Armagh star Ethan Rafferty claims Ulster Road Bowls hat-trick to progress to All-Ireland final in Cork

Ethan Rafferty captured his third successive Ulster Intermediate Road Bowls title with a brilliant victory over Paul O’Reilly at Tassagh on Wednesday night.

The Armagh goalkeeper lost out to Cork’s Pa Flood in the 2022 All-Ireland final in Ballincurrig and was set to face Brian Wilmot on the Eglish course last season.

However, Rafferty broke his leg while playing for the Grange in their final league game of the season against St Peter’s last July.

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The injury meant Rafferty was unable to contest the All-Ireland Road Bowls final and missed the remainder of the club season with St Colmcille's.

Rafferty was also sidelined for the first half of the GAA season this year and, in his absence, Blaine Hughes has become Armagh’s first-choice ’keeper with a string of impressive showings.

The Orchard County take on Kerry in the All-Ireland SFC semi-final at Croke Park on July 13 with Rafferty set to take on Cork’s Tommy O’Sullivan in the All-Ireland Intermediate Road Bowls final the following day at Castletown-Kinneigh, Co Cork.

Rafferty isn’t the only Armagh GAA star hoping to secure an All-Ireland Road Bowls title this month.

Kelly Malllon, the most successful thrower in the history of the sport with 11 All-Ireland titles, is hoping to book her spot in Cork when she faces Dervla Mallon, herself a former Armagh Ladies star and All-Ireland Road Bowls champion.

The Ulster Ladies final will take place at Knappagh on Monday night (7pm), but before that Kelly Mallon will be lining out for Armagh in Sunday’s All-Ireland Ladies Football quarter-final against Mayo at the Box-It Athletic Grounds (5.45pm).

The first round of the All-Ireland Road Bowls finals will be held at Castletown-Kinneigh over the weekend of July 13 and 14 with the second round set to take place in Eglish, Co Tyrone on the weekend of August 3 and 4.

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