A former "king of the roads" bowls champion has secured a High Court injunction stopping tomorrow's final of the Cork county championship at Skibbereen.
Kieran Gould (35), of Blarney, Co Cork, sought to restrain the playing of the final, which carries a prize of €500, in a dispute over a suspension imposed on him last month over his throwing of a practise shot at the quarter-final of the competition last month.
Ms Justice Mary Laffoy yesterday granted the injunction to Mr Gould against seven named officers of Bol Chumann na hÉireann. The order restrains the playing of the final of the Cork county bowls championship scheduled tomorrow until the determination of proceedings before the High Court.
In an affidavit Mr Gould said he was passionate about the sport and represented Ireland on many occasions at international level. He had also won numerous all-Ireland championships.
He said he played the county quarter-finals at Ballingeary, and qualified for the next round. He was due to play in the semi-final but was suspended and his opponent was allowed to proceed to the final tomorrow.
Mr Gould was suspended from playing for two years in a row over a practise throw at the Ballingeary meeting on May 28th.
In his affidavit Mr Gould said that on that occasion he had started throwing practise shots from the start line. He claimed he had complained about cars parked in a lay-by but nothing was done about them.
A steward had asked him to stop throwing the practise shots and later complained about the alleged dangerous shots he had taken. Mr Gould said he vehemently disputed this.
Mr Gould said the referee gave him a bucket of bowls and he continued to practise without further ado and later won.
However, he subsequently received a letter from Bol Chumann na hÉireann which alleged that he threw practise shots in an unsafe manner, hitting a parked car.
Mr Gould said he was invited to an executive meeting of Bol Chumann na hÉireann on June 7th, and a two-year suspension was imposed.
He was shocked at the decision. The allegations were untrue and the entire process of adjudicating on the matter was unfair. He said the penalty imposed was grossly disproportionate to the alleged offence as this has effectively ended his bowling career.
Mr Gould said he was entitled to take part in the match tomorrow at Skibbereen, and would suffer significant and unquantifiable loss, both financial and to his reputation, if he was denied and opportunity to participate.