Arthur McDonagh stayed on course to retain the Dan Riordan Cup when he beat Séamus Sexton by a bowl of odds at Bantry. Sexton took the opening shots by a metre. McDonagh’s second bowl was more assertive, Sexton missed it by 40m.
Sexton got back on track with a big third bowl. It was very tight left, but settled perfectly, cutting McDonagh’s lead to 10m. Sexton beat McSweeney’s next, McDonagh’s rely missed that tip by eight metres.
McDonagh took a grip on affairs with a brilliant fifth bowl past Harrington’s. Sexton missed that by 60m. He was now in no-man’s land.
He would need a huge bowl to reach Casey’s to get back level. He made his bid in the left track, but his bowl hopped left, leaving him almost a bowl adrift. McDonagh played another super bowl past Casey’s cross, edging his lead closer to a bowl.
He didn’t maintain that momentum though. His bowl to Cronin’s lane, gave Sexton a chance to keep the lead under a bowl. His next one was too tight left and looked to have presented Sexton with another chance.
He didn’t grab that, he played his bowl right, missing McDonagh’s tip and conceding a full bowl of odds Still McDonagh did not kill the contest. The lead was under a bowl after he made a mistake after two more. A big rub off Connolly’s wall pushed him a bowl in front again.
He made light at the last bend and Sexton missed. In the final McDonagh plays the winner of the Gary Daly-Martin Coppinger semi-final Shane Crowley led from start to finish.
