Premier 1 MHC: Ballincollig's late surge earns draw with Carrigaline but both bow out
Carrigaline's Luke Jordan clears from Brian Cronin of Ballincollig. Picture: Bernard Laverty
Ballincollig finished strongly to share the spoils with home side Carrigaline, but a draw was no good for either team in this tense final group game in the Cork ETB Premier 1 MHC on Wednesday night.
There were plenty of permutations coming into this Section 1 Round 3 tie, but both sides knew a win was essential, with Ballincollig aware that two points would at least secure a play-off. They led by a point at half-time, but given the strength of the wind, that slender advantage was unlikely to be enough.
Carrigaline managed to find goals, and Charlie Hanratty’s green flag late on proved important in several ways at a time when Ballincollig were getting on top around the middle.
In fairness, the Village finished with a swagger, hitting three points to draw level, but they ran out of time and ultimately finished third, a point behind both Glen Rovers and Na Piarsaigh.
It was tit-for-tat early on, the sides level at 0-3 apiece after nine minutes as both tried to adjust to the strong wind. Darragh Crowley’s booming effort was the pick of the scores, the Ballincollig defender coming forward to slot over arguably the score of the game.
Ballincollig had the wind in the first half, and Cork minor hurler Bobby Power pointed to give his side the lead. But Carrigaline were hurling well, with Eoghan Ahern on a pile of ball in midfield.
They struck a fortuitous goal 15 minutes in when Cillian Murphy’s long-range effort found its way into the net as it travelled through a crowd of bodies. The goalscorer extended the advantage to three before Ballincollig took over, 1-4 to 0-4.
The Muskerry men hit five unanswered white flags, with Power and Luke O’Mahony landing two each — Power converting one from a free — and Cal McCarthy adding another. The final score in that run was well taken from McCarthy after good play from Daithí Murphy.
A Ronan Murphy free left one between the sides before they traded efforts, Ballincollig leading 0-10 to 1-6 at the interval.
Carrigaline, now wind-assisted, had a goal chance almost immediately, but Hanratty’s effort went narrowly wide. They landed two of the first three points of the second half, with Cork minor Ahern pushed into the full-forward line to good effect, scoring among those efforts.
Kevin Walsh bisected the posts for the Village, but a pair of Conor Murphy points gave Carrigaline a 1-10 to 0-12 lead after 41 minutes.
The game ticked along with both sides cancelling each other out. It was level at 1-12 to 0-15 with ten minutes remaining, and it looked like Ballincollig might have the quality to push on.
O’Mahony, who had a fine game, pointed, but 1-1 without reply from Carrigaline proved crucial. Ahern got a point before Hanratty unleashed an unstoppable shot into the roof of the net with four minutes left, making it 2-13 to 0-16.
Ballincollig had to go for it, given a draw was of no use. They landed the last three points — Brian Cronin, James Harrington and a Power free — to level the match. They didn’t have enough time to mount one final chance, their brave finish proving in vain.
Both sides’ championship ends here.
Cillian Murphy, C Hanratty 1-1 each, R Murphy (0-2 f, 0-1 65), Conor Murphy 0-3 each, E Ahern, L Jordan 0-2 each, F Walsh 0-1.
B Power 0-8 (0-5 f), L O’Mahony 0-4, C McCarthy 0-3, J Harrington, B Cronin, D Crowley, K Walsh 0-1 each.
T Laverty; D Carroll, J Scannell, C Buckley; D Ó Beoláin, R Murphy, G O’Brien; M Kiernan, E Ahern; Cillian Murphy, C Hanratty, O Lynch; F Walsh, L Jordan, Conor Murphy.
B McCarthy for F Walsh (51), J O’Grady for Cillian Murphy (57).
K Coomey; D Crowley, L Higgins, J Harrington; E Stack, J Costello, E Lynch; B Cronin, L O’Mahony; C McCarthy, J Miskella, E Ó hÚrnaí; D Murphy, B Power, K Walsh.
O Ryan for D Murphy (56).
Anthony O’Regan (Kilbrittain).
App?
