CARRIGALINE have progressed to the McCarthy Insurance Group Premier Senior Football Championship semi-finals for the first time in their history.
The Carrigdhoun club beat Douglas 0-22 to 1-12 in Group 1 to continue their 100 percent winning record, the only club in the top grade to do so.
Former Tadhg MacCarthaigh clubman Brian O’Driscoll played his part for the history-makers, scoring a two-pointer. Brian Coakley (0-9), Kevin O’Reilly, Jack McCarthy (0-3 each), Niall Coakley, Eanna Desmond (0-2 each) and Dan Greene (0-1) were all on the scoresheet.
ADVERTISEMENT
Carrigaline’s achievement comes a year after they lost the county quarter-final to Newcestown on penalties, evidence that Michael Meaney’s troops are very much on the rise. They will face either Nemo Rangers or Castlehaven in the semi-final, hoping to prolong their incredible run.
Elsewhere in the group, St Finbarr’s suffered their second defeat of the championship after Mallow got the better of the county champions, 1-15 to 2-11.
Despite the result, the Barrs remain in the championship due to their superior scoring difference over Mallow and Douglas. Mallow avoided a relegation play-off with this result, leaving Ballincollig and St Michael’s to battle it out for survival.
Cork senior footballer Sean McDonnell starred with 1-3, while Mark Tobin, M O’Rourke (0-4 each), Padraig Britton (0-2), Sam Copps and Kevin Sheehan (0-1 each) all scored for the winners.
Steven Sherlock (1-3) and William Buckley goaled for a Barrs team that need to improve for their quarter-final clash against Carbery on Sunday, September 27th in Clonakilty.
In Group 2, Nemo Rangers had to win against Valley Rovers to keep their championship hopes alive and they coasted to a 1-14 to 0-5 victory. That earned the city men a quarter-final against Castlehaven on September 27th in Clonakilty.
Ross Corkery (0-5), Ronan Dalton (1-1), Daragh O’Sullivan (0-3), Kevin O’Donovan (0-2), Conor Shalloe, Luke Horgan and Mark Hill (0-1 each) all scored for the Trabeg club.
For Valleys, it was a harsh way to exit the championship, with four points on the board, but a 0-9 to 0-1 deficit at the break was always going to be hard to claw back.
Eoin Guinane (0-3), Adam Walsh-Murphy and player-manager Fiachra Lynch (0-1) contributed for the Innishannon side.
