Young delivers storming performance in Jim O’Driscoll Cup final

Dutch rod bowling fans gather outside Smart’s bar in Ballincurrig, Co Cork, during the King and Queen of the Roads event. The King and Queen of the Roads draws between two and three thousand
visors to the East Cork area each year. Pic: Noel Sweeney

There are legendary moments in sport where everything forms a unity: Performance, result, and vindication all in a single capsule. That was Tim Young in Sunday’s Jim O’Driscoll Cup final at Ballincurrig.

Tiny things can contrive to deny such days but not on Sunday. Young stormed past the line in 15 throws, matching a classic King of the Roads final in the afternoon. Pete Carr bowled brilliantly in the second half but he failed to break Young’s bravura.

The first act provided the text that would unfold in the following 14. Young went well past the school corner. He covered most of the straight with his next one to go a full bowl up. He was past the no-play line in five, where he was two bowls clear.

Carr was excellent from there but Young never blinked. Even when Carr’s monster 12th bowl rounded the big corner, Young followed as if it was just routine. Carr increased the intensity to the line, heroically holding off the second bowl of odds, in near record bowling for the second half.

With 13 top-quality scores, calling on the best talent in four countries, a whole volume could be penned on the 41st King and Queen of the Roads week-end.

One of the big winners was the road itself. Cork County Council gave the famous road a facelift in mid-2025. An incredibly rainy winter ravaged it. They came back at the beginning of this summer and more than fixed it. They put down a surface of fine grade chip on true bitumen. They created a state-of-the-art bowling arena that facilitates a true run for every bowl.

One of Munster’s top young talents, Eoin Hurley, beat Diarmuid Grimley, an Ulster rising star, to win the Charlie McCarthy Cup. He led from his big opening shot but Grimley was right in it till he made a mistake with his bowl down the short straight.

Hurley raised a bowl with a great shot onto the long straight and was close to two in front at O’Riordan’s. Grimley’s challenge gained pace from there. He brought the lead back to an even bowl and created a late scare with a sensational last bowl.

Lily O’Rourke won the Dairypower Trophy, reversing her All-Ireland defeat by Ailbhe O’Shea. When these two line up, you can expect a battle to the death — and they didn’t disappoint.

Italian champion Silvia Branchini made a bright start. She was leading after two big shots to the muddy gap. She needed two more to get onto the short straight but the Irish pair were gone too far to be caught again.

The Irish were level at the big corner. O’Shea played three great bowls to the bottom of the long straight to gain a big lead. She made a mistake with her next one but was still well ahead at Hegarthy’s. O’Rourke regained the lead with a sensational bowl past the pony’s gate.

She looked to have winning odds after a great bowl onto the finishing straight. O’Shea replied with a good bowl to just short of the line. O’Rourke then agonisingly missed the line by two metres. O’Shea grabbed the lifeline with a big last bowl but O’Rourke beat it convincingly.

All-Ireland U16 champions Johnny Campbell and Connie Mallon were pushed hard by Italy in the Jim Geary Youth Invitational. Campbell won the first shot against a very talented Simone Stefanini. The Irish duo were out the big corner in five to go a bowl clear.

They looked set for a comfortable win till Deborah Formica played a huge 11th bowl past O’Riordan’s. Stefanini followed with another big one to bring the lead under a bowl at Heaphy’s. Formica then beat the pony’s gate to win Italy its first lead.

Stefanini didn’t allow for his speed with his second last and Campbell gained a valuable 30m odds. Mallon then closed with a sensational bowl to give Ireland victory. With a small bit of fine-tuning, Italy might have pulled off a famous win.

Two of Ireland’s brightest youth talents, Gerald McDonagh and Méabh Cuinnea, were in a dog-fight in the Youth International Triple Crown. Three magic shots in succession: Cuinnea’s past Hegarty’s, McDonagh’s sensational bowl to the creamery, and another big one from Cuinnea put Ireland on the gold step.

Early on, the Dutch team of Mike Scholtenhave and Lotte Telgenhof Oude Koehorst were leading well.

Their form dipped in the middle, before they rallied again to pip the Germans for silver.