Dr Harty Cup: Christians book knockout place with a game to spare

CBC, Cork 1-19

Rice College, Ennis 0-12

A dominant second half allowed Cork’s Christian Brothers College to secure a TUS Dr Harty Cup knockout spot as they saw off Rice College at Ballyagran on Wednesday.

After opening with victory over Scoil na Tríonóide Naofa of Doon three weeks ago, this ten-point triumph, coupled with Doon’s draw against John The Baptist CS of Hospital, means that CBC are guaranteed second place at worst when Group 1 ends in a fortnight.

The Sidney Hill outfit will of course be targeting top spot and a direct passage to the quarter-finals and they can be pleasing with the overall showing here, especially after half-time. While they led by 0-8 to 0-5 at the break, they had enjoyed the majority of the play and wastefulness in front of goal prevented the lead from being greater.

Though their Ennis opponents held pace with them in the opening stages of the second period, a lovely goal from Michael Tadhg Brosnan in the 40th minute opened up a six-point lead that never looked being eroded.

Cork minor Brosnan showed the same fine form that saw him play such a big role in Glen Rovers’ county minor win, finishing with 1-5 from play, while Eoghan O’Shea finished with nine points to his name, five frees. Andy Hourigan excelled at wing-back and then midfield after injuries forced Christian into a reshuffle, while Jack Hegarty was impressively industrious alongside him.

Christians never trailed at any stage, though the loss of attackers Conor McCarthy and James Murray in the opening ten minutes affected their fluency. Just before his departure, Murray had been unlucky to be denied by a good save by Rice College goalkeeper Daniel Meehan but after that, a 0-4 to 0-1 lead was wiped out with points from Darren Moroney and Pádraic O’Donovan for the Clare school.

Too often, though, Rice College’s attempts to play out from the back were well-pressed by Christians and they had daylight again as O’Shea pointed twice before Michael Quill got on the scoresheet and Cillian Murray – one of the early subs – landed his second just before half-time to send them in three in front.

With O’Donovan on song, Rice College came back well after the break and it was 0-10 to 0-8 before an O’Shea free was debatably awarded – one of a few of incidents, at each end, relating to partisan umpires – and the next play brought the goal.

A low, arrowed delivery by corner-back Jack Huggins was the catalyst but Brosnan still had a lot to do, creating space well before an elegant finish to the net.

O’Shea’s seventh and eighth points followed to leave them eight points in front by the 51st minute and, with the durable defence not inclined to allow any goal opportunities to a Rice side reliant on O'Donovan and Ben Mayer full of guile in attack, they pulled away strongly in the closing minutes.

Scorers for CBC: E O'Shea 0-9 (0-5f), MT Brosnan 1-5, C Murray 0-4, M Quill, A Hourigan 0-1.

Rice College: P O'Donovan 0-11 (0-5f, 0-1 65), D Moroney 0-1.

CBC: K Flood (Ballygarvan); J Huggins (Sarsfields), D Riordan (Kilworth), D Kingston (Mallow); R Buckley (Whitechurch), R Higgins (Sarsfields), A Hourigan (Mallow); J Hegarty (Ballinora), M Quill (Blackrock); MT Brosnan (Glen Rovers), E O'Shea (Ballinhassig), B Mayer (Ballinora); J Trench (Ballinora), C McCarthy (St Finbarr's), J Murray (St Finbarr's).

Subs: C Murray (Bishopstown) for McCarthy (5, injured), C Connolly (Glen Rovers) for J Murray (10, injured), S O’Driscoll (Aghada) for Mayer (32-35), O’Driscoll for Trench (51), C Lawton (Midleton) for Hourigan (57, injured), F Kelly (Midleton) for Buckley (59).

RICE COLLEGE: D Meehan; C Walsh, L Clune, C O'Toole; B O'Halloran, R Mulcahy, R McDermott; N Daly, D Cahill; S Kelly, P O'Donovan, C Henchy; E Fitzpatrick, D Tierney, D Moroney.

Referee: J Murphy (Limerick).