Clinical Brian O’Driscoll completes family hat-trick

It was a poignant victory, completing a golden O’Driscoll family hat-trick.

His late father, Teddy, won the same title a few weeks before Brian was born in 2003. His uncle, Denis, won it in 2006.

BRIAN O’Driscoll was fast, focused and ruthless in his dispatch of Alex O’Donovan in the Munster junior B final at Castletownkenneigh.

In a championship that was rich in quality, the final rarely sparkled. That should not take from O’Driscoll’s five-star performance. It was also a poignant victory, completing a golden O’Driscoll family hat-trick.

His late father, Teddy, won the same title a few weeks before Brian was born in 2003. His uncle, Denis, won it in 2006. Ironically the O’Driscoll brothers met brothers Peadar and Cathal Toal in their All-Ireland finals. Peadar beat Teddy in 2003, but Denis balanced the books against Cathal three years later.

In the final, O’Driscoll shaved the right with his first bowl to take the first tip by 20m. O’Donovan cut that to a metre with a good second shot and won his only lead with his third to Rory’s. 

After O’Driscoll played a huge fourth bowl towards the round tower cross he not only regained the lead, but cast a pall over O’Donovan from which he never emerged. O’Driscoll’s presence swelled with every throw from there and O’Donovan never looked likely to reignite a challenge.

Two more throws up the rise towards Pyne’s corner put O’Driscoll a bowl clear. A sensational bowl up past Pyne’s to O’Leary’s wall pushed O’Driscoll’s odds towards a second bowl.

He was over two in front at the netting and he carried that lead out to Forshin’s cross, on 11 and 13. O’Donovan got a big bowl from the cross to close the gap. But O’Driscoll sprung back with another massive bowl towards the line, which extinguished any lingering spark.

He will meet a sterner test from Barry O’Reilly in the All-Ireland final later this month. Regardless of the outcome of that his standing in the bowling world requires close analysis. 

He is a bigger player than junior B suggests, as are a number of other top class young bowlers in that grade. How they can be nurtured and supported to the top of the game will require some outside-the-box thinking within the sport.

O’Reilly beat James Oliver in the Ulster junior B final at Blackwatertown. He gained an early grip on the contest, going a bowl clear at the long lane. Oliver cut the odds with a big bowl past Campbell’s, but fell back again with a poor shot towards McCusker’s corner. O’Reilly loosened his grip with a mistake at the red house, which brought Oliver back into it. 

Oliver pressed hard, but he missed Callan’s bend with a vital shot. O’Reilly went out Callan’s and another good one to Kelly’s had him over a bowl clear. Oliver closed the gap again, but never looked like getting in front.

Culainn Bourke was a comfortable winner over Tommy O’Donoghue in the Munster u16 final at Castletownkenneigh. He led from the off, but it was close up past the round tower cross. Bourke went up the gears to raise a bowl just past the novice line. 

He excelled from there to take a second bowl at the netting. In the return score, Tommy Coppinger, son of 2024 senior champion, Martin, won the Munster u12 final. He gave a scintillating performance against Eoghan Kelly. He won the lead with a big third shot to the netting and led to the finish.

Paul O’Brien completed a three-in-a-row for East Cork-Waterford when he beat Páidí Ó Murchú in the Munster veteran II final at Newcestown. He led all the way, gaining a bowl of odds with his seventh shot to Kingston’s after which he was in complete control. 

That kept the title in the east following on Paudy O’Brien’s win last year and Paul Butler in 2023. O’Brien faces his clubmate, PJ Cooney, in the overall final at Castletownkenneigh on Friday.

In the Munster Junior A championship, Zone A winner Patrick Stokes is still awaiting the identity of his two final opponents. Bryan O’Halloran advanced to meet Noel O’Donovan in the Zone B final, through a solid performance against Seán Murphy at Ballinacurra. Murphy was leading at Foley’s, but he hit a bad patch to the bridge, conceding a bowl of odds to O’Halloran. 

From there O’Halloran was in control and added a second bowl on the straight. The Zone C final is between David Hegarty and Jimmy O’Driscoll who meet at Rosscarbery on Friday.

Both semi-finals of the Munster intermediate championship will be played next weekend. Timmy McDonagh, brother of newly crowned senior champion, Arthur, takes on John O’Rourke at Newcestown on Sunday. On Saturday Páidinín Stokes plays Paul Buckley at Kilcorney.