Rafferty and McDonagh set up King of the Roads final clash
40th Anniversary of the King and Queen of the roads hosted by Ballincurrig bowling club featuring players from Ireland, Germany, Netherlands and Italy this weekend. Picture; Eddie O'Hare
Ethan Rafferty and Arthur McDonagh will contest the 40th King of the Roads final at Ballincurrig on Sunday, following hard earned semi-final wins on Saturday.
It ends up a repeat of the All-Ireland final, won by Rafferty, after neither Germany’s Manuel Runge nor Dutch star Patrick Zieverink featured in the deciding shots.
Last year’s winner, Colm Rafferty, was in control of his semi-final, but McDonagh fought back into contention and put in a supreme finish to win by a bowl. All-Ireland champion, Ethan Rafferty, was pushed all the way by James O’Donovan, who had been the form player coming into the weekend. This one went to the last shot.
After two brilliant opening bowls O’Donovan led the first semi-final against Ethan Rafferty and Runge by almost a bowl. He held that advantage by beating the no-play line in six. Rafferty stormed back with two huge bowls to the middle of the long straight. O’Donovan led him by almost a bowl after the next exchange, but neither of them had full light.
Rafferty made full light at the big corner in two more. O’Donovan narrowly missed and had only 40m odds after lofting there. Rafferty won a slender lead with his next shot to light, O’Donovan edged back in front to Din Tough’s. Rafferty then played a brilliant bowl past the serpent, which O’Donovan missed well. In the next exchange O’Donovan was short of light and Rafferty was out the last bend. It now looked all over.
There was one final turn when Rafferty’s bowl for the line caught the right. O’Donovan was handed a final throw of the dice. He beat the line well, but it was not nearly enough to defy Rafferty.
Colm Rafferty and Zieverink led McDonagh by almost a bowl at the creamery in the second semi-final. Zieverink then drove his fifth bowl into a pillar and he never featured prominently again. McDonagh gathered momentum past the no-play line and when Rafferty got a poor seventh bowl from the play line he was back in the frame.
McDonagh won his first lead with a sensational ninth bowl to the halfway line. He and Rafferty were level to the big corner. Rafferty then got an incredible bowl to open light at the top of the short straight. McDonagh narrowly missed.
We then saw the best of McDonagh, He played a technically perfect bowl. It shaved the right and had the pace to race to light at Din Tough’s. Rafferty failed to follow. McDonagh went out the last bend in two more brilliant bowls to jump a bowl clear and into the final.
