Sexton beats O’Mahony to secure final showdown with Murphy

Hannah Sexton will have a massive challenge from Denise Murphy, who won the 2022 intermediate All-Ireland and contested the 2023 Munster senior final. Pic: Chani Anderson

Hannah Sexton stayed on course to retain her Munster senior title when she beat Veronica O’Mahony in the semi-final at Newcestown. She will face Denise Murphy, who beat Hannah Cronin, in the other semi-final at the same venue.

Sexton has maintained a most impressive run of consistency, qualifying for her third successive Munster senior final. She will have a massive challenge from Murphy, who won the 2022 intermediate All-Ireland and contested the 2023 Munster senior final.

O’Mahony pushed Sexton all the way, she led by 20m after a big third shot to light at the forge cross. She increased her lead to 50m with a big fourth throw and held those odds in the next exchange. Sexton countered well to take the lead at the farm, but O’Mahony was back in front after a great bowl up the rise.

O’Mahony will regret not consolidating her lead entering the final third. Still, she had the edge at the last bend.

Sexton then played a brilliant second last to the fence to regain the lead, and she drove on to victory with her last one.

A strong surge to the line was critical to Murphy’s last shot win over last year’s beaten finalist, Hannah Cronin, in the second semi-final. Cronin established an early lead following her first shot to light. Murphy edged in front by centimetres, with her bowl past the cross.

She converted that into a 70m advantage in the shots towards the farm. She raised a bowl in the throws from the farm. Cronin regained momentum, bringing the lead under a bowl. It was shaping for a grandstand finish till Murphy raised the siege with a big second-last bowl past the fence.

The men’s Munster senior champion, Arthur McDonagh, got the defence of his title off to a positive start, but was forced to a last shot by fellow Fermoy bowler Patrick Flood at Carraig na bhFear.

Although he led by a bowl at the creamery, Flood turned things round to lead at the novice line. Flood was still in front at the junior finish. McDonagh showed his warrior instincts with a great bowl to make light and level the contest. He went on to seal his win in the last shot.

Last year’s beaten finalist, Gary Daly, beat Martin Coppinger by just 3m at Templemichael. Daly led the early shots well, but a big loft with his fourth kept Coppinger in tow. There was just 35m between them facing onto the straight.

Coppinger won the next exchange by 80m, but lost most of this with his next one. Daly was back in front at Sarsfield’s Court cross. They shared the average, the sublime, and the lead to the next cross, where Daly led by 60m.

Coppinger cut that to just 10m to the lollipops. However, he didn’t sustain his challenge. A mistake with his third last handed the initiative to Daly, who led by 70m for the last shot. Coppinger almost snatched an unlikely win with a huge last bowl, which Daly beat off a brush.

James O’Donovan beat Tommy O’Sullivan in the last shot too in their senior tie at Shannonvale. O’Sullivan opened with two great shots to raise a bowl. The lead hovered at a bowl, with O’Sullivan having well over a bowl after five to Buttimer’s.

He went for broke with his next, but missed Desmond’s to give O’Donovan a critical opening. O’Donovan grasped that with three big bowls to the end of Kingston’s wall to win his first lead by 10m. After three more, O’Sullivan was back in front. The lead changed at every tip from there, but neither player could shut it out. From hind bowl O’Donovan took the decisive tip with a massive last bowl.

The former European youth champion, Darragh Dempsey, won the inaugural Munster premier junior championship when he beat Cathal Creedon at Ballygurteen. They opened the first bend in three, where Dempsey led for the first time by 15m. Creedon made the women’s lane in two more to go almost a bowl in front.

Dempsey had it back to 25m at the avenue and won the lead again with his eighth from there. Both found a higher gear in the shots to O’Donovan’s. Dempsey was still in front, but didn’t gain the vital odds for victory till his big second last to Granure cross.

Earlier in the week, Creedon beat Brian O’Driscoll in the last shot in the semi-final at Kilcorney. In Firmount, last year’s junior A champion, Paddy Stokes, beat Michael Murphy in the Munster intermediate semi-final.