Lower Intermediate Hurling round-up: Kilbrittain fight back to take victory

Kilbrittain overcame a poor start to see of West Cork neighbours Argideen Rangers in the opening set of games in Group A of the Co-op SuperStores Cork Lower IHC on Sunday.

Bandon was the setting for this local derby and the Timoleague side got a great start as Seán Walsh’s sixth-minute goal put them 1-2 to 0-0 in front. However, by the water break, Kilbrittain had pulled back to within two points, 1-3 to 0-4, and by half-time it was 1-4 to 0-5.

A John Michael O’Callaghan point was all Argideen could muster in the third quarter as Jamie Wall’s Kilbrittain side took control to lead by 0-11 to 1-5 by the water break, with scores coming from Maurice Sexton, Ross Cashman, Philip Wall, Conor Ustianowski, Josh O’Donovan, Colm Sheehan and Morgan Madden.

The lead had stretched to seven points before Rangers scored again through John Michael O’Callaghan and by the end Kilbrittain were 0-19 to 1-9 in front.

They now face Dripsey, who beat Grenagh by 0-12 to 1-5 in their all-Muskerry clash in Ballyanly. Mark O’Sullivan, Eoghan Maher and Michael O’Riordan all featured among the scores for the victors, who led by 0-7 to 0-3 at half-time. While Chris Buckley goaled for Grenagh early in the second half, they couldn’t reel in their opponents.

In Group B, Tracton began with victory against Russell Rovers, who had lost the 2020 final to Castlemartyr in August.

The final score in Ballinora was 0-19 to 0-17, with Ronan Walsh scoring eight of the points for the south-east side while Conor McGuiness, Paul O’Riordan, Mark Byrne, Alan Kiely (two each), David Byrne, John Good and Seán O’Sullivan (one each) all made their presence felt on the scoreboard, too. Brian Hartnett and Pearse Cummins accounted for the majority of the Rovers scoring output. 

Also in that group, the junior A champions of 2020, Lisgoold, made a winning start to intermediate life as they saw off St Finbarr’s by 0-25 to 0-16 in Cobh.

Ballygarvan beat Barryroe by 2-14 to 1-12 when they met in Group C in Brinny. Ray O’Halloran’s 16th-minute goal put Ballygarvan into a 1-4 to 0-3 lead but Barryroe came back strongly, aided by a goal from Robbie Kiely, and they were 1-6 to 1-4 ahead at half-time.

Cormac Dowd’s goal midway through the second half put Ballygarvan back in front, 2-7 to 1-8, and late points from Mark Kennefick ensured that they took the points.

Elsewhere, St Catherine’s overcame Milford by 2-18 to 2-16 in Mitchelstown. Eoin Davis, goalkeeper on the Cork team that won the 2020 All-Ireland U20 title, scored 1-5 for the winners while Brian Davis landed 1-2 and Brian Mulcahy accounted for five points.