U21 Hurling: Ben Geary stars again as Killeagh edge Bride Rovers in East Cork quarter-final
Killeagh’s Ben Geary in action during the P2 Minor Hurling Championship final against St Finbarrs’ Liam O’Regan. Picture: Chani Anderson
The soaring reputation of Ben Geary received another boost on Tuesday evening, as he starred in Killeagh’s Mulcahy Steel U21 A Hurling Championship quarter-final win over Bride Rovers at Aghavine.
The Killeagh minor – who scored 6-67 in the Premier 2 Minor HC this year and 2-7 in his first Junior A Hurling Championship appearance against St Ita’s – finished with 1-11.
Besides the 1-4 of that which came from play, Geary was fouled for three of his own frees and assisted former Cork minor Seán Meade for the second goal. Meade is not long back from injury after almost two years sidelined.
That quality had Killeagh seven points up with five to play, but they found themselves dragged into a finish they had no business being part of.
Denis Fitzgerald, having spent the evening keeping Cork senior Barry Walsh shackled, abandoned his post in the 56th minute, charged forward and powered to the net to cap a superb display. A couple of minutes later, Matthew Kenny fed Cormac O’Sullivan and the gap was three.
Geary won and converted a free to steady things, but seven minutes of stoppage time followed and Bride Rovers spent all of it hunting a goal.
Mícheál Walsh hit the post with a point attempt that Cormac Barry recovered, but Barry was felled before getting the shot away. A penalty there would not have been a surprise.
Rovers fought on, and Cathal Barry’s point brought the deficit to three again. Deep in added time, the Rathcormac/Bartlemy side had a close-range free to go for goal and the resulting 65 to drop on the square, but John Ogbebor – who put in a big shift – emerged with it to ensure Killeagh held firm.
Killeagh now face Sarsfields in the semi-final, but the manner of getting there will have given management plenty to ponder.
Wearing their maroon change jersey, Killeagh had enjoyed a strong early start and moved 0-4 to 0-0 in front, but Ronan O’Riordan dropped a long-range free in on top of the square and Cillian Barry reacted quickest in the ninth minute to finish to the net. Cormac Barry – faultless from frees – would then draw the teams level for the first of six times in that opening period.
Rovers even led on a couple of occasions as Killeagh were guilty of trying to force goal chances that weren’t there, but they closed out the half strongly, pulling two clear before Fionn Brennan set up Geary for a goal right before the break, leaving it 1-12 to 1-7 in Killeagh’s favour.
Ben Walsh was prominent at sweeper in that period and Cormac Deane supplied two assists and won the free for Geary’s opening score. The pair combined for a superb point in the 36th minute to push Killeagh eight clear, 1-15 to 1-7. That should have been the end of it. Instead, Rovers took six of the next seven scores.
Killeagh’s second goal was the lone interruption to that run, and it was a fine one.
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Cathal Brennan made a superb run before offloading to Geary, and he fed Meade, who buried it in the 41st minute. That left the score 2-15 to 1-10, and they should have been comfortable from there. But Rovers never go down without a fight.
B Geary 1-11 (0-6 f, 0-1 65), S Meade 1-2, C Deane 0-3, C O’Riordan, Ben Walsh, Barry Walsh (f), C Leahy 0-1 each.
Cormac Barry 0-11 (0-10 f), D Fitzgerald 1-0, Cillian Barry 1-0, C O’Sullivan, Cathal Barry, J Mannix, C O’Riordan, M Kenny, L Roche 0-1 each.
F Murphy; R O’Connor, H Connon; Ben Walsh; A Fogarty, C Brennan, C O’Riordan; A Brenner, C Deane; F Brennan, Barry Walsh, J Ogbebor; S Meade, C Leahy, B Geary.
J Colman for Brenner (HT), M Doherty for C Brennan (52-55 temp), J Farquhar for Leahy (56).
R O’Riordan; K Cotter, D Cashman, A Hynes; Cathal Barry; C O’Riordan, D Fitzgerald, C O’Sullivan; O Kielty, G O’Connell; Cillian Barry, Cormac Barry, J Mannix; M Kenny, L Roche.
R Barry for Cotter (35), B Knox for C O’Riordan (47), M Walsh for Kielty (54), S O’Dowd for Roche (60).
B Sweeney (Erin’s Own)
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