St Finbarr's end 29-year wait for Cork county hurling title against Blackrock
Barrs captain Billy Hennessy lifts the cup after their win in the Co-Op Superstores Premier Senior Hurling Championship final. Picture: Larry Cummins
Blackrock 1-7
St Finbarr’s are Cork hurling champions for the first time since 1993 after they got the better of Blackrock at Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Sunday afternoon.
In horrible conditions, a crowd of 15,165 was present to see the Togher club end their long wait, with second-half goals from Brian Hayes and Conor Cahalane pushing them past the challenge of the 2020 champions.
Leading by a point, 0-9 to 1-5, at half-time after playing with the wind, the Barrs had to withstand early second-half pressure from Blackrock. Alan Connolly set up Michael O’Halloran for a Rockies goal opportunity but Glenn O’Connor got in a great block. After that let-off, the Barrs pushed four ahead on 37 minutes. When Conor Cahalane won a loose ball just outside the Blackrock 20m line, he drove towards goal and then picked out Hayes with a handpass, allowing the dual star to bat home.
Ben Cunningham’s 65 soon after that moved them five clear. Though Connolly replied with a Blackrock free after he himself had been fouled, St Finbarr’s struck for their second goal as Twomey’s pass set Cahalane away and he produced a clever finish to ensure another green flag. It meant that Twomey had provided assists to the value of 1-5.
A seven-point lead became eight as sub William Buckley marked his arrival with a point. Though Shane O’Keeffe did score another for Blackrock, Cunningham’s eighth and Buckley’s second meant there was a nine-point margin as the game moved into injury time.
Though Blackrock did look to have pulled a goal back, it was ruled out and Cunningham, having just been named Man of the Match, added his ninth at the death to spark wild celebrations.
With Ben O’Connor and Ethan Twomey getting a foothold at midfield, the Barrs made early use of the elements at their backs.
While their opener by Pádraig Buggy was answered by a good Daniel Meaney point for the Rockies, three in a row from the Barrs gave them a nice cushion as Buggy and Ben Cunningham (two) were on target. They might even have had a goal as Cunningham found Brian Hayes with a good pass but Conor O’Brien averted the danger.
Though Blackrock had not made much headway in the opening ten minutes, there were signs that they could find space in the Barrs defence and they were level as Tadhg Deasy’s pass for Mark O’Keeffe opened things up and he sent a low shot beyond Shane Hurley to the net.
When Michael O’Halloran won the subsequent puckout and fired the ball back over the bar, the Church Road side were in front for the first time, but the Barrs responded well.
Cunningham’s free had them level and then, after Damien Cahalane got in a great block on a Robbie Cotter shot at the other end, Cunningham landed a 65 before Twomey set him up for his fifth point of the evening.
After a half-chance of a goal for O’Halloran, he was crowded out at the expense of a 65, which Alan Connolly converted for his first of the day, but Hayes made it 0-8 to 1-3 for the Barrs on 25 minutes, showing good awareness to create space from another Twomey assist.
As half-time approached, Blackrock drew level, with Mark O’Keeffe setting up Connolly and then his brother Shane O’Keeffe for points, but in the third minute of injury time Twomey forced a turnover, allowing Ben Cunningham to give the Barrs the interval lead with his sixth point.
Blackrock might have been happier going in given how the first half had gone, the second half belonged to the Barrs.
B Cunningham 0-9 (0-3 f, 0-2 65), B Hayes 1-1, C Cahalane 1-0, W Buckley, P Buggy 0-2 each.
A Connolly 0-3 (0-1 65, 0-1 f), M O'Keeffe 1-0, S O'Keeffe 0-2, M O'Halloran, D Meaney 0-1 each.
S Hurley; J Burns, C Walsh, E Keane; G O’Connor, D Cahalane, B Hennessy; B O’Connor, E Twomey; P Buggy, C Cahalane, B Cunningham; E Finn, B Hayes, J Cahalane.
W Buckley for Finn (48), C Doolan for Keane (55-56, temporary), S Cunningham for Buggy (60), C Keane for J Cahalane (60)..
G Connolly; C O’Brien, J Cashman, S Murphy; Cathal Cormack, A O’Callaghan, N Cashman; D Meaney, M O’Keeffe; M O’Halloran, S O’Keeffe, T Deasy; K O’Keeffe, R Cotter, A Connolly.
J O’Sullivan for Cotter (46), Ciarán Cormack for O’Halloran (53), D O’Farrell for M O’Keeffe (54).
S Stokes (Tullylease).
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