Midleton bow out as St Ita's win by the minimum in captivating East Cork Junior AHC clash
Seamus Harnedy, St Ita's and Jack Fitzgerald Midleton tussle for the sliotar in their East Cork Oil JAHC game in Castlemartyr. Picture: Denis O'Flynn
With neither side guaranteed to go through to the knockouts of the East Cork Oil Junior A Hurling Championship, it was expected to be close.
And it didn’t disappoint.
A contest that had been level five times in the first 40 minutes, a three point lead put Midleton in a quarter final, but failure to hold on would mean a relegation playoff instead.
Their efforts never faltered – but momentum had swung like a pendulum throughout.
Twenty minutes was plenty of time. St Ita’s had come back several times previous, and would do so once again.
In the space of two minutes the Gortroe outfit hit three scores, drawing level after 43, 0-16 to 1-13.
Darragh O’Brien, who had excelled in their demolition of Sarsfields – was on form once again, scoring his ninth on Friday evening to nudge St Ita’s ahead going into the final quarter.
Darragh O’Brien rose to the occasion again, quite literally – as he made a superb catch before laying it off to Daniel Hickey. The substitute covered ground before popping it over, and now St Ita’s were two ahead with 13 minutes to go.
It was that man again, this time from a free, 0-19 to 1-13.
Midleton had been hit for six in the space of 11 minutes – and were up against the ropes.
An excellent long-range strike in the 53rd minute from Dara Scanlon got the Magpies back on their feet, and the crowd in Castlemartyr knew what would come.
Another swing.
Conor Morley hit the post, but Ita’s survived the scramble in the square. Morley again had a chance, and went for goal – but Padraig O’Brien made a superb stop to deny him from close in.
A couple of frees from Cathal Beausang preceded one from Scanlon, and now the Magpies were back in front, 1-17 to 0-19 with two minutes to go.
Ita’s held their nerve and Darragh O’Brien levelled it, before Harnedy was on target once more, 0-21 to 1-17 going into additional time.
An O’Brien free increased Ita’s lead to two but it made no difference to Midleton – a draw would not suffice.
Midleton gave it everything and managed to reduce the gap to one, but another goal eluded them.
St Ita’s defence held firm.
It was a heartbreaking defeat for the Magpies who were on it from the off and led 0-4 to 0-1 after seven minutes, though by the end of the first quarter their three point lead became a three point deficit thanks to the class of O’Brien and Harnedy.
O’Brien extended the Ita’s lead to five before former Cork minor Carthaigh Cronin, who starred at corner-back throughout – landed a huge score on the 20th minute mark, 0-9 to 0-5.
It was level again eight minutes later, when Morley goaled for Midleton.
Scanlon went deep with his free and found Chris Power, who cleverly flicked it to Morley. The Midleton minor struck the ball as quick as he caught it, rifling one into the roof of the net – 1-7 to 0-10.
A Beausang free put Midleton ahead at the interval, and it was back and forth again on the resumption.
The Magpies crept ahead through another Scanlon free, before Eoghan Fraser picked out Morley, who set up Beasaung with a cunning handpass, and the corner-forward sent it over from an acute angle.
Beausang extended Midleton’s lead to three on 40 minutes, but with the link up play between Harnedy and Darragh O’Brien, as well as the steely resolve of Michael O’Brien at the back – Ita’s would come back to win it.
D O’Brien 0-11 (0-5 f), S Harnedy 0-6, C Deane, H Connon 0-2 each, D Hickey 0-1.
C Beausang 0-8 (0-6 f), D Scanlon 0-5 (0-4 f), C Morley 1-0, N Lang 0-2, E Fraser, D Egan, C Cronin 0-1 each.
P O’Brien; T McCarthy, M Lillis, B McCarthy; B O’Neill, M O’Brien, M Doherty; S Harnedy, C O’Brien; C Deane, D O’Brien (Cpt), H Connon; G Griffin, E Hegarty, D Doherty.
D Hickey for D Doherty (HT), D O’Rourke for Griffin, J McCarthy for Deane (both 48), O McCarthy for Connon (50) E Loughlin for Hegarty (56).
Z Smith; C Cronin, A Moloney, T Dunlea; D Scanlon, P Kane, A Power (Cpt); E Fraser, J Fitzgerald; N Lang, C Lambe, D Egan; C Morley, C Power, C Beausang.
D Cagney for Lang (22, inj), H Wall for C Power (46), C Walsh for Kane (50-55 bs).
Willie Wallis (Aghada)
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