Midleton’s Ross O’Regan hits 1-5 from play to help his team beat Bride Rovers in the SHL

Midleton 2-20 

Bride Rovers 0-11 

A relentless hurling display saw Midleton defeat Bride Rovers with ease in the RedFM Division 2 Hurling League on Tuesday evening.

Cork panellists Cormac Beausang and Sam Quirke returned to the pitch for the hosts, while Eoin Roche’s availability for Rovers ensured there would be no shortage of inter-county quality. 

However, it was Midleton’s Ross O’Regan who stood out on the night, managing an impressive 1-5 from play.

Alex Quirke got the opening score for the hosts and Pa White followed up to give Midleton a strong start. 

Rovers responded well through Conor Barry and Adam Walsh, but Luke O’Farrell’s excellent point got the Magpies back in front.

Bride Rovers Jason Pratt kept the visitors from slipping out of contention with a superb score from a tight angle.

The rest of the first 20 saw Midleton score 0-4 to Bride Rovers’ 0-3, as both sides played with an almost championship-like intensity. 

The highlight score went to Rovers’ goalkeeper Sean Knox, as he placed a free from well inside his own half between the posts.

The Magpies delivered a knockdown punch though, as Mulcahy picked out White, who fired across goal and into the corner to take the hosts five ahead.

Scores from O’Regan and Beausang punished the visitors, who still hadn’t settled into the game. With Midleton up eight at the break, Rovers needed to come out swinging in the second period.

The visitors continued to struggle though, as they were outscored 0-5 to 0-1 in the third quarter. 

The Magpies continued to play with desire and conviction, punishing Bride Rovers at every opportunity.

Scores from Ronan O’Connell and Walsh were quickly cancelled out by O’Regan and Beausang, with the former getting a just reward for his hard work. 

O’Regan blocked down Knox’s clearance in the 58th minute, pulled on the rolling sliotar, bagging Midleton’s second goal and moving them to fourth in the League table.

Scorers for Midleton: R O’Regan 1-5, C Beausang 0-8 (0-7 f), P White 1-1, A Mulcahy 0-3 (0-1 f), A Quirke, L O’Farrell, M Finn 0-1 each.

Bride Rovers: A Walsh 0-5 (0-3 f), J Pratt 0-2, R O’Connell 0-2 (0-1 f), C Barry 0-1, S Knox 0-1 f.

MIDLETON: B Rossiter; D Scanlon, E Moloney, S Smyth; T O’Leary-Hayes, C Smyth, C Murphy; M Finn, S Quirke; A Mulcahy, R O’Regan, C Beausang; A Quirke, L O’Farrell, P White.

Subs: R Hartnett for A Quirke (43), C Crowley for L O’Farrell, L Dineen for D Scanlon (both 52), E McCarthy for T O’Leary-Hayes (57), G O’Carroll for P White (58).

BRIDE ROVERS: S Knox; D Barry, D Cashman, T O’Sullivan; K Kearney, C Hazelwood, S O’Connor; J Pratt, E Roche; A Walsh, R O’Connell, D Dooley; C Barry, E Cashman, J Ahern.

Subs: C Ryan for C Barry (h-t), S Ahern for T O’Sullivan, C O’Sullivan for E Cashman (both 42), J Mannix for E Roche (47), S Walsh for S O’Connor (53).

Referee: Brian Sweeney (Erin’s Own).