Arthur McDonagh Kept the King of the Roads Crown as Anke Kloepper Won the Queen Title After Fourteen Years
Both finals at Ballincurrig were decided by the narrowest margins, with McDonagh and Colm Rafferty level on fifteen throws before the last bowl.
Arthur McDonagh retained the King of the Roads title and Anke Kloepper won the Queen of the Roads crown for the first time as Irish road bowling's showpiece finals were decided at Ballincurrig in County Cork on 20 September 2026.
McDonagh, who won the title in 2025, faced Ulster champion Colm Rafferty in a final that went to the last throw. Both men beat the line in 15 throws, equalling the best performance on Ballincurrig's renewed road surface. Rafferty's final shot went wide and McDonagh sealed the title with a decisive last bowl, according to the Irish Examiner.
The Queen final was just as tight. Kloepper beat Hannah Sexton of West Cork, reaching the line in 14 shots to match the course record. Irish Examiner correspondent Seamus O'Tuama rated it among the best Queen finals ever played and possibly the best women's final of all time. It was Kloepper's first crown after 14 years of trying, having competed since 2012.
There were titles in the supporting events too. Tim Young won the Jim O'Driscoll Cup with 15 shots, beating Ulster's Pete Carr, while the Irish youth pairing of Gerald McDonagh and Meabh Cuinnea took gold in the Triple Crown with 16 shots, ahead of the Netherlands and Germany.
The 2025 King and Queen finals at the same venue were won by McDonagh, who beat Ethan Rafferty, and Kelly Mallon, who beat Silke Tulk.