St Finbarr’s 0-10 Castlehaven 1-7

With 26 county senior championships wins between them, you can count on near city neighbours Nemo Rangers and St Finbarr’s producing pretty fierce rivalry.

Though they didn’t have it all their own way in the opening half, St Finbarr’s turned in an eye-catching second-half exhibition of point-taking to comfortably see off the challenge of Newmarket at Mallow on Saturday night.

Cork county champions Nemo Rangers must plan without James Masters for the coming campaign as the star forward has opted out to concentrate on competing in iron-man triathlons.

GREATER composure in front of goal ensured Cork set up a first meeting of the season with Kerry as they accounted for their hosts in the McGrath Cup at the Gaelic Grounds yesterday.

AN inexperienced Cork outfit coped successfully without the bulk of their All-Ireland winners as they breezed past the challenge of Waterford IT in yesterday’s McGrath Cup preliminary round tie in Páirc Ui Rinn.

Cork defender Michael Shields, who skippered the Rebels to National Football League honours last year, is set to miss the opening stages of the 2011 campaign due to pre-arranged travel plans.

ALAN O’CONNOR and Kevin McMahon are the only two members of Cork’s All-Ireland senior football winning squad set for action for the Rebels’ 2011 season bow in Sunday’s McGrath Cup opener against Waterford IT at Páirc Uí Rinn.

A GOAL by Alan Cronin deep in injury time gave county champions Nemo Rangers a dramatic victory over St Finbarr’s in the Red FM Division One league final at Páirc Uí Rinn last night.

THE natural order of club football matters on Leeside has been restored.

IN the majority of senior football clubs in Cork, the ambition is to win one county every decade.

IT’S a measure of the greatness of this Nemo Rangers setup that they have delivered such a formidable riposte to last year’s quarter-final championship exit.

LONG serving St Finbarr’s stalwart Michael Ryan had his career plans mapped out before last season’s county senior football final.

IT’S an all-city Cork SFC final, a battle between probably the two best sides in the county at the moment, as St Finbarr’s – albeit, riding their luck – wore down wasteful Carbery Rangers under lights at Pairc Ui Rinn on Saturday to book a final date with Nemo Rangers.

DRAMA and excitement in equal measure in Dunmanway on Saturday when St Finbarr’s survived a courageous O’Donovan Rossa challenge in this Evening Echo Cork SFC fourth round clash.

THIS was as mystifying as the corresponding fixture last year.

FOR the third year in a row, Cork and Kerry clash at the opening stage of the U21 grade and each of the previous meetings has produced the All-Ireland champions.

IT may have been a routine affair for long stretches, but yesterday’s Evening Echo Cork SFC final in Páirc Uí Chaoimh still managed to conjure up a breathless finish.

ST FINBARR’S are back in a senior final for the first time since 1993 following a deserved victory over favourites Carbery in an entertaining Evening Echo Cork county SFC semi-final at a Pairc Ui Rinn last night.

St Finbarr’s 2-9Macroom 0-6

Coláiste Chríost Rí 5-11Coláiste Choilm 1-4