Elite eight: Search for Cork's best city hurler is down to the quarter-finals

WE'RE down to the elite eight in our Battle of the Bridge competition.

You have voted and reduced the 16 gifted city hurlers in the second round to a talented quarter-final line-up, featuring Jimmy Barry-Murphy, Tom Cashman, Seán Óg Ó hAilpín, Charlie McCarthy, Patrick Horgan, Denis Coughlan, Gerald McCarthy and Wayne Sherlock. Incredible players every one of them.

With your help, we’re looking to decide on the best hurler from either side of the River Lee from the last 50 years of action and already some big names have been eliminated from our original list of 32.

The Echo has pitched some of Cork’s finest hurling stars from the northside and southside of Cork city together for a series of fun head-to-head battles on EchoLive.ie over the next few weeks.

BATTLE OF THE BRIDGE QUARTER-FINALS: 

Wayne Sherlock v Denis Coughlan, Monday, November 7.

Gerald McCarthy v Seán Óg Ó hAilpín, Tuesday, November 8.

Charlie McCarthy v Patrick Horgan, Wednesday, November 9.

Jimmy Barry Murphy v Tom Cashman, Thursday, November 10.

The ultimate winner will be selected by voting online at echolive.ie 

How did we decide who was eligible? This is Cork we’re talking about, not just your run-of-the-mill county, so even shortening it to a list of 32 candidates was a challenge for

The Echo

crew. We gave John Horgan (northside) and Denis Hurley (southside) the last word on the 16 hurlers picked from each side of the river.

BATTLE OF THE BRIDGE ROUND 2: 

Wayne Sherlock (Blackrock) beat Graham Callanan (Glen Rovers).

Gerald McCarthy (St Finbarr's) beat Christy Coughlan (Na Piarsaigh).

Denis Coughlan (Glen Rovers) beat Dermot McCurtain (Blackrock).

Patrick Horgan (Glen Rovers) beat Ray Cummins (Blackrock).

Charlie McCarthy (St Finbarr's) beat Tomás Mulcahy (Glen Rovers).

Seán Óg Ó hAilpín (Na Piarsaigh) beat John Horgan (Blackrock).

Tom Cashman (Blackrock) beat Johnny Crowley (Bishopstown).

Jimmy Barry-Murphy (St Finbarr's) beat Alan Browne (Blackrock).

Now there are eight contenders, two Rockies, two from the Glen, one from the Na Piarsaigh and three Barrs hurlers, rather fitting after a season where they ended a 29-year wait for the Seán Óg Murphy Cup to return to Togher.

Some big names fell short in the first round, including Ger Cunningham, Tony O'Sullivan, John Gardiner, Ronan Curran and Fergal Ryan.

Paddy Barry, Shane O'Neill, Pat Moylan, Barry Egan, John Fitzgibbon, Pat Horgan, Seanie McGrath, Paul O'Connor, Martin O'Doherty, Jim Cashman and Setanta Ó hAilpín were also knocked out.

To be chosen for The Battle Of The Bridge participants had to have hurled post-1972 and to have come through the underage structures of their sport in Cork.

We will keep the pairings ‘northside v southside’ as far as possible from here until we're left with your selection as city hurler of the last 50 years.