Midleton leave it late to put away Erin's Own in East Cork U21 A Hurling quarter-final
Midleton's Peter Barrett top scored with 0-11 (0-6 f). Picture; Eddie O'Hare
Midleton’s East Cork U21 four-in-a-row bid survived its first test, but this was far from secure for long stretches. It took Conor Morley’s goal 10 minutes from time to finally put Erin’s Own away in Carrigtwohill on Wednesday evening.
The Magpies, champions in each of the last three seasons and beaten county finalists last year, had gone six clear early in the second half and looked as though they might see it out comfortably.
Instead, Erin’s Own reeled off three on the spin – a Finn O’Brien free, a point from sweeper Peter O’Shea and another from Brian Nolan – to leave it 1-15 to 1-12 with 49 minutes played, and the holders were feeling the squeeze, until Morley erased it inside a minute.
It was a clever move, Cian Stack pulling first time to Peter Barrett, who did likewise as he forwarded it to Morley. The full-forward picked it, turned and darted for goal. He buried it powerfully.
From there, the Caherlag side needed a goal of their own and never looked like getting one. O’Brien slotted three more frees, each answered by a Midleton score, and the gap stayed at six to the finish. Midleton now meet Carrigtwohill in the Mulcahy Steel East Cork U21 A semi-final, with Killeagh and Sarsfields in the other.
On this evidence, the championship is wide open.
Erin’s Own set up with O’Shea dropping into the pocket in front of their full-back line, while Midleton shared sweeping duties between the outstanding Cárthaigh Cronin and Cork minor Finn Cahill.
The Magpies were without star minor Cian Lawton while Erin’s Own’s Shane Irwin was also absent through injury.
The early running was all Midleton’s, Barrett scoring five of their first six points, two from play, as they led 0-6 to 0-1 after 18 minutes.
Cork U20 O’Brien, a handful all day for Midleton senior Tomás Dunlea, dragged Erin’s Own back into it with three points from play, leaving it 0-6 to 0-5 after 23 minutes. And when he picked out Tiernan Connell with a sublime pass two minutes later, Connell rifled to the net to put them in front by one, 1-5 to 0-7.
That lead lasted a mere minute, though, as Barrett’s dropping effort was broken by Dara Scanlon, and Stack arrived to flick home, raising the green flag at the other end to put Midleton back in front.
A Matt O’Riordan free and Ryan Dineen point had Erin’s Own level at the break, 1-7 apiece. Both sides will have been disappointed with their inefficiency – Midleton had seven wides at the break and Erin’s Own nine – but the Magpies were far slicker in the third quarter.
Barrett pointed them in front 15 seconds after the restart, while Stack assisted Eoghan Fraser and then scored one himself after a good pass from Carroll, leaving it 1-10 to 1-7 two minutes into the second half.
Connell responded for Erin’s Own but the Magpies would reel off the next four unanswered, including a free from Max Murphy that was converted from inside Midleton’s own 65.
From that position they looked likely to push on, and while Erin’s Own threatened another comeback, Morley’s goal ensured Midleton had the final say.
P Barrett 0-11 (0-6 f), C Stack 1-1, C Morley 1-0, S Carroll 0-3, E Fraser, M Murphy (f), D Scanlon 0-1 each.
F O’Brien 0-8 (0-5 f), T Connell 1-1, B Nolan, P O’Shea, S Foley, R Dineen, M O’Riordan (f), J McGrath 0-1 each.
Z Smith; T Dunlea, M McSweeney; F Cahill; M Murphy, C Cronin, J Hogan; E Fraser, D Egan; N Coughlan, S Carroll, P Barrett; D Scanlon, C Morley, C Stack.
A Molumby for Coughlan (53), J O’Sullivan for Scanlon (55), S McSharry for Murphy (60).
F Kelly; S Hennessy, D Collins, B Nolan; P O’Shea; C Dunphy, T Connell, D O’Connell; T O’Riordan, R Dineen; J McGrath, M O’Riordan, S Foley; C Power, F O’Brien.
J Norton for T O’Riordan (HT), F Morrissey for Power (37), J Hoare for Hennessy (46), D Mulcahy for McGrath (58).
D Butler (Carrigtwohill).
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