Wolly Toms Cup - Day 2

Day 2, Sunday December 31 2006

Score 1 (Tullysaran) Danny Trainor & Shane O'Neill v Paddy O'Neill & Oliver O'Neill (Tieve Tara)

Danny Trainor and the young Shane O'Neill were up against the very experienced O'Neill brothers in the first score on New Years Eve morning where Tullysaran were hoping to overturn the one score deficit from yesterday. The early exchanges of the score went to the Tullysaran pair and at Starrs they had the borthers in alot of trouble. However, the 'saran men relaxed a little too much and allowed the Tieve Tara men back into the score and it was level pegging at the Coal Sheds. With only 2 shots left, young Shane O'Neill put the visitors within sight of the line and with Paddy O'Neills bowl crossing to the lane well short of the line, Trainor held his nerve and scored the line to get the Tullysaran men off to a winning start for the day and also levelling up the competition at 2 scores each.

Score 2 (Tullysaran) Connor O'Neill & Paddy O'Neill v Mark McParland & Declan Toal (Tieve Tara)

The uncle and nephew combination of Paddy and Connor O'Neill led the line for Tullysaran back in the road in the second score of the day and raced into an early lead aided by some erratic bowling from the home pairing of McParland and Toal. The lead reached a massive 2 bowls at one stage and the O'Neills looked to be cruising, but in the atrocious weather conditions mistakes were inevitable and 2 misplayed shots at the well corner reduced the lead by a shot and further mistakes followed, but the Tullysaran men were saved by the line and held on to win by the narrowest of margins. The score now read Tullysaran 3 - 2 Tieve Tara.

Score 3 (Tullysaran) Connor McGuigan v Brian O'Reilly (Tieve Tara)

The third score of the day saw probably the most eagerly awaited socre of the weekend, with senior thrower McGuigan coming up against intermediate thrower, Brian O'Reilly. And it was the more junior thrower, O'Reilly who was fasted out of the blocks going nearly a bowl up around Gus's. McGuigan however was not to be out done and had the score levelled by the well corner. And now with the bit between his teeth, the Tullysaran man forged ahead strongly and found himself 2 shots to the good. With the weather conditions now extreamly windy, the standard of the throwing slipped somewhat but McGuigan had done enough to win the score and in turn help the Tullysaran men to a whitewash for the day and hold a 4 - 2 lead going into the third and final days bowling and needing only 1 more score to clinch cup for the second year running.