Road Bowling: James O'Donovan and Michael Bohane big winners at Dowcha Boy Festival

All-Ireland and King of the Roads champion, Colm Rafferty, beat Aidan Murphy in the feature score of the Damian Daly series on the Cathedral Road on Saturday. Paul O’Reilly’s composure proved decisive in beating Anthony Crowley in Sunday’s feature.

Three Italian bowlers contributed to a special invitational event at Bantry on Saturday, they had just one win from three. David di Marco beat Kevin Courtney. Muiris Buttimer had too much for Valerio Maccaroni and Tim Young and Donal Riordan beat Nicolo Altea and Martin Coppinger. The big talking point though is that following the series Martin Coppinger officially withdrew from the 2025 Munster senior championship The reigning Munster champion has been haunted by a persistent hip injury. He nursed it to an All-Ireland final last year. Despite extensive rehabilitation over the winter, it flared up again on Saturday and ended his hopes of defending his title.

He made the announcement following the defeat by Young and Riordan. The winners scorched past the line in 15 shots while Altea and Coppinger were just short of it in 15. Earlier Coppinger teamed up with his son, Tommy, against Donal Riordan and Conor Hourihane, but Riordan’s red hot form was decisive in that too.

At Skibbereen James O’Donovan and Gary Daly were locked together past the West Cork Distillery. Daly gained a significant lead with a smashing fifth towards the quarry gate. He followed with a massive bowl towards the silvery gate that put him almost a bowl in front. He raised the bowl with his next one,. O’Donovan knocked the bowl it with a great throw towards the steps and kept the lead well under a bowl towards Thornhill cross.

The score took a decisive shift in the next exchange. O’Donovan played a super bowl to the start of Ballyhilty corner. Daly looked poised to open the corner with his one, but his bowl veered right and beat O’Donovan’s tip by just a metre. O’Donovan won a big lead with his next one past Ballyhilty cross and now looked to be heading for a comfortable win.

Daly dug deep with two good bowls from there, but O’Donovan was still 50m fore. It now looked as if Daly had only a marginal chance of the line, while it seemed well within O’Donovan’s compass. Daly defied the odds with a brilliant bowl that shaved the left and beat the line and with luck it might have gone further. O’Donovan suddenly faced a very tricky assignment.

He delivered his bowl well and it looked to be taking a great line. It was getting plenty of voice from his supporters, but there was a sudden hush as it spun left. It went into the grass and an interminable suspense followed as it negotiated its way in the rough. It finally came back onto the road, his clan found their voices again as it just beat the tip Michael Bohane’s consistency and a brilliant last shot gave him the edge over Séamus Sexton. He led all the way, but there was little in it in the opening sequence. He was gaining an advantage till Sexton reeled him in with two big shots up the quarry hill. Bohane did better to the steps to go almost a bowl in front. Sexton got back into it with a brilliant bowl to Ballyhilty corner and was really in the frame after a big throw to the avenue.

He lost ground with his next one and Bohane gained valuable odds with his bowl to Crowley’s. Sexton then missed the line and Bohane beat it.

Colm Rafferty got the better of Aidan Murphy in the last quarter at the Cathedral Road. The lead changed hands several times to the coal sheds, but Rafferty did better from there. Paul O’Reilly looked to be in trouble against Anthony Crowley at the coal sheds, but finished well for a comfortable last shot win. Also in Armagh, Marty Mullin and Margaret Sexton beat Stevie O’Neill and Clíona Donnelly by a bowl in the Pat O'Farrell Cup final at Tullysaran.

In the Munster Junior A championship at Ballyhooly Michael-John O’Brien broke the deadlock with John O’Donoghue in the last quarter. Eoin O’Riordan closed strongly too at Ballinagree to beat Aidan Hurley by a bowl.

Fionán Twohig, Timmy McDonagh and Lilly O’Sullivan were best-in-class at the Ted Hegarty academy.