Queen of the Roads, Tulk, set for Skibbereen festival

Dutch champion and reigning Queen of the Roads, Silke Tulk, will top the bill at the West Cork Whiskey benefit festival at Skibbereen on the St. Patrick’s holiday weekend.

She teams up with Killian Kingston against Martin Coppinger and Claire O’Sullivan in what promises to be a fitting finale for the two-day event in support of Co-Action. This is a significant test in itself, but is also a key barometer of form heading into both the provincial and All-Ireland championships, but also the European championships in May. Tulk is a standout figure in European bowling who is bound to bring the crowds to the Marsh Road.

The event breaks off on Saturday 19, with three Ulster-Munster clashes. All-Ireland intermediate champion John O’Rourke plays Paul O’Reilly in the first score. Tyrone tyro, Eugene McVeigh, plays Patrick Flood and Seán Donnelly faces Tim Young. An attractive all-Munster senior clash between Aidan Murphy and Gary Daly completes Saturday’s programme. Former Dutch senior champion Jos-Bert Aalbers plays Donal O’Riordan and Éamon Bowen takes on Bryan O’Reilly in the lead-up to the main event on Sunday 20.

Killian Kingston will be hoping for a return to his best form at Skibbereen as he faces All-Ireland champion Arthur McDonagh in one of the three first round scores in the 2022 Munster senior championship. Big names David Murphy and James O’Donovan came out of the hat against each other, while John O’Rourke sees his first senior championship action against Séamus Sexton in a North Cork derby. Martin Coppinger, Aidan Murphy, Gary Daly, Michael Bohane and Éamon Bowen all received first-round byes.

The inaugural All-Ireland youth team challenge was held in Newcastle in Dublin. Teams from Ulster, Munster and Connaught vied from honours at under-14 and under-12. A strong team of Oisín Gribben, Josh O’Neill, Caolin Carr and Paul Corr won the boys under-14 with a score of 4,003 m. Darcey O’Brien, Laura Sexton, Sophie Murphy and Doireann Hurley won the girls under-14, for Munster, with a sensational score of 3,096m.

Munster won both the under-12 events at the expense of Ulster, but two very young Connaught teams, all of whom will be eligible for another two years were in close contention. Ross O’Brien, Jack Allen, Myles O’Connell and Tadgh Hickey carded 3,396m in winning the boys section and Chloë Hubbard, Lily Twomey, Anna Deane and Abbie McDonnell achieved 2,542 m to win the girls.

Cian Boyle held off a late challenge from Michael O’Donoghue to win his opening tie of the Cork City Junior A championship at Whitechurch. O’Donoghue won the opening tip, but Boyle took the next three. In three consecutive shots O’Donoghue regained the lead, lost the lead and then raised a bowl with a sensational shot towards Boula lane.

Boyle levelled to Downey’s line and had a nice lead at the farm. He gained almost a bowl when O’Donoghue unluckily missed light at the devil’s bend. O’Donoghue finished with two huge bowls, but Boyle stayed kept control.

Rising star, Darragh Dempsey beat Peter Nagle in the Carbery Junior C final at Caheragh. Dempsey had a nice lead after five to the soccer pitch. Nagle levelled with a brilliant bowl to the bridge, but Dempsey moved clear again to Reenroe cross. He lost the lead to the tunnel, but led the next three to the novice line. Nagle took what looked a winning lead with a brilliant bowl to the river gate, but he didn’t close it out. Dempsey’s last was the shot of the day, which Nagle missed by less than two metres.

James Nagle eliminated champion Declan O’Donovan from the Carbery Junior A championship in the semi-final at the Marsh Road. This ended early as O’Donovan was injured. Michéal O’Sullivan was a very impressive winner over John Cahalane in the other semi-final. He scorched to the steps to raise three bowls of odds.

Trevor O’Meara rescued what looked a lost cause with a sensational last shot past the line from poor light at Grange. He opened with two brilliant bowls, but Tommy O’Sullivan levelled with a great third one to light at the stud farm. They were evenly balanced till O’Sullivan looked to have sealed it by opening Barry’s bend with a massive second last shot.