Cork minor keeper Rory Twohig shows road bowling promise 

It will be a battle between youth and experience in the Munster junior A final as Darragh Dempsey meets Johnny O'Driscoll

During a week in which he was instrumental to the Cork minors footballers winning their All-Ireland semi-final against Derry, Rory Twohig squeezed in a South-West U16 semi-final win. Pic: Eddie O'Hare

Darragh Dempsey and Johnny O’Driscoll face off in a novel Munster junior A final at Ballinagree on Sunday morning.

Dempsey qualified through the new Premier junior class, aimed at developing emerging players. The former European youth champion beat Danny Stokes in the Munster semi-final at Castletownkinneigh. O’Driscoll, at the veteran end of the spectrum, beat Seán Murphy at Derrinasafa after a sparkling campaign.

Dempsey enjoyed the lead for most of his clash with Stokes, but it was in the melting pot till Stokes misplayed his bowl to Forshin’s cross to end his challenge. Stokes’s first bowl cannoned twice off the right kerb to make Spillane’s and give him the first tip by 35m.

Dempsey won the next two and then delivered a big fourth one to push his lead close to a bowl of odds. Stokes got back on track past the round tower cross and up past the novice line, but Dempsey held the lead out to Pyne’s corner.

Dempsey kept control in the shots to light facing the netting. Stokes had the lead back to just 20m after they both brushed the netting. Neither player got an optimal bowl towards Fehilly’s lane, but Dempsey was still 30m fore. They were both short of Forshin’s cross after the next shots.

Stokes then made a fatal mistake when his bowl to the cross caught the left and missed the no-play line. Dempsey went out, as expected, to go a full shot clear. Dempsey raised a bowl with his shot away from the cross. He followed with another good one towards the line to secure his place in the final.

At Derrinasafa, Murphy won the first two tips, but missed a chance to extend his lead with his third one. O’Driscoll found his rhythm with a brilliant fourth throw to the bridge which gave him his first lead. He consolidated his lead with his next one to Healy’s lane.

Things looked to be getting away from Murphy after his following throw, but he more than compensated with a huge bowl to light at Ross’. O’Driscoll missed this, but he regained the lead again in the shots towards Cotter’s cross. O’Driscoll was more efficient in the following throws. He gained a bowl of odds with a great bowl to the Darkwood turn.

He pressed on to go almost two clear in the shots to Dwyer’s. It was still close to two bowls at Walsh’s lane. Murphy picked up the pace to O’Neill’s lane, where he had the lead just under a bowl. A big second last from Murphy clipped the odds to just 40m, but those gains vanished when his last bowl was too close to the dyke and hopped onto the bank.

Timmy McDonagh reached his second successive Munster intermediate final when he beat former senior champion, Killian Kingston, by a bowl at Templemichael. He showed the benefits of regular competition in being far sharper than Kingston. He was a bowl in front after three shots to the wall.

Kingston knocked the bowl on the straight, but didn’t get close enough to challenge for the lead. McDonagh raised a second bowl at the three-quarter mark and it was just about the winning margin after that. McDonagh will play last year’s junior A champion, Paddy Stokes, in the final on Friday night at Ballinagree.

The winner will play Pete Carr in next month’s All-Ireland final. Carr beat Mark Toal in the Ulster final at Knappagh. Toal started very well and looked to be heading for the All-Ireland till he made a mistake before Farley’s.

He had 80m odds after three big shots and defended his lead against a resurgent Carr towards Farley’s. Toal’s mistake there handed a 20m lead to Carr.

Carr then hit a purple patch, opening the Condy corner in 12 and defying strong counter play from Toal. Toal did well to keep the lead under a bowl there. He then made a gallant bid for victory with a huge last shot over the brow, which Carr just beat.

Cork minor football goalie Rory Twohig is stealing the mystique of All-Ireland senior champion Ethan Rafferty. The Cork young goalie is showing equal levels of prowess on the bowling roads as on the football field.

In a week in which he was instrumental to Cork’s win over Derry in the All-Ireland semi-final, he squeezed in a South-West U16 semi-final win over David Harrington at Grange, but bowed out to Munster finalist Culann Bourke in the U18 at Curraheen.

Bourke will play Gerald McDonagh in the Munster final. Bourke was on fire in his dismissal of Willie Stokes in the semi-final at Ballyclough. McDonagh came through via a cracking semi-final win over Jack Allen at Templemichael.