Four red cards as Carrigtwohill preserve senior status with decimation of Cloyne
Carrigtwohill's Sean Walsh holds onto the sliotar ahead of Cloyne's Diarmuid Byrne during the SAHC Relegation Play Off match in Castlemartyr. Picture: Howard Crowdy
A rampant and dominant first half set the tone for Carrigtwohill’s comfortable win over Cloyne in the Senior A Hurling Championship relegation playoff in Castlemartyr on Saturday.
Carrig led 2-13 to 0-7 at the break, but in the second half the game changed completely.
There were more cards (11) than scores (8).
Both teams finished with 13 men, a dramatic conclusion to their seasons to say the least.
The two fought for survival, quite literally.
In the 41st minute, with Carrigtwohill ahead 2-15 to 0-9, Jack Hallahan was gifted the ball after a defensive error from Carrig, but the eventual winners did well to recover, denying him a shot at goal.
A minute after we had the first of many brawls – with both Keith Dennehy and Jamie McCarthy receiving a straight red card each.
The two teams were reduced to 14, and when Carrig went up the other end looking for a third goal, Cian O’Riordan was brought down for a penalty.
Before Seán Walsh could slot it home, another off the ball incident resulted in Cloyne’s second straight red, with Éanna Motherway receiving his marching orders.
Walsh converted the penalty with aplomb, giving Carrig a 16 point lead, and with 15 minutes to tie was settled.
Daniel Murnane – who had starred at half-back sent over his third point from play in the 48th minute, but Carrig would be reduced to 13 shortly after when James Mulcahy was handed a second yellow card.
A 12 minute scoreless spell followed before Aaron Walsh Barry and veteran Pat O’Sullivan combined, with the latter splitting the posts.
As Murnane sent over the last puck of the game to give Carrig a 3-18 to 0-9 lead, it meant that Cloyne had finished the second half with six cards in total – three times their number of scores in that period.
Four games, four defeats, and four red cards.
It’s been a season to forget for Cloyne who went scoreless from the 35th minute until the end and will play Premier Intermediate hurling next season – but for Carrigtwohill, there’s a lot to be proud of.
The fine margins of Senior A meant Carrig were dealt a relegation playoff rather than a quarter-final, but their impressive first half and guile to see it out gives them a platform to build on in 2025.
Despite Cloyne leading 0-4 to 0-2 by the ninth minute, their competitiveness wouldn’t last as Carrigtwohill hit five in a row, with Sean Brennan and Murnane on target, while Walsh sent one over from play before adding two frees.
Murnane and Liam Gosnell then came to fruition with the latter hitting one and assisting another, and by the 21st minute Carrigtwohill were six points in front.
A free from Ashley Walsh kept Cloyne in the game but Walsh Barry picked out Mulcahy, and he set up Seán Walsh for a thunderous close range finish, 1-11 to 0-6.
Cloyne needed to hang on until half-time but they couldn’t – as Ashley Walsh’s free was met with two from Carrig, through Gosnell and Seán Walsh.
Carrigtwohill killed the game off on the eve of half time as O’Riordan, Liam O’Sullivan, Walsh and Brennan combined for the latter’s goal – a simple finish from close range.
Despite the chaotic nature of the second period with so few scores overall – it was always going to end in a Carrigtwohill win.
S Walsh 2-6 (0-5 f 1-0 pen), D Murnane 0-4 (0-1 f), S Brennan 1-1, L Gosnell 0-3 (0-1 f), P Hogan, L O’Sullivan, J Horgan, P O’Sullivan 0-1 each.
A Walsh 0-6 (0-4 f), M Cahill, C Mullins, P O’Sullivan 0-1 each.
T Hogan; S de Burca, A Walsh Barry, P O’Sullivan; B Twomey, P Hogan, D Murnane; J Oke, J Horgan; S Brennan, L O’Sullivan, J McCarthy; J Mulcahy, S Walsh, L Gosnell.
C O’Riordan for Oke (6 inj), Oke for Brennan (50), A Rooney for Twomey (53).
D Costine; J Sherlock, Éanna Motherway, A Sherlock; C Motherway, Eoin Motherway, D Byrne; T O’Regan, C Cahill; S Beausang, J Hallahan, C Mullins; A Walsh, B Walsh, M Cahill.
K Dennehy for Mullins (27 inj), I Cahill for C Motherway, P O’Sullivan for Beausang (both HT), B O’Shea for M Cahill (41), L Sugrue for I Cahill (48 ink).
David Daly (Brian Dillon’s)
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