Harty Cup: Midleton CBS held to draw as Ardscoil Rís level late
Midleton CBS' Conor Ronayne breaks past the Ardscoil Rís defence and solos toward the goal. Picture: Noel Sweeney
A twist to the Dr Harty Cup group of death. No separation would be found here between first-round victors Ardscoil Rís and losers Midleton CBS, just as in the other Group 2 fixture between Nenagh CBS and Gaelcholáiste Mhuire.
All four schools remain in mathematical contention, but how it could have been very different here in Kilmallock on Wednesday. Parity was the fairest outcome; both could have lost here as easily as they could have won.
Midleton and Ardscoil were level eight times throughout the game, three times in the final five minutes. But this was a tale of two halves. In the first period you had Ardscoil, with Xavier Neligan immense in midfield. He secured umpteen possessions from Midleton puckouts and loose ball, causing havoc in the middle third.
Neligan was ably assistant by Shane Waters – who was superb at centre-forward – and Alex Kearns, who dropped deep to play the auxiliary midfielder role.
That trio gave the Limerick school complete supremacy. From the sixth to the 27th minute Midleton did not raise a single white flag. A penalty goal from goalkeeper Tom C Walsh was their only score in that period, and how vital it proved.
By the end of the first half, Ardscoil’s lead stood at two, 0-10 to 1-5.
Then, in the second period, you had Midleton CBS and their change of tactics. Tom A Walsh came into the sweeping role, and immediately swung this contest. The dominance Ardscoil enjoyed in the first half faded, and their lead was eradicated.
Walsh’s first action in the spare man role was to hoover up a loose ball and set up Alex Fogarty to leave the margin at one. Ben Geary, who was well marshalled by William Ryan but fouled for the penalty and two frees, levelled again with a 36th minute free.
Fogarty’s point was one of four scores from play in the second half. Only one of those four points was an Ardscoil effort, when Kearns assisted Waters for a 55th-minute point, leaving it 1-11 to 0-14.
And that was down to how impenetrable the CBS defence was in the second period, as both Rian O’Connell and Finn Cahill produced crucial hooks.
But it was Kearns’ composure that rescued the Limerick school in the closing stages. He had nudged Ardscoil ahead on 57 minutes, but two minutes later Dylan Mulcahy was felled and Geary sent it between the post. Less than 60 seconds later Cormac Deane won another free, and goalkeeper Walsh sent it over to take his tally to 1-3 and give Midleton the lead.
And when another placed ball opportunity arrived for Kearns, he made no mistake, levelling it in the 61st minute.
Ardscoil even had a chance to win it in the dying seconds when Waters forced a turnover and shot, but his long-range effort full just shy, ensuring the points would be shared.
Ardscoil Rís can lose to Nenagh in the final round and still go through, while Midleton will need to beat the AG, and hope for a Nenagh CBS win over Ardscoil. Somewhere in there they’ll need to swing the scoring difference by 15.
Tom C Walsh (1-3, 1-0 pen, 0-3 f), B Geary (0-6, 0-5 f), C Deane, C Ronayne, J O’Sullivan, A Fogarty (0-1 each).
A Kearns (0-7, 0-5 f), S Waters (0-4, 0-2 f), T Slattery (0-3), E O’Sullivan (0-2).
Tom C Walsh (Aghada); F Cahill (Midleton), R O’Connell (Fr O’Neill’s), D Guiney (Lisgoold); A Fogarty (Killeagh), Tom A Walsh (Carrigtwohill), S Carroll (Midleton); A Hennessy (Midleton), A Brenner (Killeagh); C Ronayne (Kiltha Óg), C Deane (Killeagh), D Sheehan (St Colman’s); J O’Sullivan (Midleton), B Geary (Killeagh), S Ring (Carrigtwohill).
D Mulcahy (Erin’s Own) for Sheahan (38), D Murphy (Lisgoold) for Ring (59).
S Collins (Crecora-Manister); J Canty (Adare), W Ryan (Murroe-Boher), E Ryan (South Liberties); R Collins (Adare), E Hennessy (Patrickswell); C Butler (Patrickswell); X Neligan (Kilmallock), T Slattery (Clarecastle); I O’Brien (Cratloe), S Waters (Na Piarsaigh), A Kearns (Na Piarsaigh); E O’Sullivan (Adare), R Horgan (Murroe-Boher), G O’Brien (Kilmallock).
B Galvin (Ballybrown) for Horgan (45), C Hickey (Crecora-Manister) for Ryan (48).
J O’Halloran (Bruree, Limerick)
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