Courageous Carrig set up plum clash with Midleton

THE last four of the Cork SHC will have a novel appearance this season as Carrigtwohill bridged a 58-year gap since they last featured at that stage after they claimed the spoils against Cloyne in an enthralling quarter-final tie in Páirc Uí Chaoimh yesterday.

It was a superb success for Carrigtwohill, as they overcame a five-week hiatus from competitive action to rack up an impressive total of 1-20 over the hour and stave off the determined efforts of Cloyne in a frantic finish. A late Cloyne scoring spree that saw them strike 1-4 in the closing 12 minutes with Chris Smith finding the net, succeeded in cutting the gap to one but the defiance of the Carrigtwohill rearguard ensured they did not break through for a levelling score. And when the opportunity presented itself to wing-forward Stephen Kidney to hit the insurance point in injury-time, he duly obliged with a glorious shot from the right wing.

Carrigtwohill’s resilience was demonstrated here as they proved again their ability to cope without a host of established names. Jason Barrett, Ronan Power, Brian Lordan, Seamie O’Farrell and Andrew Garde were all sidelined with injuries before the start and 11 minutes in, Matthew Foley was forced to retire with a broken finger.