MHC: Glen Rovers through to P1 semi-final after dominant win over Inniscarra
Glen Rovers' James Murphy holds onto the sliotar as he pulls away from Inniscarra's Cormac Dineen during the Rebel Og Premier 1 Minor Hurling Championship quarter final match at the Mardyke. Picture: Howard Crowdy
GLEN Rovers are into the semi-final of the P1 Minor Hurling Championship, where they will play the winner of Midleton and Ballincollig, scheduled for September 27.
Having defeated Glen Rovers convincingly in their group game on a scoreline of 1-15 to 0-11, Inniscarra failed to repeat the trick in their quarter-final in the Mardyke on Wednesday evening.
Rovers started well and never looked in doubt, but it was three quickfire goals at the start of the second half that sealed it.
Michael Brosnan teed up Diarmuid Wall within seconds of throw in, putting the Glen in front after a mere 12 seconds.
Jack O’Sullivan followed up with a score from play, before Cian Walsh pointed on the turn to put Rovers 0-3 to 0-0 in front after eight minutes of play, as Scarra struggled to create scoring opportunities.
Cillian Connolly added the next score with a superb effort from midfield, before Inniscarra finally got off the mark, as Jack Shine pointed from a free.
Again, Rovers responded as their opponents continued to hit the ball out aimlessly from the back, with Gavin O’Callaghan the next to join the list of Glen scorers.
Inniscarra looked to respond through Sean Murphy, as his effort from out wide hit the crossbar and bounced out, to the relief of Rovers’ keeper Josh Goulding.
Murphy again tried to raise a white flag from range, but this time his quick strike fell short, but Goulding had to leap high to keep it out of the top corner.
He batted it out, but only as far as Scarra’s full-forward Sean Lenihan who, as he did in the round robin game, raised a green flag against the Glen.
Rovers responded well to conceding the goal, and continued to attack with purpose, finding three scores on the bounce.
Points from Murphy and Linehan reduced Scarra’s deficit to two, but it didn’t last long, as Cian Walsh, who was absent in the group meeting between the two, received a handpass from Jake Brosnan, and smashed it beyond Ben Gleeson.
With Rovers 1-9 to 1-3 in front at the break, they needed a strong second half, and started with a score from Ronan O’Keefe, though that was all they could manage for a comeback.
Michael Brosnan ran through on goal, and though Darragh O’Brien did a great job to hook him, it didn’t stop Brosnan, who kicked it into the back of the net.
20 seconds later, the Glen stunned Scarra by making an identical run through the middle, and this time it was Cian Walsh, who batted it beyond Gleeson.
With it now 3-9 to 1-4, there was no way back for the Muskerry side.
Shine’s free added one to Scarra’s tally, but when Lawlor netted a fourth goal for Rovers, the curtains were drawn, despite 25 minutes still to go.
The last 25 minutes saw the Glen hit 0-6 to Scarra’s 1-3, but to be fair to Scarra, they never dropped the heads and pressed on despite their situation, which could only be described as bleak.
Gleeson made a world-class save to turn a thunderous strike from Walsh over the bar, and they did eventually manage a consolation goal.
Daniel O’Connor went for a point, but his shot bounced off the post, falling to Sean Murphy. Murphy’s shot at goal hit the crossbar, and it again rebounded, this time to O’Connor, who at the third time of asking found the back of the net, but ironically struck the crossbar on the way in.
C Walsh 2-2, D Wall 0-6 (0-4 f), S Lawlor 1-1, M Brosnan 1-0, G O’Callaghan, J O’Sullivan, C McCarthy, C Connolly, J Murphy, E McGuckin 0-1 each.
S Linehan, D O’Connor 1-1 each, J Shine 0-3 f, R O’Keefe, S Murphy, D O’Brien (f) 0-1 each.
J Goulding; M Gayfer, O O’Connell, J Murphy; C Connolly, C McCarthy, K Cronin; M Brosnan, J Brosnan; J O’Sullivan, D Wall, C Hughes; G O’Callaghan, C Walsh, S Lawlor.
E McGuckin for Hughes (51), L Dunlea for Lawlor (56), S O’Donovan for Connolly, C Harte for Gayfer (both 59).
B Gleeson; C O’Sullivan, T O’Reilly, R Murphy; C Herlihy, D Enright, A Heelan; D O’Brien, J O’Mahony; J Shine, R O’Keefe, S Murphy; C Dineen, S Linehan, C Lyons.
D O’Connor for O’Keefe (37), S Brislane for O’Mahony, D O’Shea for Lyons (both 44), D Linehan for Enright (51, inj), C Gould for Shine (56).
Patrick O’Mahony (Kilbrittain).
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