LAURA Sexton will always be the first name on the All-Ireland road bowling ladies’ junior cup. For a family steeped in tradition, that means a lot.
‘It’s nice to have been the first person to win this,’ says Laura, reflecting on her best year yet on the road.
The Timoleague teenager (17) is no stranger to success, having won Munster U12 (2019) and U16 (2022) titles, but she scaled new heights this summer by winning the inaugural All-Ireland junior final for the Malachy Lennon Cup.
‘We’ve had the Munster junior competition for a good few years, to help bowlers move from junior up to intermediate, but this was the first year we had an All-Ireland event,’ explains Laura, who captured the Munster title en route to the summit.
That was a special day for the Sexton clan – her older sister Hannah won the Munster senior title on the same road to make it a unique double.
‘That was an incredible day,’ Laura smiles.
‘I’d almost say that was better than the All-Ireland win, because both of us won. It was such a good score against Erika O’Brien. She was so good, and it was back and forth. To come out on top, after Hannah had won too, everyone was buzzing.’
All-Ireland junior champion Laura Sexton with her parents, Mary and Brian.
Her home in Carhue, Timoleague, is no stranger to bowling cups and glory. The Sexton sisters are quite the force on the road. Katie, Hannah, Margaret, Ellen and Laura – and not forgetting older brother Seán – have all enjoyed success. Hannah, the third oldest, is a two-time Munster senior champion (2022 and ’25) who has also won four All-Irelands (U16 twice, and U18 twice). All five sisters have won Munster titles at underage level, while Ellen captured All-Ireland U18 titles in 2023 and ’24, and Katie was an All-Ireland U16 winner in 2013. Now Laura, the youngest, has brought another All-Ireland home. That’s a sensational eight All-Ireland titles in the one household.
‘I think I was eight when I started bowling first,’ Laura says.
‘When Hannah and Katie were around U16, I’d chase after the bowls for them!’
Having her older sisters to look up to – and learn from – has made a huge difference. Take Laura’s Munster U18 semi-final against Drinagh’s Emma Hurley at Bauravilla: without her sisters, Laura came up short. When she took on Hurley again in the Munster junior competition, with her sisters by her side, she won.
‘In the U18 semi-final, it was me, my mom and dad, and Harry, our road shower, so we were outnumbered! When we met again a few days later in junior, Ellen, Margaret and Hannah were there with me, and I felt a lot more confident with them beside me,’ Laura says.
‘It made a massive difference. It’s nice to have one of them up the tip, one of them down the road to let you know if it went well or not. It’s good to have them there. Luckily there are so many of us that if one can’t make it, there’ll always be someone else!’
Laura with the Munster cup.
Laura’s family were there on the Keady-Tassagh Road in Armagh in July when she got the better of Jessica Hughes in the All-Ireland junior final. The celebrations were memorable.
‘It was a surreal feeling, everyone was hopping around the place,’ Laura says.
‘I’d got to an All-Ireland final in 2021 but didn’t win that year, so it was so good to finally win one. We had really good preparation this time.’
Laura’s reward is promotion to the intermediate grade for next year, and her sister Ellen is already there. Maybe another Sexton sister showdown is on the cards.
‘At U16, I came up against Ellen that year and beat her, and she wasn’t too happy with that!’ Laura laughs.
But the strength of the Sexton sisters lies in their unity and steely competitive spirit. No surprise, then, that three of this bowling-mad dynasty – Hannah, Ellen and Laura – competed at the European Bowling Championships last year.
Another reason to celebrate this year was Laura’s role with the Sacred Heart Secondary School, Clonakilty team that won the Munster Girls’ Schools Senior Cup in April. A memorable year on and off the road for Laura, with the hope that the best is yet to come.