Patrick Flood comes of age in All-Ireland intermediate final

Sunday was a coming of age for Flood. Ethan Rafferty laid down the gauntlet, the competition was fierce, the stakes could not have been higher, yet he survived the furnace and emerged like a phoenix

BALANCE: Patrick Flood in action.

Sunday was a coming of age for Patrick Flood. Ethan Rafferty laid down the gauntlet, the competition was fierce, the stakes could not have been higher, yet he survived the furnace and emerged like a phoenix, light years ahead of the bowler that stood outside Smart’s Bar two hours earlier.

It is hard to imagine a nineteen year old in his first major adult competition performing at such a sustained level of quality, but more especially having the guts to go for the really difficult shots. The bowl he played from poor light at the big corner stands as the single greatest act of the entire weekend.