He followed with a good fourth past Holland’s, which Bohane and Murphy beat in five. He made sight at Barry’s with his next. Murphy and Bohane replied with big shots to de Barra’s to close the gap. O’Donovan kept control by reaching the gate past de Barra’s. Bohane’s next spun left off the middle and missed O’Donovan’s tip to leave him a bowl behind. Murphy just beat O’Donovan’s tip.

All three missed sight at the school cross. O’Donovan lofted to the start of the green at the cross. Murphy and Bohane both conceded a bowl by missing O’Donovan’s tip. O’Donovan replied with a loft to make sight and copper-fasten his lead.

All three were under par in their next, but O’Donovan reached O’Sullivan’s to hold his odds. Bohane replaced Murphy in second place to the big tree, while O’Donovan reached Hodnett’s farm to increase his lead. Murphy’s next was poor too and he was now almost two bowls down.

O’Donovan pressed home his advantage with a brilliant bowl into the hollow past Hodnett’s bungalow. Murphy missed that well to drift well over two bowls behind. Bohane pushed past Murphy. They had no chance of getting near O’Donovan though. He had three bowls on Murphy and two on Bohane after another big one to the white wall.

David O’Mahony beat Denis O’Driscoll in the last shot of a Hancy Hubbard Cup tie at Béal na Marbh. They got good first shots, with O’Driscoll making sight with his second to take a big lead. O’Mahony cut the odds with a great third to the farm. O’Driscoll broke the deadlock to the rock where he was a bowl clear. He held that in two more to the start of the straight.

O’Mahony clipped the odds to 80m with a big shot to the hedge.

They were level after the next exchange towards the end of the straight, though O’Driscoll’s bowl was unlucky. It turned into a real battle past the novice line, on past the cottage and O’Driscoll had just ten metres odds after his second last down the hill. O’Mahony closed with a massive bowl, O’Driscoll’s reply was too far right and missed it well.

Terry Mallon closed with two brilliant shots to beat Johnny O’Driscoll by almost a bowl in the Josie Crean Cup at Whitechurch.

He looked set to raise a bowl at the wall but he never raised it. O’Driscoll levelled to Downey’s and there was little in to the novice line. O’Driscoll then got a brilliant bowl around the Devil’s bend but Mallon beat it well. He beat the line with another huge bowl.

John Shorten opened with a record bowl to the bridge at Crookstown to raise almost a bowl on David Hubbard. He followed with another massive shot to take his lead well over a bowl. He was at the stonewall in four. Hubbard kept the lead to a bowl till he missed sight at the netting with his third last.

Dan O’Halloran opened with two sensational bowls to just short of Brinny Cross on his way to a bowl of odds win over Thomas Boyle at Ballinacurra. Boyle kept the lead under a bowl in the next two towards the waterworks. O’Halloran then got a record shot to Perrot’s to go almost two clear. He had well over two bowls after seven to the bridge. He gave Boyle some hope with his next two but still had well over a bowl after 14 to just short of the line.

Martin Coppinger beat Gary Daly by two bowls at Glanworth. They were level in the first six, but Coppinger eased a bowl clear to Ahern’s. He had over two bowls at the junior finish where Daly conceded.

Patrick Flood had mixed fortunes. He finished strongly to beat Patrick O’Brien in the last shot in the return at Glanworth. At Grenagh Shaun Buckley gained a big lead on him with a brilliant bowl from the halfway.

Flood missed Boula lane to fall almost a bowl behind. They both made errors in the closing shots, but Buckley held on. Arthur and Timmy McDonagh beat Éamon Bowen and Shane Lotty by two bowls at Ballincurrig.