JAMES O’Donovan powered into the O’Connell/Dullea Cup final after a start-to-finish semi-final win over Páidín Stokes at Ballygurteen.

Playing for a stake of €2,400 a-side, O’Donovan unleashed some incredible bowling. Stokes, stepping up in grade this season, had no answer to O’Donovan’s phenomenal bowling.

The Bandon bowler had a fast start and raised the bowl with his third effort past Dullea’s new house. He followed up with another huge bowl just back of the women’s lane, where Stokes did well to keep it to only a bowl of odds at this juncture.

O’Donovan raised the second bowl when he made O’Mahony’s rectory in another huge shot. And another incredible bowl just back of the coffee dock sealed the deal for him.

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Lyre had a busy day on Sunday with a junior A tournament score and a Mother Hegarty Cup score. In the latter, Aidan Murphy beat Tommy O’Sullivan by two bowls of odds. They played for a stake of €6,300 a-side.

Murphy took the first shot, but O’Sullivan lined three massive bowls over the tunnel where his lead was only 60 metres. From here, O’Sullivan’s play was wayward. A huge sixth shot from Murphy pushed him back in front.

It looked like they would go level to Crowley’s bend but O’Sullivan was very left of play with his seventh shot. Murphy took full advantage, and made the crossover an easy shot where he raised the bowl of odds.

Both made McCarthy’s bend with their next where the gap was just under the bowl of odds. Murphy made the start of the railings with his tenth shot and O’Sullivan beat this by 30 metres. Murphy lined a huge 11th and O’Sullivan missed this well, and missed the line again to give Murphy victory. In a return score, Martin O’Donovan beat PJ O’Driscoll for €1,250 a-side.

In the afternoon, a junior A tournament score was played between clubman David Hegarty and Sean Paul McDonagh, a younger brother of senior player Arthur. They played for €2,000 a-side. No lead for Hegarty in this one, as McDonagh took control to win.

Earlier in the week at Lyre, a novice D tournament semi-final was played between Paul Twomey and Paudie Lucey, for €350 a-side. Twomey went out the Mason’s bend in three good bowls where he had almost a bowl of odds. There was nothing between them at the double gates.

Lucey threw a massive bowl to the school that gave him his first lead that he wouldn’t relinquish. He followed up with another super bowl halfway to the creamery. His next made it past Harte’s house to the hump where he had big odds with the bowl. He held this to Ballinascarthy cross to book his place in the final against Sean O’Neill.

Conor Lucey will join Shane Collins in the North Cork junior B final after his last-shot victory over Dean Sexton at Kilcorney; they played for a stake of €1,100 a-side. In a return score, Gearoid Lucey beat David Crowley by a bowl of odds for €900 a-side.

Páidín Stokes, referee Timmy O'Brien and James O'Donovan ahead of the semi-final.

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Brendan O’Neill booked his place in the Pool B junior A final when he beat Edmund Sexton by one bowl for a stake of €850 a-side.

Sexton opened with a massive bowl over the hill that O’Neill beat by ten metres in two. Sexton made the flyover in two more where he raised the bowl of odds. O’Neill had it under the bowl by ten metres after three more to the Whitethorn bush.

O’Neill kept clawing his way back into this score with two good bowls past poundy’s lane. He followed and beat a huge bowl from Sexton to Denny Paul’s.

Sexton’s next broke badly right and his odds were now down to 60 metres. O’Neill got a phenomenal bowl down to Mickey Tom’s cross, which gave him his first lead in the score as Sexton missed it by a big margin and only beat the tip again by 20 metres. O’Neill was over the line in two more. He will play Sean Murphy in the final after he got the better of Andrew O’Callaghan in the other semi-final, played at Ballyvourney for a stake of €1,500 a-side.

After two shots to Roche’s house, O’Callaghan led by ten metres. Murphy took the third to the concrete wall but O’Callaghan was back in front with his fourth to the top of the hill. At the school bags in five each, Murphy was ahead again by ten metres, and extended this to 50 metres after three more shots to the island.

After two more on the straight, O’Callaghan had the odds back to half. Following the next exchange, only the width of the council yard gates separated them with Murphy still in the lead.

Both got super bowls past the novice line, but O’Callaghan’s 13th broke badly right and cost him ground. Murphy got a huge 13th to Moynahan's house that O’Callaghan only beat by 30 metres. At the piggery, Murphy raised the bowl of odds. O’Callaghan’s 16th broke badly right again and Murphy beat the line, and will now play Brendan O’Neill in the Pool B final at Templemartin.

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In Carrignavar, Mickey Hurley won a junior veteran championship score against Anthony Gould that went off for a stake of €850 a-side.

At Caheragh, in a junior veteran Pool C semi-final, Denis O’Driscoll beat Kieran O’Driscoll by one bowl, playing for no stake. They started at Lisangle cross, and Kieran raised a bowl of odds at the bridge. He held these odds to Reenrua cross and on the Sheilly’s Farm, but from here his form dipped. At the start of the straight Denis had it back to half a bowl of odds. Kieran played his next three bowls too far right and Denis took full advantage, raised a bowl and held it to the line.

A premier junior A play-off score was played at Templemartin between Michael O’Donoghue, Cillian Kelleher and Shane Crowley. There was no stake in this one. It was Crowley who came out on top, getting the better of Kelleher after O’Donoghue had fallen almost three bowls down.