Road Bowling: Armagh duo Aaron Hughes and Austin McKeown record impressive double at Lyre

File picture: Cathal Noonan

Aaron Hughes beat Tommy O’Sullivan in the first leg of a great Armagh double at Lyre, with Austin McKeown completing it with his win over Darren Kelly.

Hughes easily beat O’Sullivan’s first shot with a super bowl towards the soccer pitch. O’Sullivan only beat that by 40m with his second shot. Hughes kept him under pressure with a good second towards the forestry. O’Sullivan beat that well, which cut Hughes’ lead to 50m after three. O’Sullivan raised the pressure in the next two past the tunnel to hold the lead at 50m. Hughes won the next exchange well.

O’Sullivan increased the intensity and levelled with a big eighth to light at Crowley’s. He won his first lead with his next to the double gates. They both opened the next bend from there and O’Sullivan won the shots past McCarthy’s wall by 35m. Hughes rubbed the right with his next past the big tree, but O’Sullivan increased his lead. Hughes dug deep to beat that by 70m, which kept the score alive as O’Sullivan beat it by just 60m for the last shot. Hughes snatched the half-chance with a sensational bowl past the line. O’Sullivan’s reply drifted right and missed it by 15m.

In the return, Austin McKeown finished with two big bowls to the forestry to break the deadlock in a tight contest with Darren Kelly.

Jimmy O’Driscoll qualified for the John-Joe Murphy Cup semi-final at the expense of Donncha O’Brien at Bauravilla. O’Brien was off target with his first, O’Driscoll beat it and led all the way. They made Robin’s cross in two more, where O’Driscoll had 10m odds. After two more, O’Driscoll got a brilliant bowl to the netting to raise almost a bowl. O’Driscoll missed Dekker’s with his next, but O’Brien missed that tip. O’Driscoll increased his lead with his next and then reached the rock with a sensational bowl to raise almost a second bowl. From there he piled on the odds and was well over three clear at the bridge.

Gary Daly carded 1,230m at Castletownkenneigh to win the first road trial ahead of next year’s European Championships at Garding in Germany. David Murphy, who is on a mission to become the first bowler in history to win four consecutive gold medals, finished second. There was a clutch of players, Bryan Wilmot, Éamonn Bowen, and Michael Bohane, in joint-third. Darragh Dempsey brought his recent impressive championship form the youth trials, achieving 1,170m, with Jamie Kelleher in second place. Hannah Sexton, Hannah Cronin, and Megan Collins filled the top three spots in the senior women’s trial, with Rachel Kingston leading the girls U18 section. A second round of trials will be played at the same venue next Sunday.

Vincent Kiely will play David Hubbard in the North Cork final at Gortroe. Kiely led all the way against Pat Spillane in the semi-final. He opened with a great bowl to the bridge. Spillane missed that in two to concede a bowl of odds. Kiely made light with his second , which put him two bowls clear. He held that in five to the second bridge. At the Well Bar, he had well over three bowls of odds.

Brendan O’Neill beat Killian O’Sullivan in the Mid-Cork Junior B semi-final at Newcestown. He had 30m odds after three towards Mac’s cross. After two more to Allen’s Lane, O’Sullivan led by 20m. They were level after two more past Lucey’s. O’Neill took a 50m lead after a great bowl past Fehilly’s. He pushed that close to a bowl in the shots to the hollow past Desmond’s lane. He played a super bowl up the hill to take his lead to two bowls. Elsewhere Adrian Buttimer and James O’Sullivan had a win each at Ballinacurra.