Road Bowling: Ó Crualaoí rings in new year with thrilling Hourihane Cup victory

Kevin Ó Crualaoí is greeting 2026 on the best possible note having won the prestigious Mikie Hourihane Cup final at Bauravilla.

He produced a massive shot towards the line to see off David O’Brien, with Kevin Minihane further back in third place.

O’Brien set the agenda in the early exchanges. He reached Robin’s cross in two, where he led Ó Crualaoí by 50m and had 100m on Minihane. He reached the netting in two more, where Minihane was his closest rival 70m back, with O’Crualaoí a further 20m down. He looked destined for victory when he reached Dekker’s in six. He now had a full bowl of odds on Minihane and close to two bowls on Ó Crualaoí.

He was still cruising after eight to the rock. Ó Crualaoí was second after a huge bowl to there, but was still a bowl adrift. Minihane’s challenge began to fade from there. O’Brien tightened his grip with another super shot to the double gates. That pushed his lead 40m over a bowl on Ó Crualaoí and left Minihane two bowls behind.

Ó Crualaoí shifted the narrative dramatically with a massive bowl towards the bridge. O’Brien took two to beat that and crucially had no light, so the contest was level between the front two. O’Brien held the lead, by 20m after the next exchange to the bridge.

Ó Crualaoí then produced his cup winning bowl towards the line. O’Brien missed that by 60m to concede the lead. He missed the line with his next one, handing the cup to Ó Crualaoí.

Kieran Murphy rang in 2026 on a high too, by qualifying for the Dan-Joe Holland Cup final when he beat Noel O’Donovan by almost a bowl at Ballinacurra.

He won the opening exchange, but O’Donovan got a nice rub off the kerb to take the second. Murphy played a good third bowl, which put him back in front when O’Donovan’s reply unluckily hit a railing. Murphy edged the shots through Brinny cross, but O’Donovan was back in front after a big fifth to Foley’s.

He looked set to gain big odds after two more to the muddy gap. Things came unstuck though when his next bowl hit a pillar at Brinny House, leaving him just 30m fore. Murphy levelled with his next one past Perrott’s and regained the lead with a great bowl past the GAA. He then beat O’Donovan’s super bowl towards Innishannon cross to consolidate his lead.

O’Donovan kept up the pressure with a big shot to the novice D line. In response Murphy put the score virtually beyond O’Donovan’s reach with a great bowl onto the finishing straight. O’Donovan could only beat that by 25m with his next one. Murphy drove on with another big one towards the line that ensured his place in the final against Denis Wilmot.

Conor Lucey had a comprehensive win over Eoin O’Riordan in the Hancy Hubbard Cup at Béal na Marbh.

He reached McCarthy’s gate with his first and although he lived dangerously with his second he made light. O’Riordan’s first bowl was right of the sop and hit a pillar. He took two more to open the first bend.

O’Riordan clicked in the next four. Despite strong counter-bowling by Lucey he had the lead back to just 20m past the rock. He misplayed his next one though. Lucey’s reply looked in trouble too, but it came out onto the road and gave him a 100m lead. O’Riordan beat that by just 30m with his following throw.

Lucey raised the ante with a monster bowl to the palms, which put him well over a bowl in front. He followed with another big one to push his lead close to two bowls. He raised the second bowl with his next one and held that lead to the finish.

At Bottlehill Liam Walsh’s team (Walsh, TJ Holman, Jake Bowen) won the John O’Donovan Cup at the expense of Jack O’Leary’s team (O’Leary, Martin Daly, Kieran Daly). In the B final Patrick Connolly’s team (Connolly, Pat Scanlon, Cormac Murphy) beat Joe Walsh’s team (Walsh, Denis Murphy, Donie Connolly).

In the Ted Hegarty Academy at the Phale Road many of the top names in youth bowling in 2025 signalled their intentions for 2026. Fionnán Twohig, Gerald McDonagh, Culann Bourke, Tommy Coppinger and Timmy McDonagh were among the winners in huge sweep of scores.

Darren Oliver beat John Anthony Murphy in the last shot at Ballinacurra. Murphy won the first eight shots, with Oliver just edging the ninth to the GAA field. There was little in it from there, but Oliver led every tip.