Midleton crowned P1 U16 Hurling champions after victory over Ballincollig in replay
Midleton's Alfie Hennessy shoots from Ballincollig's Eanna Ó hUrnai during the Rebel Óg Under 16 Premier 1 HC final replay at Church road. Picture: Eddie O'Hare
After 120 minutes across two games, they could finally be separated. Midleton, sharper and steadier in the stretch, emerged as Premier 1 U16 Hurling champions at Church Road on Saturday after beating Ballincollig.
For an hour on Monday night they could not be split. For half an hour here, neither blinked again. It was 0-9 to 1-6 at the interval, Midleton closing with three on the bounce to wipe out Bobby Power’s first-quarter goal. And that was the platform they needed.
The second half wasn’t pretty. It was attritional, scrappy, neither side making hay. Ballincollig were muzzled in the half-forward line, Midleton guilty of taking the ball into traffic when the strike was on.
But when Liam Walsh clipped over a pair of frees either side of one from distance through Finn Cahill, Midleton were three clear after 43 minutes. Power, inevitable as the tide, cut it back with a wonder point from the tightest of angles – Ballincollig’s first score in 23 minutes, and still only their second scorer on the board.
That told the story. Midleton, by contrast, found men to hit.
Ciarán Kelly stood tall with a huge effort, substitute Rory Nolan landed the next, Alex Molumby followed, and suddenly the Magpies had daylight at 0-15 to 1-7.
Ballincollig, as ever, refused to fold, no matter how daunting the task was. Jack Costello worked the ball through Cal McCarthy and Evan Stack to tee up Power for another. Stack then created one for McCarthy himself, and the margin was back to three with five to play, 0-15 to 1-9.
Yet Midleton always had the answers. Cahill calmed them with a free before producing the play of the match: a soaring catch on the edge of his own square, striking forward to release Kelly, who nailed his third. It was the point that sealed it in the 58th minute, even if there was still a scare to come.
Éanna Lynch almost snuck in for a late Ballincollig goal, but Will Stokes – ice cool – came tearing out to dispossess rather than save. Eoin Harris nicked a consolation point, but Walsh, as assured as ever, nailed the final free to restore the five-point cushion and send the black-and-white into rapture.
The first half had been much tighter. Midleton edged the start, 0-3 to 0-1, before Ballincollig levelled and then struck gold.
Costello – stationed as a sweeper again – and it paid dividends in the opening quarter. He linked with Éanna Ó hUrnaí, whose long delivery caused chaos in front of the Midleton goal. Power pounced, rattled the net, and Ballincollig were four up after 13 minutes.
Midleton’s response was swift, assured, and significant. Hennessy – who worked tirelessly – Walsh and Kelly reeled off three in a row, while Tadhg O’Dowd was switched onto Costello to curb his influence, and the gap tightened.
Two Power frees restored a three-point buffer for the Village, but Midleton closed out with Walsh on target twice and a sweet effort from Charlie McCarthy to make it all square again at the interval.
From there, the Magpies never looked back. Not outstanding, but assured enough, and crowned worthy champions.
And there’s no rest for either – the hurling chapter goes to the Magpies, but these two will do it all again in their P1 U16 football final on Wednesday, October 1.
L Walsh 0-6 f, C Kelly 0-3, F Cahill (2 fs), J O’Sullivan 0-2 each, C O’Brien, A Hennessy, C McCarthy, A Molumby, R Nolan 0-1 each.
B Power 1-7 (0-5 f), S O’Brien, C McCarthy, E Harris 0-1 each.
W Stokes; B Dunlea, J Quill; F Cahill; C Hogan, P Egan, R McCormack; A Hennessy, A Molumby; C McCarthy, C Kelly, L Walsh; J O’Sullivan, T O’Dowd, C O’Brien.
P Spellman for Quill (30 inj), R Nolan for O’Dowd (34), J Cahill for O’Brien (58).
K Coomey; S Richmond, L Higgins, E Stack; J Costello; E Harris, J O’Sullivan, J Harrington; J Miskella, E Ó hUrnaí; B Power, C McCarthy, E Lynch; D Murphy, S O’Brien.
F Lordan for O’Sullivan (HT), C Murphy for Murphy (57).
P O’Mahony (Kilbrittain)
App?
