Kanturk level against Midleton deep into injury time after Premier Senior Hurling cracker

Kanturk 1-21 Midleton 1-21 

Liam O’Keeffe’s 68th-minute equaliser snatched a share of the spoils for Kanturk from a pulsating second-round re-fixture against Midleton.

The 2021 champions led by two as late as the 61st minute but there was still plenty of time left for drama in a hard-hitting contest which was level seven times.

Alan Walsh halved the deficit before Kanturk were presented with an opportunity to equalise when a member of the Midleton backroom team held onto the sliotar to delay a sideline cut.

Niall Fahy awarded a free instead right on halfway and the tremendously accurate Brian O’Sullivan’s nerves held up to the task, landing his 12th point of the evening.

Still, they played on. The bloodied Séadhnaidh Smyth was patched up to return to the field and it was as well he did, producing a vital block on Cian Clernon.

Rory Sheehan and Tommy O’Connell exchanged wides before Cormac Beausang appeared to have found a winner in the eighth added minute.

But before Fahy could reach for his whistle, Grantas Bucinskas had the sliotar pucked out and O’Keeffe swivelled to stitch a no-look leveller.

The point apiece leaves both sides in the qualification places on three points, with Midleton to face Erin’s Own (two points) and Kanturk up against winless Charleville in the final round.

The medical emergency that forced the postponement of this fixture from last weekend was marked by a half-time bucket collection in aid of the CUH Charity whose cardiac services proved life-saving.

With no other matches on, the crowd more than doubled from the first day out as the Castletownroche stand wasn’t long in filling.

The teams lined out unchanged with Midleton minus the suspended Sam Quirke and Kanturk without the injured Colin Walsh.

Paul Walsh’s fine solo goal had got Kanturk off to a flying start before the game was stopped in the eighth minute last time.

After Seán O’Meara opened with a long-range point, Walsh almost repeated the dose in the third minute.

He swooped onto a puck-out break and beat Brion Saunderson but Luke Dineen scrambled back to clear off the line.

O’Sullivan slotted the 65 before trading frees with Conor Lehane, who ended with 0-10. The sides were level a third time when Ian Walsh’s well-worked point was cancelled out by Lehane’s long-ranger.

Midleton were backed by a tricky wind and launched four long puck-outs inside the 21 within 10 minutes. They lost all four, however, with three ricocheting wide before a rethink saw them spray the ball to the flanks.

Kanturk were mopping up plenty of puck-outs breaks and they notched 1-2 without reply.

Lorcán McLoughlin found the target before the goal arrived in the 14th minute.

Lorcan O’Neill delivered a fine long ball into Alan Walsh and he sharply rounded the last defender to blast home. A Daniel O’Connell point made it 1-5 to 0-3.

Two Lehane frees got Midleton back within a score before Paul Walsh burst up the left flank for a lovely point.

Midleton hit back with a brilliant move from the next puck-out. Saunderson located Alex Quirke on the run and no one could catch up with his turn of pace, rifling a bullet to the net.

That left one in the difference, 1-6 to 1-5, but Kanturk cancelled out the major with the next three points, including two from O’Sullivan (among them his sole score from play) either side of an Alan Walsh strike.

Lehane was carrying the Midleton challenge and he landed a pair from play to bookend Aidan Walsh’s opener.

Stoppage time brought three more scores; an O’Sullivan free sandwiched between Mikey Finn and Beausang efforts.

Kanturk had the wind in the second half but they didn’t score from play until the 51st minute. O’Sullivan still launched back-to-back frees between the posts from his own 45 and would produce a replica later on.

Midleton reeled off the next five to take the lead for the first time since the third minute, with two apiece from Lehane frees and substitute Luke O’Farrell, while the increasingly influential Eoin Moloney added the other. 1-15 to 1-13 now.

Lehane and Tommy O’Connell cancelled out O’Sullivan frees before Aidan Walsh got Kanturk moving again with a fine catch and score.

Midleton were still moving the ball that bit better, exemplified by Ross O’Regan’s acute point before a pair of O’Sullivan frees levelled for a fifth time.

Moloney and Patrick White edged Midleton ahead entering added time but it didn’t end there.

Scorers for Kanturk: B O’Sullivan 0-12 (0-10 f, 0-1 65), Alan Walsh 1-2, Aidan Walsh 0-2, L McLoughlin, P Walsh, D O’Connell, I Walsh, L O’Keeffe 0-1 each.

Midleton: C Lehane 0-10 (0-7 f), A Quirke 1-0, E Moloney, C Beausang, L O’Farrell 0-2 each, S O’Meara, T O’Connell, M Finn, R O’Regan, P White 0-1 each.

KANTURK: G Bucinskas; C Mullane, J Browne, J McLoughlin; T Walsh, R Walsh (jc), L McLoughlin (jc); B O’Sullivan, P Walsh; I Walsh, Aidan Walsh, L O’Neill; D O’Connell, Alan Walsh, R Sheehan.

Subs: L O’Keeffe for O’Connell (25, inj), C Clernon for I Walsh (59).

MIDLETON: B Saunderson; S Smyth, L Dineen, C Smyth; S O’Meara, T O’Connell, E Moloney; M Finn, P Haughney; R O’Regan, A Quirke, C Lehane (c); P Connaughton, C Beausang, D Cremin.

Subs: C Gunning for C Smyth (5-13, temp), L O’Farrell for Quirke (35-42, temp), O’Farrell for Connaughton (43), P White for Cremin (55), Gunning for S Smyth (63-65, temp).

Referee: N Fahy (Brian Dillons).