All-Ireland finalists Mackle and McDonagh on opposite sides of the Joe McVeigh Cup draw

This week’s announcement of the Ból-Fada programme at Keady-Tassagh in Armagh seems like a rainbow to signal the end of a long Covid-19 winter.

The Easter festival was the first major bowling event to be cancelled because of the pandemic in 2020. It also fell victim of restrictions last year. It opens on Good Friday on the Viaduct road at Tassagh, before transferring to the Markethill Road for the following two days. It boasts most of the top men, women and underage bowling talent from North and South over the three days, leading to the Joe McVeigh Cup on Easter Sunday.

All-Ireland finalists Thomas Mackle and Arthur McDonagh are on opposite sides of the Joe McVeigh Cup draw. Mackle plays the winner of next Sunday’s qualifier between Bryan O’Reilly and Colm Rafferty. He last held the title in 2018 after leading all the way to a comprehensive win over David Murphy in the final. That was the crest of a wave for the Armagh man. It marked his third McVeigh Cup in succession and his eighth major final win in a three-year period. Although he tested McDonagh in the All-Ireland final, he has yet to recapture the invincibility of that period. This would be the perfect way to re-set the dial for a successful 2022.

McDonagh was definitely on top of his game in last year’s championship. He was sensational in his Munster final win over James O’Donovan at Baile Bhuirne. He was not at the same pitch against Mackle in the All-Ireland final, but he produced the goods when the chips were really down. He faces David Murphy in the second semi-final. The Markethill Road is not Murphy’s favourite venue, but he too will want to find his best form just a month before he attempts to create European bowling history by winning a fourth successive gold medal. Winning the Joe McVeigh Cup would be the ultimate confidence booster for the European Championships.

At Drinagh, Claire O’Sullivan encountered the fickleness of sporting fate, just a week after an outstanding performance in her Doucha Boy win in Skibbereen. A sharp and focused Maria Nagle took control of their Munster senior championship tie by making the barking dogs in two to go a bowl clear. She never conceded a millimetre from there and extended her lead to two bowls with a big shot to the pond.

That win puts her in pole position to take one of the two qualifying spots from a group that also contains Megan Collins. The other group has last year’s beaten finalist Veronica O’Mahony, Emma Fitzpatrick and last year’s Intermediate champion Hannah Sexton.

PJ Cooney was sensational in his John Cronin Cup final win over John Shorten at Churchtown South. After beating a good opening bowl from Shorten he raised odds in virtually every throw to the finish. He had almost a bowl after three and raised it with his fourth. They contested that lead in the next three after which Cooney was well onto the straight past the old road.

He followed with two brilliant bowls to light at Benskin’s to push his lead to two bowls of odds. Shorten matched him in the next exchange. Cooney then delivered a sensational bowl that opened the next bend and ran to the farm to put the contest completely beyond Shorten’s reach.

James Nagle beat Mick Hurley by eight metres in the JJ Murphy Cup semi-final at Bauravilla. He raised almost a bowl with his first shot to the school. Hurley held off the bowl and grabbed the lead with a super fifth one to the netting. He increased his lead past Dekker’s. Nagle nosed in front again at the rock and drove clear to the bridge. Hurley then played a sensational bowl to level the score. There was nothing between them to the line, with Nagle just taking the last one.

Wayne Parkes overtook Tommy O’Sullivan for a bowl of odds win at Ballygurteen in the South-West Junior A championship. O’Sullivan opened the first bend in two to raise a bowl. Parkes knocked the bowl at the Women’s Lane, but didn’t lead till O’Donovan’s. He was too powerful up the rise from there. He also beat Timmy McDonagh at Corrin, Fermoy.