Road Bowling: John O’Rourke claims Jim O’Driscoll Cup at the King and Queen of the Roads

John O’Rourke continued his amazing run when he beat Mark Toal by a bowl of odds in the Jim O’Driscoll Cup

John O’Rourke continued his amazing run when he beat Mark Toal by a bowl of odds in the Jim O’Driscoll Cup at the King and Queen of the Roads festival on Sunday.

Toal won the first tip with a huge bowl to light, which was his only lead. O’Rourke edged the next three and then got a big bowl to the creamery to take a 70m lead.

A big sixth bowl to the no-play line put him almost a bowl clear. He raised the bowl with his next and he teased Toal with that lead to the line.

When O’Rourke got a massive bowl to the big corner Toal followed it. When Toal got an unlucky hop with his bowl past the muddy gap, O’Rourke missed light too. That bowl of odds was like a gossamer string between them, it stretched and contracted but it was always in O’Rourke’s control. In the end he played a big last shot into the green to confirm it as his winning odds.

Anyone worried about the state of senior men’s bowling prior to last weekend at Ballincurrig is sleeping soundly since.

Both Ulster and Munster champions were defeated on Saturday. The winners played a classic on Sunday. When you count James O’Donovan, Martin Coppinger, Aidan Murphy, Killian Kingston and Cathal Toal among the absentees the prospects for a post-Covid 2022 are very bright.

Gary Daly had a spectacular last shot win over Arthur McDonagh in Saturday’s semi-final and his determination through the pain barrier in Sunday’s final added to his growing reputation He fended off McDonagh by beating the no-play line in five, with Germany’s Ralf Look a shot off the pace. He increased his lead onto the long straight and had almost a bowl on both his opponents at the big corner.

When he missed light from there he was suddenly in a three-way dog fight. He even lost the lead to McDonagh with two to go. But he bounced back to regain the lead and beat a huge last bowl from McDonagh.

David Murphy didn’t get into his rhythm till the second half of his semi-final win over Thomas Mackle and Dutch champion Jochem Wennink. It took an unbelievable tenth throw from the top of the long straight to the big corner to win his first lead, having been third at one point.

He turned the screws on Mackle with two huge bowls to the sycamores to gain a shot advantage. Wennink suddenly hit with two incredible bowls from the top of the short straight to light at the last bend to cut Murphy’s lead to five metres.

He left the new King off the hook though when he missed line with his last.

Wayne Parkes and Hannah Sexton won an intriguing Proto-Mark Technologies Youth International Triple Crown.

It went to a last shot which Parkes won by a just one metre from Germany’s Marian Jahnke. The Irish pair are the first combination to defend the title, while Jahnke is the only player to qualify three times.

This was on a knife-edge from the off, only one metre separated the three teams after 12 to Heaphy’s.

A big 15th shot from Sexton halted the German’s gains and her 17th put Ireland in front for the last shot. Jahnke closed with a great bowl for Germany. Parkes’ reply looked perfect, but it took a touch off the play and just got past the tip.

Ulster won both of Saturday’s finals. Four very talented young players made the BH Tree Services Trophy a spectacle.

Ulster’s Aaron Hughes and Darragh Gribben wrested it from James O’Sullivan and Michael O’Donoghue at the death. O’Donoghue’s great 13th to the creamery gave his side 90m odds. O’Sullivan played his next to the right and they lost the lead. The Ulster pair then scorched past the line in two huge bowls.

Paddy O’Neill and Eugene McVeigh were clear winners over Darren Kelly and Mick Hurley in the Charlie McCarthy Cup. The Cork pair led by a few metres after six to the big corner. First O’Neill and then McVeigh got two brilliant bowls from there to raise a bowl on the long straight. There was no holding them from there.