Classy Carrigtwohill stun Blarney to reach Senior A Hurling final

Carrigtwohill: 0-25 

Blarney: 0-21 

A performance full of character, grit and determination as Carrigtwohill deservedly defeated Blarney in the Co-Op SuperStores SAHC semi-final at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Saturday evening.

Rank outsiders before throw-in, the Imokilly side turned the books upside down with their best performance of the season by a stretch as they roared into the final against fellow divisional side Erin’s Own.

Denis Walsh’s team have come a long way since their opening-round defeat to Inniscarra, and when you take into account that they are also without key forward Seán Walsh due to injury, it’s impressive stuff.

They had a slow start here, trailing by three, but once they hit their stride — well coached by John Dwyer — there was a buzz about them.

From captain Aaron Walsh-Barry in the full-back line to full-forward Liam O’Sullivan, who was a handful, it was as close to a ten-out-of-ten display as you could get.

Blarney, without Pádraig Power due to injury, were flat by their usual standards. Their shot selection and composure deserted them most notably in the second half when the game was still alive.

They made all the early running, leading 0-4 to 0-1 after nine minutes, with midfielder Denis McSweeney landing two long-range efforts.

Carrigtwohill, not for the first time this season, showed their resilience, with Seán de Búrca and Justin Oke helping their team gain a foothold.

Patrick Walsh and a James Mulcahy free cut the gap and, even though Mark Coleman pointed for Blarney, their opposition rallied off three white flags on the trot — Cian O’Riordan, Walsh and another Mulcahy free — to lead for the first time, 0-6 to 0-5 after 17 minutes.

In a topsy-turvy opening 30 minutes where both sides struggled for consistency and wayward shooting played its part, Carrigtwohill still held a slender one-point lead four minutes before the break, 0-9 to 0-8. O’Riordan’s score from near the sideline was the pick of them.

Shane Barrett tied matters with an easy free, but the momentum was with the men from Imokilly. They were slicker, and Matthew Barrett plus two glorious Walsh efforts gave Carrigtwohill a three-point buffer at half-time, 0-12 to 0-9.

Carrigtwohill probably deserved to be further ahead on the restart and were unlucky not to goal after Barrett’s well-struck shot rattled the crossbar following a clever pass from Oke.

The sides traded points before O’Riordan and Daniel Nolan extended their lead out to five after 35 minutes, 0-15 to 0-10.

A Shane Barrett free was followed by an inspirational Cathal Hegarty effort, but it didn’t lift the Muskerry side straightaway — two quick-fire Carrigtwohill points restored their five-point advantage.

The East Cork side were answering pretty much everything Blarney threw at them. They hit three of the next five points to lead 0-20 to 0-14 with 12 minutes to go, with Oke once again showing his class in midfield.

A Mark Coleman beauty from a sideline cut kept Blarney in touch, but time was against them.

Sub Shane Mulcahy and Cathal Hegarty pointed to reduce the margin to a goal, but Mulcahy settled Carrigtwohill with a neat white flag.

The sides swapped points as Carrigtwohill led 0-22 to 0-18 after 55 minutes.

Barrett converted a free, but another Mulcahy placed ball kept breathing room between the sides.

Walsh extended the lead to five as we entered added time.

Eoghan Kirby pointed for Blarney, but they really required a green flag. Another Coleman 65 left a one-score game in it, but Carrigtwohill weren’t to be denied.

A Mulcahy free made sure of it as they powered into the final.

Scorers for Carrigtwohill: J Mulcahy 0-7 (0-6 f), P Walsh 0-6, C O’Riordan 0-5, M Barrett (0-1 f), D Nolan 0-3 each, D Murnane 0-1.

Blarney: S Barrett 0-8 (0-6 f), M Coleman 0-4 (0-2 65, 0-1 SL), D McSweeney, C Hegarty, E Kirby 0-2 each, C Power, D Hanlon, S Mulcahy 0-1 each.

CARRIGTWOHILL: S Devlin; B Twomey, A Walsh-Barry (c), P O’Sullivan; S Brennan, S de Búrca, D Murnane; J Horgan, J Oke; D Nolan, M Barrett, C O’Riordan; J Mulcahy, L O’Sullivan, P Walsh.

Subs: C Barry for J Horgan (38, inj), M O’Connor for D Nolan (52), T Hogan for L O’Sullivan (60).

BLARNEY: C Murphy; S Crowley, C Power, A McEvoy; O Hegarty, M Coleman, S Mullane; D McSweeney, P Crowley (c); D Hanlon, S Barrett, C Hegarty; E Kirby, C Barrett, J Murphy.

Subs: S Mulcahy for J Murphy (38), M O’Leary for D Hanlon (47), J O’Keeffe for M Coleman (48–49, temp), P Philpott for S Crowley (55), J O’Keeffe for S Mullane (63).

Referee: Patrick O’Mahony (Kilbrittain).