Premier 1 U16 HC: Seven-goal Ballincollig and clinical Midleton seal last-four spots

Ballincollig – reigning county champions at U15 – and Midleton, who beat them to both the Féile, U13 and U14 titles, made it two wins from two in the Premier 1 U16 Hurling Championship on Monday night to seal their places in the semi-finals.

They weren’t the only ones booking knockout spots. Ballinora saw off Na Piarsaigh by 10 points, meaning their final group clash with Ballincollig will decide top spot in Group 1.

Ballinora were hugely impressive, posting 2-21 in a fast-paced and competitive tie. Cork U16 Cormac Murphy was superb from both play and frees, while Cathal Murphy and Billy Meighan netted the goals – Meighan also adding three excellent points.

Na Piarsaigh, missing two key players including injured Callum Coffey, had cut a six-point deficit down to three in the first half. They fought hard, particularly Nathan Coffey, Darragh Goldsmith, Aaron Crowley and corner-back Jack O’Connor.

Jayden Cregan chipped in 0-3 from play, while Darragh Casey and Josh Constant shared placed-ball duties to tally seven points.

Short on numbers, Na Piarsaigh introduced two U14s – Darragh O’Driscoll, who showed plenty of skill, and Zack Brady, an impressive corner-back for the second game running. But Ballinora’s accuracy (scores from five of six forwards plus midfielder Denis O’Mahony) and a rock-solid full-back line kept them in control.

Next up for Ballinora is Ballincollig – a daunting task given how exceptional The Village were against Blackrock.

Ballincollig’s organisation, slick game plan and relentless off-the-shoulder running yielded seven goals. Éanna Lynch starred early as they raced into a lead, with the Rockies unable to close the gap below three. It was 1-12 to 1-8 at the break.

Éanna Lynch was the standout for Ballincollig in the first half as they raced into an early lead. With five minutes gone the Rockies couldn’t get the gap below three, trailing 1-12 to 1-8 at the interval.

Jack Punch battled hard for Blackrock, scoring 0-4 in another impressive performance, he’s been their standout forward all season and done well at minor level, too.

Cork U16 Conor Stack impressed after moving from centre-back to midfield, adding 0-2. Adam Kirwan hit their goal, with Cian Coakley and Jack Buckley also to the fore. Patrick McCarthy and Ballincollig’s Joe Miskella had a fierce first-half duel.

The second half, though, belonged to Ballincollig. Their half-back line gained control and a flurry of goals followed. Star forward Bobby Power finished with 2-8 (2-5 from play), Cal McCarthy scored 2-5, Fionn Lordan got 2-1 – while Daithí Murphy – who got 1-1, was a thorn in Blackrock’s side all evening.

Evan Stack, James Harrington, Eoin Harris and Éanna Ó hUrnaí all impressed, while Miskella and Shay O’Brien made up the remaining Ballincollig scores with a point each. Goalkeeper Kayden Coomey was excellent too, dealing with everything the Rockies threw at him.

Monday night’s other fixture, saw Midleton overcome Sarsfields to top their three-team group, leaving St Finbarr’s and Sars to scrap for second in a fortnight.

The Riverstown side will be hoping to improve and get over the line. They had done well in the first half, only trailing by a point – 0-12 to 0-11 – the Magpies slightly on top but with a number of wides.

Sars trailed by just a point at half-time, 0-12 to 0-11, despite several wides from Midleton. Eoin Considine was outstanding at centre-back for Sars, with Tom Huggins and Tom Hurley dangerous in attack and Donagh Healy landing a superb first-half score.

Midleton took over in the middle third after the break, their Cork U16 quartet sparking into life. John O’Sullivan got the goal and finished with 1-3, Alife Hennessy scored 0-2, Finn Cahill starred at half-back, while Liam Walsh scored 0-11 (0-7 frees).

Charlie McCarthy was a constant ball-winner, contributing 0-3, while Tadhg O’Dowd impressed at full-forward. Peader Egan, Josh Quill and Cian Hogan anchored the defence – Egan hitting the score of the night as he drove forward and landed a monster effort from deep. Ciaran Kelly added 0-2 as Midleton’s subs made a strong impact.

Sars’ evening worsened late on when Cuan McMahon suffered a collarbone injury, ruling him out for the rest of the championship.