Leary to win by two bowls at Jagoes Mills. Callanan had a tighter call from Seamus Sexton at Templemartin but his display was very impressive.

Denis Murphy finished strongly to beat Gearóid Spillane in the last shot of the Gortroe final.

Vincent Kiely got four massive bowls from the steps to take control of his score with Tim Young at the Marsh Road. They were level after 10 each to the steps but Kiely really opened up from there.

At Béal na mBláth, David O’Mahony beat Johnny Murphy.