Rafferty and Mackle help Ulster to victory over Munster 

First-cousins Colm Rafferty and Thomas Mackle captured the dual-features in a 4-3 win for Ulster over Munster 

Thomas Mackle in action during the Mens Senior All-Ireland Road Bowling final at Ballincurrig, Co Cork. Picture Dan Linehan

Ulster won the bragging rights as first-cousins Colm Rafferty and Thomas Mackle captured the dual-features in a 4-3 win over Munster in the Youth Development Fundraiser at Madden in Armagh.

Rafferty beat Gary Daly by just one metre on Saturday. That slender win is the perfect confidence tonic as he bids to make his mark in Europe as a member of the Irish senior team. Fortune has not always favoured him, so winning a tight contest like this could signal a change in tide in a vital year.

He opened with a super shot, while Daly was slow to settle and was quickly a bowl of odds down. Daly gathered momentum up the hill and levelled at Johnny’s. Rafferty regained control with a huge bowl to the pipe corner that put him a shot clear again.

He held that lead into the last straight. A mistake there cost him the lead for the last shot. He showed a lot of guts to bounce back with a great last shot. Daly delivered a good reply too, but just missed the tip.

Thomas Mackle brought his red-hot 2023 form to his two bowls of odds win over Aidan Murphy, in his first big challenge of 2024. The current Ulster, All-Ireland, King of the Roads and Joe McVeigh Cup champion was on the offensive from the off. He scorched to Johnny’s in five super throws to go a shot in front.

That lead doubled when Murphy failed to open the pipe corner from the bus shelter. Mackle was relentless from there and had the verdict guaranteed well before the line. Mackle, Murphy, Daly and Rafferty will be key cogs in the Ireland machine in Germany in May.

Sisters Hannah and Ellen Sexton are also part of Ireland’s plans, they combined well to beat fellow Irish international Dervla Mallon and Shannon Maguire for one of Munster’s wins. The sides were level after four each to the village. The Sextons exploited some fluffed lines by the Ulster pair to go a bowl clear at the school. They held that lead to Barrett’s and were just a metre shy of a bowl at the bus shelter. They drove on to win by a bowl.

Tim Young is another member of the Irish squad who got a nice win under his belt. He beat Ulster’s Bryan O’Reilly in the last shot of a very tight score. O’Reilly had a 15m lead after four, but Young took over in the next two to the bus shelter. O’Reilly was five metres fore at Barrett’s. Young edged back in front at the school and held sway past the line.

Gavin Twohig scorched past the line in ten throws for the most comprehensive win of the weekend. He was always in control against Ulster tyro Jake Cullen. He was a bowl in front after three great shots to the cottage. He was almost two up after five and raised it after two more. Cullen played a huge bowl to Hughes’, but it made little dent in Twohig’s march to victory.

Barry O’Reilly gave Ulster the first win of the weekend. His big last shot gave him the verdict over Jim Coffey. John Grimley turned the tables on Flor Crowley with a huge bowl from the cottage. From being a bowl down, he was now 70m fore.

Timmy McDonagh’s impressive form continued at Bauravilla where he gave a five star display in his win over Darragh Dempsey in the John-Joe Murphy Cup. He was almost a bowl in front at the netting and was two in front after 11 to the bridge.

Johnny O’Driscoll was on song too in the Jerry Desmond Cup at Shannonvale where he beat Noel O’Regan. He made McSweeney’s in two to raise a bowl. He raised a second bowl after four to the pillars. He went out Desmond’s in seven to raise a third. That was too big a gap for O’Regan to bridge.

Sidney Shannon beat Shane McCarthy by a bowl in the Marsh Road final. McCarthy led by 30m after two. Shannon came to the fore to Hurley’s where he was a bowl up after six. He held that to Bohane’s, but McCarthy had it under a bowl at Coombes’. Shannon regained the bowl at the last bend.

A strong finish gave Damien Burns victory over Joe Madden at Béal na Bláth. Madden was almost a bowl in front after seven to Bradfield’s cross. Burns wiped out most of that lead with his next one and won his first lead after 11 to the bull’s gate. He gained a good lead with a great 13th out the last bend and sealed it with a super 14th past the line.