Road bowling: Stokes to lead Munster team at All-Ireland series after defeat of Crowley

Stokes scorched to a comprehensive two bowls of odds win over David Crowley in the Munster junior C final at Castletownkinneigh. File picture: Cathal Noonan

Christy Stokes will lead the Munster team at next month’s All-Ireland final series in Westport.

He scorched to a comprehensive two bowls of odds win over David Crowley in the Munster junior C final at Castletownkinneigh.

He got a dream start when his opening bowl got a perfect brush to reach Spillane’s. Crowley was not as lucky. He looked to have compensated with a big second bowl, but Stokes hit back with a monster shot to beat it by 70m. Crowley’s third bowl drifted left and he was now almost a bowl behind.

Stokes raised the bowl with a massive fourth shot. He was through the round tower cross in six to take his lead well over a bowl. Crowley did well up the rise. He then played a huge bowl to light past Pyne’s corner to keep the lead under two bowls.

Stokes was unrelenting though and had two clear bowls of odds at the bend facing the netting. Crowley kept it at an even two with a super shot to light at the netting. Any hopes of closing the gap in the final quarter evaporated though when he got a poor shot from the netting.

The other two places on the Munster team will be decided later this week. Tommy O’Donoghue and Eoin Hurley meet in the novice I final at Ballinacurra tomorrow evening, while Don O’Driscoll and Robert Coleman clash in the novice II final at Newcestown on Friday.

O’Donoghue secured his place in the novice I final by beating Alan Brickley in the novice A final at Templemartin. O’Donoghue led for much of the score, but Brickley gained control from the schoolhouse cross, only to be thwarted by a massive bowl from O’Donoghue to Buttimer’s lane.

O’Donoghue gained good odds with big fourth and fifth shots out Slyne’s corner. Brickley got his challenge back on track a brilliant sixth bowl. O’Donoghue stayed ahead though past Collins’, but a mistake with his tenth bowl before the schoolhouse cross cost him the lead.

The pendulum now looked to be swinging Brickley’s way. He beat a big bowl from O’Donoghue towards the stone-field bend and was close to a bowl in front after his shot past the bend.

O’Donoghue needed a spark of class and he produced it with a smashing bowl to Buttimer’s lane to regain the lead. Brickley was too tight left with his next and O’Donoghue was on the way to victory.

Eoin Hurley led all the way against Shane Dennehy in the novice B final at Clondrohid. Dennehy played his first bowl into the right, which put him on the back foot from the off. Hurley’s first got a rub to send it 100m fore. He was at the mulch yard after his second, extending his lead to almost a bowl.

In quick order Hurley mounted odds that killed the contest. He was almost two bowls clear after his fifth shot. He went past the Black House in two more, where he was three bowls clear. Dennehy raised his game from there, but the gap was just too wide.

Don O’Driscoll beat John Hickey in the Munster novice C final at Lyre. The early exchanges were close, but a huge fourth shot put O’Driscoll a bowl clear. Hickey knocked the bowl with a good throw to O’Donovan’s pillars. O’Driscoll raised it again with tenth shot out the last bend and controlled the rest of the score.

Youth triumphed over experience when Robert Coleman beat Dan O’Regan in the Munster novice D final at Templemichael. Coleman raised a bowl with his second shot and dominated to the line.

It was all tied on two individual wins each for Munster and Ulster in the U12 and U14 All-Ireland finals at Madden. Eva Mallon added a very special chapter to the growing legend of the Toal dynasty when she beat Ciara Harrington in the last shot of a cracking U12 girls final.

Mallon was presented with the Aidan Toal Cup, becoming the first holder of the cup named after her grandfather. She also completed an extraordinary and historic hat-trick. Her mother Dervla won the All-Ireland senior women’s final in July and her sister Connie won the U16 girls All-Ireland earlier this month.

Fionnán Twohig’s U14 win over Daithí Cahill had a scent of history about it too. He brings a second All-Ireland title into the Twohig household to accompany his brother Rory’s All-Ireland minor football medal.

Munster’s other winner was Nicola Hurley who won a titanic U14 Girls final against Lucy Lennon. Phelim Rock won Ulster’s second title when he beat Charlie Callanan with a massive last shot in the U12 boys final.