Premier JHC roundup: Goalkeeper Davis is the match-winner with late frees for St Catherine's

Goalkeeper Eoin Davis was the free-taking hero for St Catherine’s on Saturday evening as he struck two booming injury-time efforts to see them past Milford and into the semi-finals of the Co-op SuperStores Premier JHC.

The quarter-final tie in Kildorrery brought together the clubs who had met in the 1981 county JAHC final, which Milford won by two points. While this was even tighter – last year's beaten finalists Catherine’s were to triumph by 1-17 to 0-19 – it looked in the second half as if Milford had made a decisive surge.

Having gone in leading by 1-9 to 0-11 after a Davis free, Catherine’s pushed three ahead on the resumption as the goalkeeper fired over two more. However, they were to endured 18 scoreless minutes after that, with Milford scoring seven in a row to lead by 0-18 to 1-11 after 52 minutes.

Catherine’s battled back though, with veteran Shane Cotter levelling with two minutes left. While Milford moved back in front, Davis tied the game again in the 62nd minute and then, with 67 minutes on the clock, converted a free from the sideline, 80 metres out.

In the first half, Rory Galvin’s goal levelled at 1-3 to 0-6 after Milford had started well while Seán O’Donoghue finished with four points for the Ballynoe side.

Catherine’s progress to a semi-final meeting with Ballygarvan while the other last-four tie will Russell Rovers face Nemo Rangers after the 2023 junior A champions got the better of Glen Rovers at Ballincollig.

Goals from Eric Dilloughery and Jonathan Kearney were key in a 2-13 to 0-16 win, with Kearney’s 20th minute strike putting Nemo 1-3 to 0-5 ahead. Though Patrick Horgan was named as number 28 for the Glen, he did not feature but another Hoggy – Nemo’s Shane – was in scoring form from frees and the Trabeg outfit led by 1-6 to 0-5 at half-time.

Twelve minutes into the second half, Dilloughery struck for the second Nemo goal, making it 2-9 to 0-9. While the Glen did have the margin down to just a point, 2-11 to 0-16, by the third minute of injury time, scores from Mark Cronin and Aidan Burns ensured that Nemo ran out three-point winners. Conor Dorris and Lee Quilligan did most of the scoring for the Glen.

In the relegation play-off in Ovens, Argideen Rangers preserved their status as a scoring burst midway through the second half helped them to hold off Douglas on a scoreline of 0-17 to 0-16.

John Michael O’Callaghan was prominent from dead balls as the West Cork side opened up a 0-6 to 0-1 lead, with Darragh O’Donovan and Seán Maxwell on target, too. While frees from Dylan Murphy helped Douglas to lead by 0-7 to 0-6, two from O’Callaghan before half-time sent Argideen in with a 0-7 to 0-6 advantage.

While it was 0-12 each after 41 minutes, two from Pádraig Butler were part of a four-point surge from Rangers and they led thereafter, condemning Douglas to a second successive relegation.