Senan Carroll strikes late as Midleton hold off Bride Rovers to win third straight East Cork U21 A HC title
Midleton players celebrate after defeating Bride Rovers in the Mulcahy Steel East Cork under 21'A' HC final at Aghavine. Picture; Eddie O'Hare
A repeat pairing, a repeat outcome – yet an East Cork U21 A Hurling Championship final that felt altogether different in its texture and tone.
Bride Rovers were much closer to bringing down Midleton this time around in Aghavine. County honours weren’t on the line here either, only divisional. And Midleton won it on Sunday without a number 10 jersey, Cathal Beasuang wearing 30 instead.
That number 10 had belonged last year to Darragh McCarthy, a young man who featured in every game in their 2024 run and scored a point in the final. His tragic passing, and that of club stalwart Ger Fitzgerald, cast a long shadow over their season, one made all the more meaningful by what followed.
Afterwards, co-captain Dave Cremin spoke of that loss. And he and Mikey Finn – the other joint-captain – produced performances that felt like tributes.
Still, for all the leadership and control, it needed one late, lightning strike from substitute Senan Carroll to finally see off Rovers. Because this one was hanging by a thread.
Bride Rovers, wind at their backs, had led for much of the first half and still held their nerve when Midleton turned the tide in the second. When Adam Walsh clipped over a free on 55 minutes – only Rovers’ second score of the half – the three-in-a-row chasing Magpies began to feel the squeeze.
Cormac Barry added another on the hour. The gap was down to two. Five minutes of injury time to come. Another Walsh free, one point in it now, and all the momentum going Bride Rovers way.
But then, in one move, Midleton ensured there would be no Rovers vengeance.
A stray line ball, Carthaigh Cronin intercepted. A quick offload to Finn. One long delivery that was carried by the the Aghavine wind. Dara Scanlon got a touch, Carroll swept in, recovered, darted right, raced at goal, then buried it in the 63rd minute.
Rovers, as ever, fought to the last. David Barry and Ronan O’Connell immense, Cormac Barry sharp and incisive, just two wides from the Rathcormac/Bartlemy men all game. But they just couldn’t find the late strike.
Midleton march on to the county section, with a two-in-a-row to chase there. A title defended, and a tribute fulfilled.
The start was rampant, Eoghan Fraser pulling off an excellent last ditch tackle to dispossess Jack Mannix and deny him a goal inside two minutes. Midleton worked it straight down the other end, Cremin had a shot drop short that Conor Morley recovered, he laid it off to Peter Barrett and the Midleton minor lashed it, goal.
But Rovers made strong use of the Aghavine wind, Adam Walsh and David Barry hitting back to get them within one.
They were level twice in the opening 15, Mannix again denied another goal chance, this time as Cronin and Tadhg O’Leary-Hayes intervened, but Rovers would establish control in the second quarter.
The contest itself was as fierce as the Aghavine gale. but Bride found a surge with it, seven of the next eight scores to leave it 0-12 to 1-3 after 26 minutes.
It was a spell where they made the most of every turnover and misplaced pass from the black and white, but a third Mikey Finn free, and two quickfire efforts from Cremin left Midleton just four behind at the interval, 0-13 to 1-6.
On the restart Evan McGrath had one back for the Magpies within nine seconds. Daragh Egan added another, gap at two.
And then, as Rovers had done in the first half with the breeze, Midleton hit seven of the next eight points – Cremin chipping in with two, Finn with frees and an outrageous sideline cut from just inside the 65.
From there, they looked set to coast home, until Rovers came roaring back, but Midleton found one last swing from Carroll.
M Finn 0-7 (0-5 f, 0-1 65, 0-1 sideline), P Barrett 1-1, D Cremin 0-4, S Carroll 1-0, E McGrath 0-2, D Egan 0-1.
A Walsh 0-7 (0-6 f, 0-1 65), D Barry 0-3, Cormac Barry, C O’Sullivan 0-2 each, J Mannix, Cillian Barry, M Kenny 0-1 each.
Z Smith; S McSharry, T O’Leary-Hayes, E Fraser; M McSweeney, C Cronin, C Lawton; D Egan, M Finn (jc); C Beausang, E McGrath, C Stack; D Cremin (jc), C Morley, P Barrett.
D Scanlon for Stack (HT), S Carroll for Morley, A Moloney for Egan (both 54), M Murphy for McSweeney (60+5).
R O’Riordan; J Aherne, D Cashman, D Fitzgerald; C Hazelwood (jc), C Tobin, L Collins; R O’Connell (jc), C O’Sullivan; D Barry, Cormac Barry, L Roche; A Walsh, J Mannix, Cillian Barry.
M Kenny for Roche (10 inj), C O’Riordan for Mannix (44), R O’Callaghan for Cillian Barry (55).
A O’Regan (Youghal)
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