THERE was a surprise result in the 2025 Carbery junior A championship final at the Marsh Road where Colm Crowley beat Darragh Dempsey by the last shot. There was no stake in this one.

Dempsey led by 30 metres after three shots, but after three more to the quarry gate Crowley took his first lead by 20 metres. Two huge bowls each from to the silvery gate Crowley held a slender lead of ten metres.

After three more shots each out the steps, still nothing separated them, Crowley just ahead. It was four more good bowls past Thornhill cross and on to Ballyhilty where Dempsey was back in front by 30 metres. At the Avenue Gate, Dempsey’s odds were ten metres.

With only three shots to go it was anyone’s score. Crowley got a huge 17th shot up the rough road under the trees to Crowley’s lane that gave him a cushion of 60 metres for the last shots. He missed the finish line but Dempsey did not give him a big shot to beat, and Crowley emerged an easy winner to be crowned Carbery junior A winner for 2025.

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Arthur McDonagh had a convincing win over Aidan Murphy in the Dan Riordan Cup at Bantry. Playing for a stake of €4,200 a-side, Murphy started well, enjoying a 70-metre advantage after two shots. McDonagh took his first lead with a huge third to McSweeney’s farm and followed this up with another big shot to raise 100 metres on Murphy. The latter’s fifth shot pulled right and only beat the tip by ten metres.

McDonagh got a super sixth shot through Casey’s cross, and Murphy missed this to go a full bowl down. Murphy recovered well with a great bowl to Cronin’s bend that McDonagh beat by 50 metres with the bowl. Facing up for the crush with his eighth shot McDonagh raised the second bowl. At the crush it was just under the three bowls. In the end, McDonagh won easily to keep his chances of winning this tournament for the third consecutive time alive.

Shannonvale Novice C finalists; from left, Eoin Hurley, runner-up; Mark Courtney, runner-up; Ger Connolly, Shannonvale Bowling Club Secretary; and Michael Cussen, winner.

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Timoleague wrapped up their novice A tournament, as Jack O’Callaghan, Castletown, had a trap-to-line win over Chris Cronin, Togher. They played for a stake of €1,120 a-side.

It was three shots each to the first bend where O’Callaghan led by five metres. Cronin got a massive third shot, while O’Callaghan was very lucky with his fourth – it was very right and caught the dyke but rubbed off it. This was a defining point in his victory.

O’Callaghan had incredible fifth and sixth shots past Barryshall Cross to raise two bowls of odds on Cronin. The latter knocked the two bowls in two more past the monument, and a few wayward shots from O’Callaghan pushed this score to a last shot. Cronin made a big effort for the line but just fell short. O’Callaghan had too much in hand and won by a big last shot.

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The Gaeltacht ladies U18 championship continued at Clondrohid where 2025 U16 county winner Orla Murphy took on the 2025 county U18 runner-up Darcy O’Brien, who started well to lead by a full bowl of odds after four shots.

After two more great bowls from both ladies to the end of the wall, O’Brien held her odds of a bowl. Murphy had it under the bowl at Kelly’s Cottage. There was no change in two more past the Bell Inn. Murphy got a huge bowl from here that O’Brien missed by 50 metres and only beat the tip again by 40.

But O’Brien upped the pace – three huge bowls through Tierbeg Cross and on to the small gate raised the bowl and big odds. At the Bark Mulch, O’Brien raised a second bowl and held to the finish.

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Anyone in Ballygurteen on Sunday for the quarter-final between Andrew O’Callaghan and Jimmy O’Driscoll in the Paddy Murray Cup was treated to a classic score.

Playing for a stake of €1,650 a-side with O’Callaghan well fancied, the favourite opened with a huge first shot but failed to go sight with his second, giving O’Driscoll the lead.

O’Callaghan’s fourth effort was very right and gave O’Driscoll the initiative. He raised big odds with a perfectly-played fifth and was at the women’s lane in six, 90 metres in front. O’Driscoll held the odds with his seventh.

From here, O’Callaghan lined four perfectly executed shots but could not shake off O’Driscoll. O’Callaghan took back the lead with a huge 11th shot past the coffee dock. O’Driscoll was very left and missed the tip by a big margin, leaving himself a huge bowl to go sight at O’Donovan’s, but he played a perfect 12th shot. A bad mistake from O’Callaghan with his 12th gave O’Driscoll back the lead by three metres. O’Driscoll finished the stronger, lining three perfect bowls over the line to win by a big last shot. In a return score, Jimmy Quilligan had two scores off of Jim Coffey for €2,000 and €1,500 a-side.

Also, in a Mid Cork junior B championship score at Ballinacurra, Kenneth Murphy beat David O’Mahony by one bowl for €1,400 a-side.

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Shannonvale concluded another tournament – a Novice C competition between Michael Cussen, Eoin Hurley and Mark Courtney, playing for a stake of €700 a-side. After three each to McSweeney’s bungalow, Courtney had nice odds on both. They were all square in six each to the quarry bend. Cussen lagged behind from here and at Desmond’s lane he was a bowl down, with Courtney and Hurley level. Cussen, from here, lined three excellent shots to Kingston’s wall and it took Hurley five where he was suddenly a bowl in arrears. Courtney and Cussen were on level terms at this juncture. Things got no better for Hurley and at Hayes Cottage Cussen raised a bowl on Courtney and had two bowls on Hurley, which he held to the finish in two more.

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Ted Hegarty tournaments at the Phale Road are coming into the quarter-final and semi-final stages. Ethan Hurley has booked his place in the U16 final. Tommy Coppinger is in the U14 final. There were quarter-final wins in the boys’ U10 for Timmy McDonagh, Darragh Hurley and Bobby Cooney. The underage girls are also into quarter-finals and here in the U16 there were wins for Anna Deane and Cliona O’Brien, while in U14 Mia Hubbard and Alison McCarthy booked their place in the semi-finals. In the girls’ U12 Elsie Flynn and Iona McCarthy are through to the semi-finals. In girls’ U10 ,Farrah Healy, Annie Young and Lucy O’Callaghan are through to the semi-finals.