Ballymartle’s finest hour

TO the wider hurling public Darren McCarthy has carved a reputation as an excellent goalkeeper with Cork underage teams but for his club Ballymartle he will forever be associated with his contributions outfield after the stunning conclusion to yesterday’s All-Ireland club IHC final in Croke Park.

With time ebbing away in this clash, an impressive Dicksboro team looked set to claim the club’s second national intermediate crown in six years and claim the scalp of a second South-East Cork team in the process.

Ballymartle trailed by 1-20 to 2-15 when McCarthy sized up a free 50 yards from the Hill 16 goal. McCarthy had produced a key performance over the hour, particularly when shifted from attack to midfield in the second-half, but he reserved his most significant input until the end when unleashing a dipping drive that deceived the Dicksboro defence and flew to the roof of the net.