Clinical Ballincollig blitz Bandon to get PIHC campaign back on track
Stephen Wills, Ballincollig, who hit 0-5 from play, shoots from Tim Twohig, Bandon, in the PIHC at Cloughduv. Picture: Jim Coughlan.
BALLINCOLLIG put themselves back in the frame for the knockout stages as they romped to a convincing win over a lacklustre Bandon side in this Premier IFC second-round tie in Cloughduv.
For Bandon, it's a long road back from a 21-point hammering such as this. There was no indication of a landslide in the early stages which were sloppy from both sides, the conditions not helping.
Ballincollig were four clear when Cian Dorgan played a lovely pass into the waiting hands of James Dwyer who was coolness personified on the one-on-one with keeper Oisin Hennessy as he slotted the opening goal to open up a seven-point gap.
Things would get worse for Bandon just before half-time. Brian Keating, sandwiched between two Bandon defenders, after collecting a Dwyer offload, somehow found the room to swing his hurley, smacking the sliotar off the underside of the bar and into the net to give his side a commanding lead.
Nine points down going in at the break, a scuffle outside the dressing rooms between the players suggested the second half would be one to watch.
Unfortunately, it was nothing of the sort. Ballincollig’s quality proved too much to handle as they easily dispatched the tired-looking Bandon side who will now look to avoid relegation.
Dorgan was a man on a mission, contributing some magnificent scores on the day including five frees, but they were on top defensively, led by Colin Moore and Conor O'Leary.
James Dwyer was a powerhouse at midfield, running the game, while Stephen Wills hit a superb 0-5 from play, three of them in the first half when it was still very tight.
They added a third goal with four minutes left on the clock, boosting their scoring difference though they'll still probably need to beat Castlelyons to progress. Feigning a shot, Pete Kelly slipped the ball nicely into Cian O'Driscoll who blasted it past the helpless James McSweeney, compounding Bandon’s misery.
C Dorgan 0-7 (0-5 f), S Wills 0-5, B Keating, C O’Driscoll 1-2 each, J Dwyer 1-0, D O’Sullivan 0-2 (0-1 65, 0-1 f), C O'Leary, P Kelly 0-1 each.
C Long 0-2, M Sugrue (f), D Crowley, C Lynch, A O’Mahony, E McSweeney, S Ahern 0-1 each.
J Linehan; R O’Donovan, C Moore, F Denny; B Coleman, C O’Leary, D O'Sullivan; J Dwyer, T O'Connell; S Wills, C Dalton, B Keating; S O’Neill, C Dorgan, C O’Driscoll.
P Kelly for Dalton (47), D Bowen and C O'Sullivan for Dorgan and Coleman (55).
O Hennessy; E Twomey, P Murphy, M McNamara; J Walsh, T Twohig, S Ahern; M Cahalane, E McSweeney; A O’Mahony, M O’Regan, C Long; M Sugrue, D Crowley, C Lynch.
O Doyle for J Walsh (24), J McSweeney for O Hennessy (30), D Collins for C Lynch (30), R Long for M O’Regan (30), N McCarthy for M Sugrue (45), M O’Regan for O Doyle (58).
Eoin Coleman (Youghal).
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