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Irish Examiner
2 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Teenager Anthony Crowley making waves in adult ranks
Just one year out of U18 ranks, Anthony Crowley, is making waves by qualifying for the semi-final of the Munster junior B championship, setting up what promises to be a massive contest with Brian O'Driscoll next Sunday at Clondrohid. He stormed past Brendan O'Neill by two bowls of odds in the quarter-final at Ballinagree. The first half of the score was close, but once Crowley found his range he took complete control. They went out the first bend level. O'Neill won his only lead, by a metre, with his second shot through An Caipilín Bán cross. Crowley shaded the next three past the double gates. O'Neill was left with his sixth bowl to the pink cottage. Crowley replied with a fast, accurate bowl that gave him the first big lead of the score. O'Neill was left with his next one too and he was now a full bowl behind. Little changed in the next exchange past the falling pole. O'Neill countered strongly with a great bowl past the post office. He made light at the quay wall with his next. Crowley cut his bowl out the bend and extended his lead. He pushed on from there and a sensational bowl out the last bend put him two bowls clear. He made the village with his last one. He can expect a much stiffer test on Sunday from the in-form, Brian O'Driscoll. Shane Collins and Mike Desmond play in the other quarter-final on Friday at Castletownkenneigh with Alex O'Donovan waiting in the semi-final. Both Munster senior semi-finals will also be decided this weekend. James O'Donovan and Gary Daly meet on Friday evening in Whitechurch. Aidan Murphy and Arthur McDonagh play at Ballinagree on Sunday. Neither Daly nor O'Donovan have a Munster senior title. O'Donovan is reigning European Dutch Moors champion. Daly's biggest day was winning the 2019 King of the Roads against Aidan Murphy. O'Donovan comes in with better form, including a comprehensive win over David Murphy. Daly's season has been hampered by injury. Both Murphy and McDonagh are previous Munster and All-Ireland champions. Murphy is also a European gold medallist and a former King of the Roads. McDonagh showed some flashes of brilliance in his win over Michael Bohane last time at Baile Bhuirne. Murphy had all the answers for Wayne Parkes at the Marsh Road, but this is a significant step up in challenge. Two brilliant last bowls edged Jimmy O'Driscoll into the Munster junior A Zone C semi-final at the expense of Gavin Twohig at Derrinasafa. Twohig had a good lead after five past the bridge, but missed Ross' in two more, leaving them level there on eight each. O'Driscoll played a brilliant bowl to Cotter's cross and went out the Darkwood turn in two more to go almost a bowl clear. Twohig won the lead with a brilliant bowl past Walsh's lane. O'Driscoll stayed in contention, closing the gap with his second last and taking the last one by 40m. Bryan O'Halloran advanced in Zone B at the expense of Edmund Sexton in Macroom. After a close start he had 80m odds at the flyover. He held that lead out Bantry's cross and all the way to Poundy's lane. O'Halloran raised a bowl with his next one to the railings. They contested that lead to the finish. PJ Cooney leapfrogged into the Munster veteran I final. He beat John Cahalane in the quarter-final at Ballincurra, to qualify for a semi-final meeting with his brother Denis, who gave him a free pass to the final. All-Ireland champion, Andrew O'Leary is in the other semi-final where he will play either Richard or Jerry Murphy. Cahalane won the first two tips well, but Cooney quickly levelled. He had a 40m lead at the waterworks after six. He then played two huge bowls towards the bridge to go almost two bowls clear. He raised the second bowl at Innishannon cross and there was no way back for Cahalane after that. David Shannon, is probably happy that he's on the other side of the Munster intermediate championship draw to Timmy McDonagh. It gives him time to regroup after his defeat at Béal na Marbh before any potential championship meeting. McDonagh plays Michael Murphy in one quarter-final, the winner of which will meet either John O'Rourke or John Creedon in the Munster semi-final. Shannon plays Patrick Stokes in the other semi-final. Shannon and McDonagh were in close contention in the early stages at Béal na Marbh, until McDonagh got a great fifth shot into the hollow. He went past Hubbard's in two more to raise a bowl. After another two he had two bowls of odds.
