Ballincollig 1-19

Éire Óg 2-12

BRENDAN KENNEALLY REPORTS

Ballincollig had home advantage in the semi-final of the Farho Heating Mid Cork U21 A Hurling Championship against neighbours and age-old rivals Éire Óg on Friday night last.

The teams produced a very exciting contest, with the desire to win very evident from both sides.

Éire Óg led at half-time by 1-8 to 0-8 after a very even first half but Ballincollig upped their performance in the second, and the Premier Intermediate players on the team emerged to show their worth, with David O’Leary outstanding at centre-back.

The winners forged ahead in the second half and had accumulated a sufficient lead to sustain the effects of a late Éire Óg rally, which yiellded 1-1 to the Ovens men.

Seán Hurley opened the scoring with an Éire Óg point, Danny Miskella replied, and thus the pattern was established for the first half.

Defences on both sides were very sharp and quick into the tackle, with the result that forwards were finding it difficult to get their scoring efforts away.

Conor Dalton edged Ballincollig in front, Éire Óg’s Sam Brennan had two points to put his side back in front, and it was 0-5 apiece after the opening quarter.

The sides were still level at 0-8 each as half-time approached but Éire Óg got a huge boost when Johnny Galvin scored a super goal, and the Ovens men led by 1-8 to 0-8 at the break.

On the restart, Ballincollig were quickly back on level terms when Brian Cronin got the ball over the line after a goalmouth scramble, and they followed up with points from free-taker Eoin Dwyer and the accurate Pete Kelly to go clear and get control.

Éire Óg staged a late rally which yielded a goal from Ethan Hyde and a point from Brennan to leave four points between the teams, but Ballincollig met the challenge and were still four clear at the final whistle.

Scorers

Ballincollig: B Cronin 1-1, E Dwyer 0-6 (5f), P Kelly 0-5, D Miskella, C Dalton 0-2 each, E Lynch, T Morgan, C Ahern 0-1 each.

Éire Óg: J Galvin 1-1, E Hyde 1-0, S Brennan 0-7 (6f), D Healy 0-2 (1f), C Sheehan, S Hurley 0-1 each.

Ballincollig: Dan O’Connell; Jack Costello, Brian Dore, Darragh Lee; Cian Ahern, David O’Leary, Kevin O’Leary; Theo Morgan, Conor Dalton; Joe Miskella, Pete Kelly, Ben O’Connell; Danny Miskella, Brian Cronin, Eoin Dwyer.

Subs: Eanna Lynch (48), Brian O’Sullivan (55), Ciarán Buckley for E Dwyer (58).

Éire Óg: Rian Coakley; Cillian Murphy, Kevin Beechinor, Shane O’Callaghan; Colm Clifford, Eoin Hogan, Michael Sheehan; Cian O’Flynn, Josh McCarthy; Daniel Healy, Johnny Galvin, Seán Hurley; Sam Brennan, Colm Sheehan, Cathal Murphy.

Subs: Ethan Hyde (40), James Healy (50).

Referee: Joe Larkin (Ballinora).

***

Inniscarra 3-20

Blarney 0-11

Inniscarra faced Blarney at Ballyanley on Saturday afternoon last in the second Farho Heating Mid Cork U21 A Hurling Championship semi-final.

The outcome was fairly assured even before the half-time break, at which stage Inniscarra led by 3-10 to 0-6.

The opening exchanges were even enough and Inniscarra led by 0-4 to 0-2 in the seventh minute.

A minute later James O’Mahony fired in the first Inniscarra goal, and ‘Scarra then outscored Blarney by 0-3 to 0-1 before a second goal in the 13th minute from a Conor Geoghegan close-range lash was the result of the dominance of the home side.

A dominance demonstrated further in the 18th minute when Daniel Murphy fired home a 20m free, the ball advanced for dissent outfield, to make the score 3-7 to 0-4 and the outcome looking certain already.

To their credit, the Blarney men played on gallantly but they were unable to break through the Inniscarra defence.

The ’Scarra attack was too physically powerful for their opponents as well as being fine hurlers.

The second half was really only of academic interest and Inniscarra were clearly the better side on this occasion.

Darragh Rowley picked off some fine scores for Blarney but Inniscarra retained tight control, even when reduced to 14 men for almost the entire second half when a player was dismissed for a second yellow card offence. They have a strong base, with many of the side having senior championship experience, and they will be capable of mounting a serious challenge to Ballincollig in the final.

Scorers

Inniscarra: C Geoghegan 1-4, D Murphy 1-3 (frees), James O’Mahony 1-1, D O’Brien 0-4, M Murphy 0-3, Jack O’Mahony and C Dineen 0-2 each, N Buckley 0-1.

Blarney: D Rowley 0-6 (2f), J Ryan and A Condon 0-2 each, C Flynn 0-1.

