Road bowling: Fermoy men Daly and McDonagh secure semi spots

Arthur McDonagh in action. Pic: David Keane.

Fermoy bowlers were the big winners at Ballincurrig as both Gary Daly and Arthur McDonagh gave stellar performances in securing the last two Hurley’s of Midleton King of the Roads semi-final slots ahead of this weekend.

Daly scorched to the last bend in a record equalling 13 bowls in his win over John O’Rourke. Earlier McDonagh led all the way too against Aidan Murphy and was only one throw off Daly’s performance.

Daly got the better of the opening shots against O’Rourke. He had 30m odds after two more towards Geary’s. O’Rourke then played a brilliant bowl to the end of the green. Daly’s reply looked to be too tight left, but it wheeled all the way around the wind past the creamery.

That proved a huge fillip. It meant he could beat the no-play line in five and raise almost a bowl of odds. O’Rourke resisted strongly to keep the lead well under a bowl to the start of the long straight.

Daly then played two massive bowls in succession. He went to light at the top of the long straight with the first. O’Rourke did well to get close to that. Daly then drove another incredible bowl to light at the big corner. That catapulted him well over two bowls of odds clear.

O’Rourke held it to two bowls in the next three to Din Tough’s. Daly then delivered another sensational bowl all the way to light at the last bend to firmly put it to bed.

In the previous score Aidan Murphy was a shade right and missed light, while Arthur McDonagh went out to establish a solid lead. Murphy hit back with good bowl to Moore’s gate, but McDonagh beat it well.

Murphy’s third bowl unluckily tailed in right and then crossed to the left. McDonagh replied with a monster bowl to the end of the green. Murphy played a brilliant fourth bowl to the creamery, but it still left him almost a bowl behind. McDonagh raised the bowl with his fourth towards the pony’s gate.

He was at the top of the long straight in three more, where he was two bowls clear and looked to be heading for a new road record. Things got even worse for Murphy when he landed his next bowl on the dyke. Amazingly McDonagh did exactly the same with his and with it went his chance of a new record.

Murphy had a small chance of opening the big corner next to bring it back to one bowl. Neither he nor McDonagh succeeded though, so there was still almost two bowls between them after ten and 12 around the corner. McDonagh regained a full two bowls of odds in the next exchange and that effectively guaranteed his place in the semi-final.

In next Saturday’s semi-final McDonagh will face All-Ireland Champion Thomas Mackle and German champion Ralf Look. In the second semi-final Gary Daly plays 2022 King, David Murphy, and Dutch champion Bas Senger.

Éamon Bowen secured his place in the Munster final of the Jim O’Driscoll Cup when he beat Wayne Callanan. He was below par in the opening half, but came good in the second half. Callanan went peeping light with his first to gain almost a bowl of odds, but he lost ground in his next two. Bowen came to life with a fast fifth bowl to the creamery.

He won lead with a good sixth shot past the pony’s gate. He led the next three onto the long straight, but Callanan was still within touching distance. That changed when Bowen played a brilliant bowl up the long straight to raise a bowl of odds.

He moved closer to two in front after two more past the big corner. He raised the second bowl up the short straight. He consolidated that lead with his next one and that brought the curtain down. He faces All-Ireland intermediate champion, Brian Wilmot, and Timmy McDonagh in Friday’s final. The winner advances to play Ulster’s Shaun Donnelly on Sunday.

Shane Shannon put in a brilliant finish at Templemartin to fashion a bowl of odds win over Noel O’Regan and David Hegarty.

The early exchanges turned into a duel between Shannon and Hegarty who both opened Slyne’s corner in five against six for O’Regan. Hegarty had a 60m lead on Shannon after eight to O’Riordan’s, with O’Regan a bowl adrift. He had almost a bowl on both Shannon and O’Regan at the schoolhouse cross. Shannon turned the score on its head with three brilliant shots from there.