SAHC: Bride Rovers hit four goals to see off Courceys
Courcey Rovers' Rory O'Callaghan fights for possession with Bride Rovers' Conor Gazelwood and Adam Walsh. Picture: Noel Sweeney
A clinical performance from Bride Rovers enabled them to see off Courcey Rovers in the Co Op Superstores Senior A hurling championship at the Teddy McCarthy Park in Riverstown on Friday.
There is little doubt the second half display from the winners was right from the top drawer with four goals executed in a 20-minute period of which two came from the stick of Cork Senior hurling panelist Brian Roche with Conlaith Ryan producing two more.
The opening exchanges were played at frantic pace with both teams missing few opportunities in front of goal and in the space of 22 minutes we had a 10- point tally.
In this short period we witnessed some cracking hurling with Bride Rovers having a good spread of scoring and when Louie Roche split the posts midway through the half they extended their lead to three points 0-7 to 0-4.
After going nine minutes without a score Courcey’s Daniel O’Donovan produced a wonderful strike that reduced the deficit to three points in the 18th minute.
On each occasion the Rathcormac outfit threatened to get on a run Courcey’s responded with some beautiful points.
One noticeable aspect was the striking of Richard Sweetman and when he split the posts in the 29th minute it reduced the deficit further to 0-11 to 0-9.
The closing minutes was competed with sheer vigour by both sides and it was fitting Sweetman would take his tally to five points with a free deep into added time that left the minimum between the sides 0-12 to 0-11.
On the restart Rovers got a crucial goal in the 33rd minute when Conleith Ryan exposed poor Courcey’s defending to drill a low shot to the corner of the net.
There is little doubt Bride Rovers increased the tempo and when Ryan drilled in his second goal in the 46th minute the writing was on the wall for Courcey’s.
Roche then added two more green flags and with Courcey’s keeper Michael O’Donovan receiving a straight red in attempting to stop Roche finding the back of the net for his second green flag it was backs to the wall.
Credit to Courcey’s they battled back in the closing minutes with 14 men and despite two late Daniel O’Donovan goals it was little too late as they now find themselves on the brink of elimination from the championship.
A Walsh 0-8 (0-5 f), B Roche 2-1, C Ryan 2-1, C O’Sullivan 0-5, S O’Connor 0-3, L Roche C Barry, J Mannix, L Roche 0-1 each.
R Sweetman 0-9 (0-8 f), D O’Donovan 2-2, A O’Donovan 0-3, R O’Callaghan 0-3, B Ryan 0-1.
C Hogan; J Peters, E Roche, D Cashman; C Hazlewood, C Tobin, S O’Connor; C O’Sullivan, D Barry; C Ryan, C Barry, A Walsh; K Kearney, B Roche, L Roche.
P O’Callaghan for K Kearney (31), C Barry for L Roche (41), J Mannix for R O’Connell (52).
M O’Donovan; D Collins, F Lordan, K Collins; O Crowley, C Roche, L Collins; D J Twomey, M Collins; D O’Donovan, R Sweetman, R O’Callaghan; A O’Donovan, B Collins, T O’Sullivan.
D Lordan for D Collins (21), B Ryan for O Crowley (41), C Crowley for B Collins (41), G Moore for T O’Sullivan (inj 51).
Simon Stokes (Tullylease).
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