GABRIEL RANGERS 2-18
CROSSHAVEN 1-16
GER McCARTHY REPORTS
GABRIEL Rangers’ late scoring surge fired the Carbery club into the last four of the Co-op Superstores Confined Junior B Hurling Championship.
The winners certainly made things hard for themselves at sun-kissed Castletownkenneigh on Sunday, hitting ten first-half and six second-half wides. Despite errant shooting, Gabriels’ strong finish, including an unanswered 0-8, was enough to see off a dogged Crosshaven.
There is still a lot of work to do ahead of a county semi-final with Ballyclough, yet Rangers manager Kieran O’Brien can take a lot of positives from this win.
‘Four years I’ve been over these lads and four years we’ve made it out of the group stages,’ O’Brien told The Southern Star.
‘One of those years we beat Skibbereen in the quarter-finals. The last two years we have fallen to Skibb. Maybe last year we let ourselves down: we weren’t ready or we didn’t have enough players. But this year we targeted this (winning a quarter-final).
‘It means the world to the players. They put in all the effort. We had 24 players at training last Thursday. Hurling is growing here. The players are believing now that they can do it. You saw it there today.’
Gabriel Rangers' Donnchadh O'Regan on a solo from Crosshaven's Peter Foley.O'Brien's point is a valid one. Talented hurlers like Padraig O’Regan, Mark Brosnan, Keith O’Driscoll, Tadhg McCarthy, Ciarán McCarthy and Sean Kelleher showed what they are capable of. Yet, poor shooting and leaving it late to overcome a Crosshaven team in which star player Ruairc Sisk contributed 0-12 made Gabriels’ winning margin much closer than it should have been.
‘It is one thing to be hitting wides as long as we are creating chances and 2-18 is still a fine score,’ Kieran O’Brien retorted.
‘When I took over four years ago, all I wanted was a bit of craic. I’m from East Cork. I love hurling, I am like John Mullane! These lads are well able to hurl. The fitness work being done by Mike O’Brien (Gabriels’ football manager) is standing to them. I take my hat off to Mike and the football lads. They are intermediate players and fit as a fiddle, you saw it today. Our fitness is what won it for us and what stood to us the most.
‘Some teams we face might be better hurlers but our fitness and our belief, as you saw today, is what will get us through.’
It was 1-3 to 0-4 in Crosshaven’s favour thanks to Senan Buckley’s superbly-finished goal after 15 minutes. A free-flowing second quarter saw the West Cork side respond with Pat Nolan and Keith O’Driscoll combining to release Mark Brosnan for a goal to make it 1-5 apiece after 22 minutes.
Tied four times during the first half, Sisk’s accuracy from placed balls resulted in Crosshaven’s midfielder hitting eight first-half scores. A second Gabriel Rangers goal, netted by Padraig O’Regan, kept his team in touch but it was Crosshaven who went in 1-11 to 2-6 ahead at half time.
Gabriel Rangers' Mark Brosnan and Crosshaven's Jonathon McCarthy in a race for possession during the Co-op Superstores Confined JBHC semi-final at Castletownkenneigh on Sunday.Donnchadh O’Regan and Ciarán McCarthy answered two additional Sisk efforts during a frenetic third quarter. It was all Gabriel Rangers from the 47th minute onwards however, as the West Cork side dug deep and completely dominated the closing period.
Eight unanswered points, along with poor Crosshaven shooting, saw Padraig O’Regan, Sean Kelleher, Ciarán McCarthy and James O’Regan fire over some superb scores. Rangers’ goalkeeper Oisin Barrett also pulled off a brilliant stop to deny Crosshaven a certain goal and help cement Gabriel Rangers’ merited two-point victory.
‘Ballyclough will be a different story altogether in the semi-finals,’ Kieran O’Brien stated.
‘I’m sure they will have learned a thing or two about us while watching up on the bank today. Sure, look, we will have a surprise or two up our sleeves for them as well.’
Scorers
Gabriel Rangers: P O’Regan 1-3 (2f); M Brosnan 1-2; C McCarthy 0-4; K O’Driscoll, S Kelleher 0-3 each; P Nolan, D O’Regan, J O’Regan 0-1 each.
Crosshaven: R Sisk 0-12 (0-8f, 2 65’s), S Buckley 1-0, D Dransfield 0-2, F O’Rourke, D Cogan 0-1 each.
Gabriel Rangers: O Barrett; D Coughlan, M Sheehan, J O’Driscoll; L Nolan, K O’Brien, R Roycroft; T McCarthy, L Bowen; P O’Regan, J O’Regan, D O’Regan; M Brosnan, P Nolan, K O’Driscoll.
Subs: C McCarthy for D O’Regan (ht), S Kelleher for P Nolan (35).
Crosshaven: A Burke; E Lynch, F O’Rourke, J McCarthy; P Foley, L Walsh (captain), M Dalton; R Sisk, S Buckley; D Cohan, D Dransfield, C Tuohy; C Browne, R McGrath, J Cox.
Subs: S Glossop for E Lynch (19), E O’Sullivan for J Cox (28), A Power for L Walsh (58).
Referee: Michael O’Mahony (Kilbrittain).
