Colm Casey's late, late goal sees Inniscarra beat Castlemartyr in a classic county hurling final

Senior A beckons for the first time for the Muskerry club
Colm Casey's late, late goal sees Inniscarra beat Castlemartyr in a classic county hurling final

Inniscarra captain Owen McCarthy and players celebrate after defeating Castlemartyr in the Co Op Superstores Premier IHC final replay at Pairc Uí Chaoimh. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

Inniscarra 3-12 Castlemartyr 1-17 

EXPERIENCED forward Colm Casey was the Inniscarra hero, his 65th-minute goal securing the Co-Op Superstores Cork Premier IHC title at Páirc Uí Chaoimh today. 

In a replay that can only be described as truly memorable, it came down to the last puck of the ball. Great credit to Castlemartyr too, who just came up short.

 Inniscarra's Colm Casey scorer of the winning goal celebrates with his family. Picture: Eddie O'Hare
Inniscarra's Colm Casey scorer of the winning goal celebrates with his family. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

Castlemartyr joint-captain and midfielder Brian Lawton didn’t start due to a leg injury, instead, Michael Cosgrave was brought into the starting 15, however Lawton was brought on at the interval.

There was one change to the Inniscarra lineup with Padraig Holland, introduced in the drawn match, replacing Dan O’Connell in attack. What an inspired alteration this proved to be, Holland finished with 1-3 and the Man of the Match gong.

The game had an explosive start with three great goals in the opening quarter.

It was Inniscarra who were quickly into their stride and had two points on the board from Eoin McCarthy and Colm Casey before Castlemartyr struck for their opening score, a brilliant individual goal from Barry Lawton in the seventh minute.

With both pulling players back into defensive positions, Inniscarra got a goal of their own two minutes later through David O’Keeffe, but it was the sublime pass from Sean O’Donoghue that made it possible.

The Muskerry men remained on top, Padraig Holland finding the net in the 14th minute. The green flag came as a result of a long clearance from Andrew McCarthy, while good work followed from the tenacious Owen McCarthy, 2-2 to 1-1 after quarter of an hour.

Inniscarra went for goal number three but Colm Casey forced a save from Daragh Joyce, and points from Sean O’Donoghue and Eoin McCarthy extended their lead, 2-4 to 1-1.

Mike and Andrew Kelly hit one each for Castlemartyr to narrow the gap, but Inniscarra remained in the ascendancy to outscore their opponents two points to one to lead at the short whistle, 2-6 to 1-5.

Castlemartyr roared back to draw level 10 minutes into the second half. Whilst it was Padraig Holland restarted the scoreboard, the east Cork men slotted five unanswered to achieve parity, 1-10 to 2-7.

Under high pressure, both goalkeepers were immense, as the scoreboard remained deadlocked in the 50th minute, 2-10 to 1-13.

Nobody could have envisaged the finale in store!

Owen McCarthy and Kieran Rice edged Inniscarra back in front but wing-back James Lawton upset their rhythm with a fine point to leave just one in it with five minutes remaining, 2-12 to 1-14.

When Joe Stack was fouled as he burst through on goal, referee Colm Lyons had no hesitation in awarding a penalty. Up stepped Barry Lawton and his well-struck shot was saved magnificently by a diving John O’Keeffe, the sliotar going over the bar.

Inniscarra goalkeeper John O'Keeffe saves the penalty from Castlemartyr's Barry Lawton, resulting in a point. Picture: Eddie O'Hare
Inniscarra goalkeeper John O'Keeffe saves the penalty from Castlemartyr's Barry Lawton, resulting in a point. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

Nonetheless, Castlemartyr were on a roll and supplied the next two points to move ahead by two, the most dangerous of leads.

With at least three minutes of stoppage announced, Inniscarra had to go for goal.

Unbelievably, and with the last throw of the dice, they reclaimed the advantage through Casey.

The rest is history.

* Before the match the two teams lined up alongside the referee to support the ‘Respect the Referee Day’.

Scorers for Inniscarra: P Holland 1-3, O McCarthy 0-5 (0-4 f), C Casey 1-1, D O’Keeffe 1-0, S O’Donoghue, F O’Leary, K Rice 0-1 each.

Castlemartyr: M Kelly 0-8 (0-6 f, 0-1 65), Barry Lawton 1-2 (0-1 pen), Joe Stack 0-2, C Joyce, J Lawton, C Sice, J McGann, A Kelly 0-1 each.

INNISCARRA: J O’Keeffe; D Keane, B O’Mahony, J O’Sullivan; A McCarthy, L Ryan, S Sheehan; J Enright, J Harrington; C Casey, S O’Donoghue, F O’Leary; D O’Keeffe, P Holland, O McCarthy (c).

Subs: J O’Callaghan for J O’Sullivan (39), K Rice for D O’Keeffe (42).

CASTLEMARTYR: D Joyce; C Martin, D Moran (J-Capt), B Ó Tuama; J Lawton, C Joyce, Jamie Stack; M Cosgrave, C Sice; J McGann, M Kelly, Barry Lawton; A Kelly, Joe Stack, E Martin.

Subs: Brian Lawton for E Martin (half-time), B McGann for m Cosgrave (half-time), D Leahy for J McGann (40), P Fleming for A Kelly (52).

Referee: Colm Lyons (Nemo Rangers).

more Cork GAA articles

Aghinagh survive scare from Éire Óg to reach Mid Cork final Aghinagh survive scare from Éire Óg to reach Mid Cork final
Dublin v Tyrone - GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Final Conor Lane to referee Cork Premier SFC final
Denis Reen on Cork football: It's too comfortable of a set-up, the sleeping giant needs to be awoken Denis Reen on Cork football: It's too comfortable of a set-up, the sleeping giant needs to be awoken

More in this section

Castlemagner fancied to complete three in a row  Castlemagner fancied to complete three in a row 
Cork legend Juliet Murphy to be inducted into the LGFA Hall of Fame Cork legend Juliet Murphy to be inducted into the LGFA Hall of Fame
Aghinagh survive scare from Éire Óg to reach Mid Cork final Aghinagh survive scare from Éire Óg to reach Mid Cork final

Sponsored Content

Want to know what Budget 2026 means for you and your pocket? Use KPMG's Budget calculator Want to know what Budget 2026 means for you and your pocket? Use KPMG's Budget calculator
Absolute Property – Over a quarter century of property expertise Absolute Property – Over a quarter century of property expertise
Stay Radisson: Stay Sligo, Limerick, Athlone and Cork Stay Radisson: Stay Sligo, Limerick, Athlone and Cork
Contact Us Cookie Policy Privacy Policy Terms and Conditions

© Examiner Echo Group Limited

Add Echolive.ie to your home screen - easy access to Cork news, views, sport and more