Oh Danny boy! Lynch inspires Bandon

Bandon win Masters crown for the first time

BANDON MASTERS 2

BANTRY BAY MASTERS 1

GER McCARTHY REPORTS

A DANNY Lynch brace of goals inspired Bandon to victory over Bantry Bay Masters in the 2018 SuperValu West Cork League Masters final at a rain-sodden Mohona last week.

A winner-take-all encounter to decide the Masters League championship brought together two of the region’s most consistent sides over the previous summer months. 

There was little to choose between the teams throughout the evening and in the end, it came down to Bandon possessing the game’s best finisher in Danny Lynch. 

Incessant rain failed to deter this year’s Masters League finalists from embarking on spells of quality approach play with both goalkeepers busy during the opening quarter. Bay’s Johnny O’Shea and Bandon’s Jimmy Cullinane were repeatedly called into action until the deadlock was broken after 16 minutes. 

Eddie Andepu found Kenneth Harrington on the edge of Bantry’s penalty box only for Johnny O’Shea to deny the Bandon striker with a full-length save. From the ensuing corner, Harrington saw a deflected effort bounce off the crossbar before Bay regrouped and opened the scoring. A superb move ended with Davitt Vaughan reacting to a Jimmy Cullinane parry and finding the bottom corner to edge his side in front. 

Bay Masters failed to build on their advantage however and were punished when Bandon conjured up an equaliser six minutes from the interval. A short corner was played to Danny Lynch’s feet and the midfielder instantly turned a defender before curling a shot into the top corner.

Bandon Masters looked the more likely to score throughout the second period with Bantry Bay unable to replicate their first half attacking efforts. So it came as little surprise when Bandon took the lead for the first time courtesy of another Danny Lynch special.

Lynch sized up a free-kick a couple of metres outside the Bay Masters penalty area and gave Johnny O’Shea no chance with a direct shot into the roof of the net.

Creditably, the Kealkil side poured forward in search of an equaliser but saw numerous free-kicks and shots repelled by Bandon’s defence during a hectic finale. 

Bandon ran out 2-1 winners and were full value for their victory, picking up the SuperValu West Cork Masters League title for the first time in the club’s history.

Bantry Bay Masters: Johnny O’Shea, Brian O’Donovan, Joe O’Donnell, David Hourihane (captain), Ger O’Brien, Ross Leahy, Ger Barry, Davitt Vaughan, Rory Callaghan, Muiris O’Connor, Brendan O’Donovan, Danny O’Driscoll, Steve Hayden, Paul Tessyman, Declan Barron, Donal McGrath, John McCarthy, Christian Carley. 

Bandon Masters: Jimmy Cullinane, Eddie Andepu, Jason Kidney, Jerry Lynch, Shane Fitzgerald, Jason Keegan, Danny Lynch, Alan Conroy, Kenneth Harrington, Mickey Lynch, Anthony Lynch (captain), Paul O’Brien, Kieran Buckley, Joey Gallagher, Paul O’Brien. 

Referee: Patrick Hurley.