P2 Minor HC: Sam Ring scores 1-23 as Carrigtwohill edge 14-man Blackrock after extra time
Jarlath Cullimore, Carrigtwohill getting his pass away watched by Shane O'Shaughnessy, Blackrock in their Rebel Óg Premier 2 U18 MHC quarter final match at the Mardyke, Cork. Picture Dan Linehan
Minor hurling simply never disappoints. After extra time, it was Carrigtwohill, spearheaded by Sam Ring’s outrageous tally of 1-23 that edged a five-goal thriller against 14-man Blackrock in the Premier 2 Minor Hurling Championship quarter-final at the Mardyke on Wednesday evening.
Having been level, 1-22 to 2-19 at the close of normal time, parity stood once more at the break in extra time, 2-26 to 3-23.
But in the final 10 of 80 minutes of hurling, Ring and Tom Walsh, who combined for 1-28 of their scoring, dragged Carrigtwohill to a dogged four-point win to set up a semi-final with St Finbarr's.
Level for the eighth and final time after 72 minutes, Ring would hit the next three in a row, assisted for two from play by Walsh, the duo punishing Blackrock at every chance.
When defender Cillian Murphy surged forward to land their fourth point on the spin and put Carrig as many ahead with 77 minutes gone, that was it. Hammer, nail, coffin for the Rockies.
Cork minor and U16 Ring’s 1-23 came with only three wides. And yet, his influence wasn’t just in attack. He pulled off a block on Daire McClafferty, and immediately after, Rian O’Riordan saw red for an off-ball incident with Walsh.
The Rockies had one last roll of the dice. A brilliant delivery from Michael Quill was pulled on by Andrew Hurley in the 79th minute, but to no avail. After 80 minutes, they fell agonisingly short.
It took Carrig 16 seconds to blast home their second major, Cillian Rooney to Tom Walsh, straight to Ring, and he rifled into the net, 2-22 to 2-19. But the Rockies response wasn’t far away.
Two frees from Liam Cummins, who finished with 1-14, sandwiched Walsh’s fifth point from play, before the Rockies found their lifeline. Quill’s long delivery, a clash of hurleys in the air, the net rippled, and Alex Geary wheeled away in celebration having put the Rockies one ahead.
But Ring would have Carrig back level by the break, and ahead when it mattered.
And yet normal time had been just as gripping. Carrig’s comeback was sensational.
At the 52nd minute, they trailed by five, the Rockies’ largest lead. But the brilliance of Ring and Walsh ensured they would drag it back. Three points from placed balls courtesy of Ring, but it would have been a return of 1-2 for Carrig had Walsh not been blocked superbly by McClafferty.
And two minutes later Blackrock almost had another major. Conor Stack’s short shot was spilled by Adam Lee and Geary surged in to kick it, but the flag was white, not green.
And then Carrig came surging forward at the other end. Cathal Seymour with the long delivery, Walsh with an outrageous catch, Ben Fitzgerald with a brilliant shot, only bested by Fionn O’Keeffe’s save.
Carrig fought on. Ring with two frees. Walsh with another brilliant score to level it for the third time. Into the red the clock went. Cummins nudged Blackrock ahead with a free, from the puckout it was Walsh again, the take, the strike, the score, earning Carrig another 20 minutes.
A remarkable comeback, but after their first half showing, it wouldn’t have looked necessary. They raced 0-4 to nothing clear, Ring with all of them.
The Rockies fought on, but the margin remained, 0-7 to 0-3 after 18 minutes. Then came Carrig’s first major, Fitzgerald with a brilliant poacher’s effort, and celebrated with Ring after the latter’s delivery.
It was 1-9 to 0-4 after 25 minutes, but the Rockies roared back. Cummins, Cork minor Shane O’Shaughnessy, Hurley and Rowan Moran each with points. But the big moment came just before the short whistle O’Shaughnessy with a rasping finish to the net to leave it 1-10 to 1-8.
By the 36th minute, Blackrock had taken the lead. Lee had stopped Jack Punch’s initial goal attempt, but couldn’t deny Cummins on the follow up, 2-10 to 1-11.
Carrig would draw level twice, but six points from the 43rd to 48th minutes, five from Cummins gave the Rockies a four point lead. But there was plenty more to come.
S Ring 1-23 (0-17 f, 0-3 65), T Walsh 0-5, B Fitzgerald 1-0, C Seymour, J O’Connor, C Murphy 0-1 each.
L Cummins 1-14 (0-11 f, 0-2 65), R Moran, A Geary 1-2 each, S O’Shaughnessy 0-2, A Hurley, K Long, D Norberg, J Punch 0-1 each.
A Lee; R O’Keeffe, C Cashell, C Murphy; K Kidney, C Rooney, J Cullimore; T Walsh, C Seymour; R Dolan, D McCarthy, J O’Connor; B Fitzgerald, S Ring, J Flanagan.
F O’Keeffe; R O’Riordan, J Browne, D McClafferty; P McCarthy, D Norberg, M Quill; A Hurley, K Long; C Stack, S O’Shaughnessy, R Moran; L Cummins, A Geary, J Punch.
S Ó Sé for Browne (46), R O’Neill for Long (68).
C McAllister (Aghada)
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