Sugrue scores hat trick as Bandon win county football final

BANDON’S Mark Sugrue scored a hat-trick as the West Cork club won the county JAFC final on Sunday afternoon.

The West Cork men defeated Iveleary (3-11 to 2-9) at Pairc Ui Rinn, with Bandon’s full-forward line of Darren Crowley (0-3), Barry Collins (0-4) and Mark Sugrue (who scored 3-3) doing a lot of the scoring damage.

Bandon led 2-8 to 1-7 at the break, and while the second half didn’t match the first in terms of scoring, Colm Aherne’s Bandon got the scores that mattered – Sugrue’s third goal after 40 minutes put them 3-10 to 1-8 ahead.

There was late drama when Cathal Vaughan pulled back a goal with five minutes left for Iveleary to leave it a six-point game, 3-11 to 2-8. But Bandon held on in the closing stages to secure a huge win for the club that sees them join the intermediate football ranks in 2016.

Points from Barry Collins and Darren Crowley had helped Bandon into an early 0-4 to 0-1 lead, and while Iveleary did come to within a point, Mark Sugrue struck for the winner’s first goal at the midway point of the half. When Barry Collins (2) and Crowley added points, Bandon led 1-7 to 0-3.

Sean Lehane’s goal for Iveleary was a tonic for the Muskerry men, and points from Cathal Vaughan (2) and Brian Cronin brought them back to within a single score (1-7 to 1-6) with five minutes until the break.

The teams swapped scores before Sugrue struck for his and Bandon’s second goal just before half time, as the West Cork men held a 2-8 to 1-7 advantage, and they maintained that healthy lead during the second half.