Inniscarra: Paddy O’Mahony; Conor O’Sullivan, Adam Doyle, Conor Costelloe; Niall Buckley, David Enright, Cormac Dineen; Tadgh Lyons, Jack Shine; Daniel Murphy, Jack O’Mahony, Darragh O’Brien; James O’Mahony, Michael Murphy, Conor Geoghagan.

Sub: Colm O’Herlihy.

Blarney: Niall Hayes; James Kelleher, Colm O’Riordan, Callum Donoghue; Tom Forrest, Tiernan Buckley, Aaron Condon; Cian O’Flynn, David Cronin; Joe Ryan, Joe Cronin, Luke Kendellan; Darragh Kilmartin, Darragh Rowley, Oran O’Sullivan.

Subs: Andrew Condron, Robert O’Farrell, Alex Manley, Ivan O’Sullivan, Cillian O’Keeffe.

Referee: Luke Knight (Kilmurry).

The Ballincollig team that lost the Mid Cork Junior C Football final against Macroom. (Photo: Michael Dilworth)

***

Macroom 6-14

Ballincollig 1-8

Macroom got a welcome boost in fortunes at Blarney on Sunday last when the Junior C team won the Rochestown Park Mid Cork Junior C Football championship (13-a-side) in impressive fashion, even if their winning margin was slightly flattering in the end as they fired in four goals in a devastating final quarter.

There was little indication of the final outcome in the first half. Ballincollig should have had a goal immediately after the throw-in but messed up in front of goal and the ball was scrambled clear by a relieved defence.

In the next attack, Oisín Ryan had a point for The Village and added another in the third minute as Macroom struggled to get to contain their opponents.

In a rare attack, Macroom were awarded a free on the right wing outside the arch in the fourth minute, Ruairí O’Shea landed a super two-pointer, the teams were level, and Macroom visibly settled.

Two minutes later Conor O’Sullivan won possession when a free dropped short into the Ballincollig goalmouth and the long-serving Macroom man fed the ball back to Liam Linehan, who blasted the ball to the net.

Linehan added a point, Colin Weste replied for Ballincollig from a free, and Ruairí O’Shea kicked another two-pointer free over for Macroom who now led 1-5 to 0-3.

Ballincollig then had a period of superiority and kicked over three unanswered points, Oisín Ryan, Seán Twomey and Brian O’Callaghan the scorers, and only two points separated the teams in the 25th minute.

Ballincollig suffered a setback when Colin Weste was forced to retire and his presence was missed in attack.

In the final minutes of the half, Macroom improved their situation significantly with points from Brian Bradley, O’Shea and Bradley again, and they would have been content to enjoy a 1-8 to 0-6 interval lead.

The second half started in near disastrous fashion for Macroom as they lost Conor O’Sullivan for 10 minutes to a black card and Ballincollig struck for a 34th minute goal from Charlie O’Regan.

Under pressure, Macroom were rescued once again by a third two-pointer from a Ruairí O’Shea free but Ballincollig stayed very much in the hunt with a point from Oisín Ryan, leaving it 1-10 to 1-7.

In the 38th minute, Macroom’s Ciarán Condon was fouled in the ‘Collig goalmouth and Billy Coleman coolly slotted home the resultant penalty to open up a six-point gap.

Ballincollig immediately replied with a point from a Jason Murphy free, but this was to prove to be their last score of the game.

Macroom were restored to full complement on 42, Billy Coleman and Brian Bradley kicked points and in the 48th minute, and substitute Charlie Magee found the Ballincollig net at the second attempt.

The score was now 3-12 to 1-8 and Macroom piled on the scores as they dominated the play. Darragh Donovan ran through to send a fierce drive to the net, Bradley added a point, Donovan ended another penetrating run with his second goal in as many minutes. Ciarán Condon had a sixth goal five minutes from time and Darragh Donovan finished the scoring with a late point.

Scorers

Macroom: D Donovan 2-1, L Linehan 1-1, B Coleman 1-1 (1-0 pen), C Magee and C Condon 1-0 each, B Bradley 0-4 (1f), R O’Shea 0-7 (3tpf).

Ballincollig: C O’Regan 1-0, O Ryan 0-4, C Weste (f), C Twomey, B O’Callaghan, J Murray 0-1 each.

Macroom: Brendan O’Connell; James Galvin, Jamie Murphy (captain); Shane McCarthy, Ciarán Condon, Donagh Murray; Darragh Donovan, Ray Griffin; Billy Coleman, Conor O’Sulllivan, Ruairí O’Shea; Liam Linehan, Brian Bradley.

Subs: Odhran Creed, Charlie Magee, James Slattery, David Hunt, Martin Fitzgerald.

Ballincollig: John O’Driscoll; Darragh Crowley, Eoghan O’Neill; Cormac O’Gorman, Charlie O’Regan, Brian O’Callaghan; Eoghan Carew, Colm O’Connell; Jason Murray, Robert Walsh, Seán Twomey; Oisín Ryan, Colin Weste.

Sub: Conor Lee.

Referee: Danny Ryan (Dripsey).