Bowen beats Callanan in last shot in Tim Foley Cup tie

ROAD BOWLING: Éamon Bowen did just enough to beat Wayne Callanan in the last shot of their Tim Foley Cup tie at Templemartin. Pic: ©INPHO/Tom Honan

Éamon Bowen did just enough to beat Wayne Callanan in the last shot of their Tim Foley Cup tie at Templemartin.

Callanan opened with a great bowl, which Bowen missed by just three metres. Bowen’s second was good too, but it drifted left. Callanan lifted his one too far, which took a lot of the speed out of it and it veered right 10m hind of Bowen’s. Bowen led the next one, but Callanan regained the lead with a good fourth shot to the cottage.

Bowen followed with a great fifth bowl past Slyne’s corner. Callanan opened the bend too, but missed Bowen’s tip by 25m. Bowen increased his lead to 40m with his next one to the new house. Callanan slashed that lead to just three metres with an excellent bowl to the end of the straight. He followed with another big one to O’Riordan’s. Bowen responded with an even better one to the start of Collins’ wall to push 60m clear.

Callanan reduced the odds marginally with his next throw to the end of the wall. His next bowl spun right and only beat Bowen’s tip by 50m. Bowen beat that by 80m with his tenth throw. Callanan was well short of the schoolhouse cross with his 12th shot. Bowen replied with a perfectly played bowl up the cross. Callanan kept the lead in check with a good reply past the cross.

That proved important as Bowen was too tight left with his reply and only beat Callanan’s tip by 30m. Callanan pounced on the opening by playing a super shot down the white line towards the stonefield bend. Bowen was well right of the sop and missed the tip by 50m to concede the lead. He looked to be in trouble when his next one hopped right and beat Callanan’s tip by just five metres to put him almost a bowl behind.

Callanan didn’t drive home his advantage though as his bowl turned in left and only beat Bowen’s tip by 70m. Bowen didn’t make much progress with his reply though. Callanan pushed almost a bowl clear again with a well-played bowl past Buttimer’s lane. Bowen’s following shot unluckily broke right, but Callanan beat it by just 70m.

Bowen looked destined for defeat when his bowl past the lane broke right, leaving Callanan throwing over 60m. Callanan again failed to capitalise, leaving his bowl too far left. Bowen’s next wasn’t great either, but Callanan missed it to sensationally lose the lead. That was compounded when he failed to open the pub cross with his next, handing the initiative to Bowen.

Bowen profited from that by going well past the bend to gain a clear advantage. He had 60m odds after his next one towards the pub. Callanan made a great bid to rescue it with a big bowl past the pub that rubbed towards the line. Bowen beat that by 60m for the last shots. Callanan then beat the line, but didn’t do enough to seriously trouble Bowen.

A lot of the big names skipped the final men’s international road trial at Castletownkenneigh as they had already banked three good scores. Each player is judged on their three best performances, so they had little to gain. This gave an opening for some of the next tier. Bill McAuliffe snatched it by recording 1,116.5m to beat Tim Young by 27m, with Gary Daly third on 1,134m.

Denise Murphy gave a sensational performance in scoring 1,268.6m in the senior women’s road trial. Despite getting to 1,210m Geraldine Curtin had to settle for second. Ciara Buckley was third. In the U18 Girls both Roisin Allen (1,041m) and Emma Hurley (1,007.2m) broke the kilometre mark. In the U18 Boys section Brian Horgan won with a very impressive 1,121m, Brian O’Sullivan carded 1,030m to pip Anthony Crowley by just one metre.

Noel O’Donovan progressed to the Tim White Cup semi-final after fashioning a clear win over Noel O’Regan at Rosscarbery. That result didn’t look likely after O’Regan opened with a huge bowl to win the first tip by 70m. He went on to raise a bowl in the next two to the priest’s house and then went two clear.

O’Donovan had it back to a bowl at the guesthouse and then won his first lead with a fantastic bowl towards the no-play line. He then gained a bowl of odds in the shots to the line. He continued to build on that lead to the finish.

Christy Mullins beat Eugene O’Sullivan at Clondrohid to set up a very attractive Munster Vintage (over-60) A final against Jerry Murphy.