KING of the Roads - Ireland's roadbowling showpiece - was washed out at the weekend as torrential rain lashed the Ballincurrig area of east Cork, where this year's competition was held. Teams from Cork, west Waterford, Armagh and Germany, participated in the competition which got under way on, Friday last.
However, much to the disgust of the organising committee the expected crowds of up to 5,000 people - did not materialise as the incessant rain frightened off the normally committed followers of the ancient sport. For much of the weekend, only the competitors and their close supporters were in evidence in Ballincurrig.
The European Road Champion, Frido Walter of Germany, competed at Ballincurrig but failed to make it to yesterday's King of the Roads final.
However, in the Queen of the Roads final, another Germans Antje Shottler, the women's European Road champion, battled it out with Agnes Hurley O'Gorman, the All Ireland Senior champion from Cork, and an Irish international, and Kathleen Cooney, also of Cork, who was last year's All Ireland under 18 champion. Ms Shottler beat the two Cork girls in a finish that went down to the wire.
Welcoming the participants in is year's competition, the Minister of State for Sport, Mr Bernard Allen, said that the inclusion of a Queen of the Roads classic was a timely recognition of the role women were playing in roadbowling.
After the weekend downpour the heavy clouds lifted late yesterday afternoon as Mr John O'Driscoll of Cork, the Munster senior champion, beat another Corkman, Mr James Buckley, by two bowls of odds in the King of the Roads final, watched by a crowd of almost 1,000.