Who were the road bowling stars of 2021?

Kelly Mallon (above) won a record ninth All-Ireland senior title, which would definitely put her in the frame for end-of-year awards. But then Silke Tulk swooped for Queen of the Roads, defeating Mallon in the last shot of a classic.

Bowling never gets a look-in when it comes to national sports awards. Not even when the Irish men’s team filled the first nine places in the 2008 European Championships were they or their coach, Mark McManus, vaguely in the running for team of the year.

For women in sport, no one could really match Rachael Blackmore in 2021. Kellie Harrington certainly deserved to be mentioned in her company, but arguably Kelly Mallon should also be counted among Ireland’s greatest women stars.