Holders Nemo back in Seandún JAHC final with win over St Vincent's

Nemo Rangers 1-15 St Vincent’s 0-12

HOLDERS Nemo Rangers have qualified for the decider of the AOS Security Management Solutions Seandún Junior A Hurling Championship, as they defeated St Vincent’s in their hard-fought semi-final at Ballinlough.

The opening half was evenly contested, but the Trabeg side’s goal, which came from the rebound of a penalty, ten minutes into the second half, was to prove decisive. St Vincent’s were also restricted to a single score in the final quarter.

Current Cork Senior footballer Blake Murphy put St Vincent’s in the driving seat within seconds of the throw-in, before Nemo Rangers’ Shane Horgan exchanged pointed frees with Aaron O’Donoghue.

The Trabeg side outscored St Vincent’s by five points to two from play before Horgan and O’Donoghue traded pointed frees.

Artysom Petrov tagged on a point from play for Nemo Rangers, while O'Donoghue and Kane Murphy replied with a point each for St Vincent’s, to leave the half-time scoreline reading 0-8 to 0-7 in favour of the Trabeg side.

Both sides had two points each on the board after the restart, before St Vincent’s regained the lead as O’Donoghue converted two frees without reply.

Nemo Rangers were awarded a penalty, from which Horgan’s shot was saved by St Vincent’s net-minder Darragh Clarke, but Ronan Dalton put the Trabeg side two points in front, with the game’s only goal.

Nemo Rangers continued to have St Vincent’s pinned back as the Trabeg side added three unanswered points from play.

Persistent fouling was to prove costly for St Vincent’s as Horgan and former Cork Senior footballer James Masters, who was also the Trabeg side’s goalkeeper, converted a free each.

Luke Callanan responded with a point from play for St Vincent’s with time at a premium.

Scorers for Nemo Rangers: R Dalton 1-2; S Horgan 0-3f; B Cripps 0-3; C Kiely 0-2; J Masters 0-1f; P Morgan, A Petrov, J Coogan, S Joyce 0-1 each.

St Vincent’s: A O’Donoghue 0-6 (0-4f); Blake Murphy 0-2; M O’Leary, K Murphy, L Callanan, Cian O’Neill 0-1 each.

NEMO: J Masters; S Cronin, P Morgan, Briain Murphy; J Coogan, K O’Donovan, B O’Neill; G Barrett, P Collins; M Cronin, B Cripps, S Horgan; C Kiely, R Dalton, A Petrov.

Subs: T O’Brien for Morgan (h/t), S Joyce for Barrett, P O’Dwyer for Petrov (both 37), S O’Dwyer for Collins (59).

St VINCENT'S: D Clarke; J O’Reilly, D O’Regan, D Butler; A Sorensen, P Cullinane, K Sorensen; K Murphy, A Harte; A O’Donoghue, G McCarthy, K Whitley; L Callanan, M O’Leary, Blake Murphy.

Subs: Cian O’Neill for Cullinane (18), C Desmond for Whitley (h/t), Cormac O’Neill for Blake Murphy (46, inj), C Lynch for A Sorensen (53).

Referee: Mark Maher (St Finbarr’s).