Irish Examiner
23-04-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Road bowling: Rafferty adds Joe McVeigh Cup with win over Murphy
Colm Rafferty's elite bowling currency surged with a comprehensive win over David Murphy in the Joe McVeigh Cup final at Ból-Fada in Keady-Tassagh on Sunday. In 2024 he won the Ulster, All-Ireland, King of the Roads titles and has now turned the 2025 page by capturing the first classic of the season. In the pinch battles he has lowered the colours of four All-Ireland champions Thomas Mackle, Martin Coppinger, Arthur McDonagh and David Murphy and two European champions William Hobbelink (Netherlands) and Murphy. He may have lived under the shadow of his uncle and all-time great, Michael Toal, and his first-cousin Thomas Mackle, but is now the real deal. Ulster closed out Ból-Fada with three massive wins. Ahead of Rafferty's win, his brother Ethan, defeated Aidan Murphy and Aaron Hughes beat Anthony Crowley. The previous day the Raffertys' aunt, All-Ireland senior champion Dervla Toal-Mallon, beat Hannah Sexton, to give them a weekend to remember. For the Munster visitors the growing stature of Shane Crowley is a significant plus. He overturned one of Ulster's bright-young-things, Oisín Gribben. Michael Murphy showed his indomitable spirit when he pulled off a famous win over Pete Carr in a repeat of the 2024 All-Ireland Junior A final. Ross O'Brien franked his promise with an easy win over Caolan Carr and Timmy McDonagh beat Bryan O'Reilly. Tim Young showed too that he still has plenty to offer when he dismissed Tyrone's top player, Eugene McVeigh. In the Joe McVeigh Cup, David Murphy got the better of all the early shots. He won the first tip by 40m, the lead fluctuated in the exchanges past Twynam's, where Rafferty had it back to just five metres. Rafferty won his first lead, by 60m, with his next one into the hollow and he was never headed again. Murphy played a great bowl up Gillogly's height, but Rafferty extended his lead. Rafferty had almost a bowl at the creamery lane. He looked like raising a second over McGeown's height till he made a mistake at McCann's corner. He pushed clear again down the carnival hill and had over a bowl at McKee's wall. He killed the contest by keeping his lead well over a bowl to the bridge. Armagh keeper, Ethan Rafferty, showed his star qualities when he defeated Aidan Murphy by a bowl. Murphy started well, only losing the lead at Twynam's. It was all Rafferty from there. He gained vital odds up Gillogley's height and had 30m odds at the creamery lane. He held off a strong challenge from Murphy up McGeown's height to lead by 70m at McCann's. He scorched down past the carnival to go almost a bowl clear at McKee's wall and never yielded to the finish. Anthony Crowley is on a steep learning curve. He had to submit to a hard lesson from Aaron Hughes. Hughes is a genuinely special talent, whose ability has not fully registered with Munster supporters. He scorched two clear before halfways, giving Crowley no chance to gain traction. Crowley can file this one under experienced gained as he plots his way through the Munster championship. Dervla Toal-Mallon, may have felt a little like the Clare hurlers, in not having been given full credit for winning last year's All-Ireland senior final. She did her Lazarus revival too in extracting a famous win from what looked a lost cause against Hannah Sexton. It was a big blow to Sexton on the day, but it's exactly the experience that she will bank and benefit from in the Munster senior championship. The South-West Region provided an incredible festival of 23 scores at Timoleague, catering for a host of bowlers from the lower divisions. Jonathan Deane, who was on the Irish youth team in 2024, was out four times, taking two wins and gaining an indispensable wealth of experience. Waterford bowling got a share of the limelight too. Anna Power teamed up with Grace Ahern for a win over Lauren and Aoife McCarthy. Her father, Liam, completed a Deise double when he beat Ger Shanahan. In the Munster intermediate championship, Juliet Murphy beat Marie Russell by a bowl at Macroom and Rachel Kingston defeated Ailbhe O'Shea in the last shot at Béal na Bláth. Paddy Stokes is through to the Zone A final of the Munster junior A championship following a two bowls of odds win over James Cooney at Bottlehill. Kieran Hourihane had a bowl to spare on John Young in the West Cork junior B semi-final at Ardcahan. All-Ireland champion, Andrew O'Leary, defeated Paddy O'Donoghue in the North-East veteran final at Glenabo. The Munster senior championship opens next Sunday with the meeting of former champion, Killian Kingston, and James O'Donovan at Templemartin.
