Raymond Ryan and Donal O’Riordan had the first two wins in the 2019 Munster intermediate championship.
O’Riordan beat John Creedon by 20m in the last shot at Caheragh on Sunday. This score was peppered with some astonishing bowls, including O’Riordan’s huge first to the church yard. Creedon took two to beat it.
O’Riordan raised the bowl with his next, but Creedon brought the lead under a bowl with two brilliant bowls to the bridge.
Creedon cut the lead to 30m with a super bowl to new house. He followed with two short ones to fall a bowl behind again before the tunnel. O’Riordan had over a bowl after two more to the novice line.
It looked over when he led by a bowl and 80m at the junior line. Creedon then played an extraordinary bowl that incredibly beat the finish line. O’Riordan beat it by 20m in two.
Raymond Ryan beat James Cooney by a bowl at Whitechurch on Saturday. He opened with a great shot to the farm.
Cooney caught the left and missed it by 70m and only reached Kelly’s with his second. Ryan raised almost a bowl with another super shot to return line.
They both got great bowls from there to the point of the bend.
Ryan then beat the wall with another good bowl, which Cooney missed that well. Ryan set the pace to Boula lane where he had almost a second bowl.
He raised the second bowl at Downey’s line. It was just under two bowls after four more to the farm.
Ryan raised the second bowl again with his next past the novice line. Cooney then got a great bowl past the Devil’s bend.
Ryan missed this and he took three more to the start of the straight where there was just a bowl between them. The lead stayed at a bowl in the next two to just short of the line.
In the Women’s Munster senior championship Louise Collins beat Veronica O’Mahony in the last shot at Clondrohid.
At Lyre Mairéad O’Driscoll beat Catriona Murphy by two bowls.
Chloë O’Halloran beat Lisa Hegarty in the Intermediate championship at Derrinasafa Timmy Murphy beat Timmy McDonagh by two bowls in the North-East Junior A at Grenagh.
They were level to the playing field. Murphy quickly raised a bowl and extend that to two at Boula lane. In the South-West Alex O’Donovan beat Pat Callanan by a bowl at Fisher’s cross.
Cashel underage player, Michael O’Donoghue, put down a marker for Tipperary bowling when he beat Dave Mackey by two bowls in the Junior B championship at Whitechurch.
He was down to the farm in three to lead by almost a bowl. Mackey levelled on the straight. O’Donoghue then played two sensational bowls to Boula lane to raise two bowls of odds.
Denis Wilmot beat David O’Mahony and Denis Cronin in a final at Grange. He and O’Mahony made the stud farm bend in four and Cronin just missed.
Cronin levelled with a great bowl to Holland’s wall. They were all in the frame to de Barra’s, but Wilmot gained odds in the shots to the school corner.
Both O’Mahony and Cronin fluffed purlicue shots there and Wilmot lofted most of a bowl of odds to Hegarty’s. He had over a bowl at O’Sullivan’s.
O’Mahony and Cronin got two big shots each to Hodnett’s bungalow to knock the bowl.
Wilmot opened Barry’s in three more to go over a bowl clear again. O’Mahony beat Cronin for second place.
Jimmy O’Driscoll beat Cian Boyle at Lyre. He had 60m odds after three to the forestry. He raised almost a bowl after three more towards the tunnel.
They reached Crowley’s bend in three more. O’Driscoll raised a bowl with his next and carried it to sight at McCarthy’s.
He raised almost a second in three great bowls from there.
Johnny O’Driscoll beat Thomas Boyle by two bowls at Ballincurrig. Boyle opened with a brilliant bowl to light, but struggled from his second shot on.
O’Driscoll raised a bowl with his sixth and was almost two clear at Leahy’s. O’Driscoll raised the second bowl with his 15th to Din Tough’s.
The announcement of the Jerod Putnam Amateur Open could turn a new page in bowling in North America.
It will be played next month on the Iron Furnace Road in Coopers Rock State Forest, West Virginia with a winner’s prize of $1,000.
Current graded players are excluded so it is effectively only open to new entrants.