Creedon and O'Donnell to clash in Munster Junior B final

On the August weekend, the winner of Conor Creedon and Willie O'Donnell's Munster Junior B final will face Paul Rafferty.

Conor Creedon and Willie O’Donnell will clash in a what promises to be an exceptional Munster Junior B final at Firmount on Saturday.

Creedon eventually got a bowl of odds ahead of David Hubbard in his semi-final at Ballinacurra. For O’Donnell it was absolutely at the death. His only fore bowl was his huge last bowl against David Hegarty at Clondrohid. Ironically Hegarty had done a similar Houdini act in the quarter-final against Michael-John O’Brien at Baile Bhuirne At Ballinacurra, Creedon just shaded the opening four shots through Brinny cross, with both players taking time to settle. Hubbard won the next one to Foley’s. Creedon won both of the next two by 50m and edged close to a bowl of odds with his seventh one to Perrot’s crush.

Hubbard got back into it with a brilliant bowl to the GAA. He didn’t follow-up though and Creedon pushed clear again, taking almost a bowl onto the straight. He raised the bowl in the closing shots.

At Clondrohid, David Hegarty was just ahead in the opening few throws, but gained a 60m advantage to Tier Beg cross. He held that lead to the black house. O’Donnell was right with his next one and Hegarty pushed his lead out to almost a bowl of odds with a nice eighth bowl to the Bell Inn.

Hegarty continued to dominate over the hump and past Gough’s lane. O’Donnell made a mistake before the farm to fall almost a bowl behind again. He got back on track with two big ones to the lollipops, where the lead was down to 40m. He closed the gap to just four metres for the last shot. He closed with a sensational bowl, which Hegarty missed.

The old adage is that semi-finals are only for winning, both O’Donnell and Creedon will be hoping to be a lot sharper in the final. On the August weekend the winner will be facing Paul Rafferty, a player whose name was entered in the All-Ireland roll of honour in 1990, when he beat Alan O’Shea in the U14 Boys final at the Cathedral Road. He beat Andrew O’Leary in the All-Ireland intermediate final four years later and has had a distinguished career since.

He beat Barry O’Reilly by a bowl of odds in the 2024 Ulster final at Eglish. He held a steady lead on O’Reilly in the early shots, before pushing clear to the old school. O’Reilly cut the lead to 50m with a big shot from there, but Rafferty powered clear again and won by a bowl. He will be a big test for the Munster winner in the All-Ireland final.

Andrew O’Leary, the man he beat in the 1994 intermediate final, will be bidding to get onto the All-Ireland programme too on the August weekend. He plays Padraig O’Brien in the Munster Veteran (over-50) final at Whitchurch on Friday.

This is an astonishing success story for O’Brien. He was a top flight underage player in the 1990s, but drifted away from the sport for an extended period. He only returned to bowling in the past few years and has gradually re-built some of his old panache.

He beat Declan O’Leary in the Novice section final at Bweeng to secure his place in the overall Munster final. O’Leary won the early shots, but O’Brien nosed into the lead after four towards the tinny house. O’Leary was back in front after eight to the concrete. He led all the shots from there past the Novice E line, where he had 50m odds.

O’Brien regained the lead with his next one to the farm. O’Leary beat the line from there, but O’Brien edged past it by three metres. It’s a big step up to play O’Leary in the overall final, but this is definitely bonus territory for O’Brien, so he can cast off the shackles.

O’Leary beat Kieran O’Driscoll in a titanic junior section final at Templemichael. Both players showed their class from start to finish. O’Driscoll won the first shot, but O’Leary edged ahead from the second throw. He gradually built his odds up to 50m. O’Driscoll refused to yield though and produced a massive test with a brilliant last shot.