St Colman's edge out Blackwater to reach Harty Cup knockout stages

St Colman’s Fermoy 1-11 Blackwater CS Lismore 1-8 

St Colman’s booked their place in the knockout phase of the Harty Cup following a hard-fought victory over Blackwater CS Lismore on Wednesday afternoon.

A second-half showpiece spearheaded by Sam McCarthy and Alan Cotter saw the Fermoy lads put five consecutive scores on the board while holding their wasteful opponents scoreless for 26 minutes.

Blackwater took the early advantage in Castlelyons. Sean Óg Costin’s low effort dragged across goal in the second minute only for Shane Landers to guide it home unmarked at the far post.

Colman’s Sam McCarthy put his side’s first point on the board two minutes later. O’Connor and Colman’s talisman Alan Cotter traded frees before Matthew Kenny raised the first green flag for the men in green.

Kenny collected a wayward effort from Sam McCarthy on the endline, spun and buried it past Blackwater keeper Mikey Ware.

Blackwater responded well though, clocking up three of the next four scores. Paul Hegarty split the tall posts from range in the 16th minute before a Hugo Quann double had them back in front.

Another Cotter free from close drew the sides level once again before a towering Finn O’Connor effort before the short whistle gave the Lismore men the advantage. 1-5 to 1-4 at the break.

The Fermoy lads came out the hungrier in the second stanza though. An excellent Shane McCarthy double set Colman’s on their way early in the half, the second of those fired with surgeon’s precision through a crowd of Blackwater defenders on the 45 metre line.

A couple of Cotter frees either side of a barren ten-minute spell for both teams had the Fermoy school up by three before a well-taken Matthew Kenny point extended that advantage to four with seven to play.

Hugo Quann broke the Blackwater duck with four minutes to spare, giving his men a modicum of hope but McCarthys Tadhg and Sam (the eventual Man of the Match) nabbed a point-a-piece to confirm the victory.

Scorers for St Colman’s: A Cotter 0-5 f, M Kenny 1-1, S McCarthy 0-4, T McCarthy 0-1.

Blackwater: S Landers 1-0, H Quann 0-3, F O’Connor 0-2 (1f), P Hegarty, S Óg Costin, K Dunne 0-1 each.

ST COLMANS': D Collins (Kilworth); J Batterberry (Ballycastle Gaels), J Mullery (Fermoy), A Casey (Watergrasshill); D Fitzgerald (Bride Rovers), C Barry (Bride Rovers), PJ Powell (Ballycastle Gaels); C Scanlan (Bride Rovers), D Twomey (Ballycastle Gaels); M Walsh (Bride Rovers), A Cotter (St Catherine's), S McCarthy (Castlelyons); O Hegarty (Kilworth), T McCarthy (Watergrasshill), M Kenny (Bride Rovers).

Subs: F O’Driscoll (Bride Rovers) for D Twomey (41), R Molumphy (Ballyduff Upper) for M Walsh (48), H O’Brien (Kilworth) for M Kenny (59).

BLACKWATER: M Ware (St Oliver’s); J Tarmey (Lismore), C Lynch (St Oliver’s), T Lynch (St Oliver’s); G Morrisson (Lismore), C Moore (Lismore), J Kiely (Lismore); H Quann (Lismore), K Dunne (Lismore), A Cummins (Lismore), F O’Connor (Lismore), R Duffin (Lismore); S Landers (Lismore), S Óg Costin (St Oliver’s), P Hegarty (Cois Bhríde).

Subs: J Morrison (Lismore) for S Landers (HT), T Forbes (Cois Bhríde) for R Duffin (45), E Collins (Ballyduff Upper) for J Kiely (50), C MacCraith (An Gaeltacht) for F O’Connor (57), R Fitzgerald (Naomh Bríd) for G Morrison (62).

Referee: Canice Walsh (Nemo Rangers)