Road Bowling: Tom O’Donovan holds all the aces in Ballinacurra final

Tom O’Donovan led all the way to victory over Denis Wilmot and Kenneth Murphy in the Ballinacurra final on Saturday

Tom O’Donovan led all the way to victory over Denis Wilmot and Kenneth Murphy in the Ballinacurra final on Saturday.

He shaded Wilmot in the first exchange and followed with a massive bowl towards Brinny cross, which pushed him a shot clear of Murphy and gave him big odds on Wilmot. His third bowl broke sharply left and just beat Wilmot’s tip.

Little changed in the next exchange. Murphy then got a big bowl to Foley’s to level with Wilmot. O’Donovan beat those tips well and after Murphy and Wilmot had played again he was almost a bowl clear.

He raised a full bowl on both with a big sixth shot to Perrott’s. Wilmot and Murphy both followed with poor bowls, which left them two shots adrift. Murphy brought the lead under two bowls with his ninth to the GAA field. O’Donovan held his lead with a super eighth towards the bridge. He was facing the line in five more, with Wilmot displacing Murphy for second, a bowl and two bowls behind respectively.

Tim Young was exceptional when beating Denis O’Driscoll in the West Cork Junior A Final at the Clubhouse. They reached the chips in four each. Young gained valuable odds towards Dineen’s lane and had 50m odds at Clonakilty cross. He raised almost a bowl with a good shot to light at Murray’s. O’Driscoll kept the lead under a bowl to O’Riordan’s. Young then played a sensational bowl to the garage that pushed his lead to almost two bowls. They contested that lead to finish.

Frank Kiely beat Eoin by a bowl in the Gaeltacht Junior A final at Macroom. They both made Bantry’s cross in three, with O’Riordan just fore. He was still 40m fore at the flyover. Kiely won the next few shots, but O’Riordan was back in front before Kelleher’s. Kiely regained the lead before Glasheen cross and increased his odds through the cross. He sealed his win with a brilliant bowl towards the line, which O’Riordan missed to concede a bowl of odds.

Sporting fortunes are like the tide, as one week on from the O’Connell-Dullea Cup final Gary Daly and Michael Bohane can attest. Daly bounced back from that defeat to beat Martin Coppinger at Shannonvale, while Éamon Bowen ended the afterglow of victory for Bohane at Whitechurch.

Bowen won the first shot well at Whitchurch, but Bohane recovered to lead by 20m at the return line. Bowen followed with a sensational fourth to the middle of the hill, which put him almost a bowl clear. Bohane kept the lead firmly under a bowl to Boula lane. Bowen did better to Downey’s where he was almost a bowl clear. There was still almost a bowl between them to the farm.

Bohane levelled in the shots around the Devil’s bend and followed with a great bowl to the junior line. Bowen beat that well with a huge shot and increased his lead onto the straight. He pushed his odds to almost a bowl to the last bend.

Gary Daly bounced back with a bowl of odds win over Martin Coppinger at Shannonvale. He was almost a bowl up after three and raised it before Desmond’s. He lost ground through a blocked bowl there.

They both led in the following shots, but Daly regained control with a massive bowl and won by a bowl of odds. Earlier Alex O’Donovan beat Wayne Parkes in the last shot at the same venue.

Brian O’Driscoll beat Padraig O’Sullivan by a bowl in the West Cork U18 final at Ardcahan. He raced a bowl clear in the first three shots. O’Sullivan turned the tide with big sixth and seventh throws and the lead was closely contested till he made an error. O’Driscoll regained control and raised a bowl, which he held to the line.

The Ulster nominees to join the Irish team for the European championships were announced at the weekend. Siblings Thomas Mackle and Siobhán Mackle-Murphy join their respective senior squads, Kelly Mallon is the other senior woman, while Cathal Toal is the second man. All-Ireland U16 champion Caoimhe Rafferty is the Ulster girls U18 nominee, an U18 boy will be named later this month.