Road Bowling: Gary Daly enhances reputation with victory over Aidan Murphy

Gary Daly confirmed his growing stature as a leading senior when he beat Aidan Murphy by almost two bowls of odds in Bantry.

Gary Daly confirmed his growing stature as a leading senior when he beat Aidan Murphy by almost two bowls of odds in Bantry.

He took the first shot by just a metre. Murphy spun his second bowl to the left and Daly pushed his lead out to 90m. Murphy was almost a shot down after his third bowl caught the left and beat Daly’s tip by 20m. Daly kept the lead close to a bowl in all the shots to Casey’s cross.

He raised a full bowl with his next throw. Murphy beat this by 70m with his following shot to leave him well over a bowl adrift. Daly tightened his grip with a big shot towards the garage that brought his lead to 20m shy of a second bowl after 11 throws. Murphy closed the gap to the novice line, but couldn’t break the bowl and conceded before the finish line.

Tommy O’Sullivan took victory from Aaron Hughes in a dramatic last shot at Lyre.

He narrowly won the opening shot, but Hughes took the second towards the forestry. This tit-for-tat exchange continued when O’Sullivan shaded the third one. Hughes regained the lead with a brilliant fourth shot to the tunnel and then made Crowley’s wall with a fourth brilliant shot in a row to raise a bowl of odds.

He held the bowl of odds in the next two to Crowley’s bend and increased his lead to sight at McCarthy’s. The tide began to turn when O’Sullivan got a great rub with his next bowl. Hughes played his reply to the left and missed it by 40m and had only 100m odds after his next one to the end of the rose bed. O’Sullivan levelled with his following throw and there was nothing between them after their second last ones.

O’Sullivan misplayed his last shot and missed the line, but it was called so he was given a second chance. The second one was far sharper and beat the line by 40m. This turned into double-jeopardy for Hughes as he missed the tip with his reply.

Ból-Chumann Secretary, Michéal Ó Ceallacháin, won the Munster Vintage (over-60) B final at the expense of Donal Harnedy at Togher Cross.

Harnedy raised a bowl after six throws and defended his lead despite a big shot from Ó Ceallacháin to Hurley’s. Two big shots to Cronin’s had Ó Ceallacháin back in contention, but he only led after another big one past the school. He closed it out with a big shot past the line.

Carbery won the Johnny O’Driscoll Cup from An Gaeltacht at the Marsh Road when John Young and Denis O’Sullivan beat Colm McLoughlin and Eoin O’Riordan by a bowl in the fifth and deciding score of the series.

McLaughlin looked to have tipped things for his side when he made sight at Hurley’s with a great shot. Young missed that tip, but from there on he and O’Sullivan raised their game. The event also raised €2,500 for the Cancer Connect charity.

Thomas Boyle beat Liam Walsh to advance in the Hancy Hubbard Cup at Béal na Marbh. Walsh led after three to light at the first bend and raised almost a bowl with a great fourth to the white house. He raised a bowl with is next to the top of the hill and he was still almost a bowl in front at the straight.

Boyle levelled with two great bowls to the end of the straight. He won the lead with his next and was almost a bowl clear at the line.

Brothers Miley and Jimmy Connors scored an impressive double at Carraig na bhFear. Miley powered two shots clear of Denis Connolly with four huge bowls from the creamery cross to sight before Crowley’s cross. Jimmy was an equally impressive winner over Seán O’Leary.

At Timoleague, Hannah Cronin beat Helen White by two bowls in the Intermediate League. In the return Ellen Sexton beat Rachel Kingston in the last shot. A massive second last shot from Mick Hurley was key to victory, with Shane O’Hara, against Mick Wall and Seán O’Leary at Ballincurrig.