Nemo simply Mastersful

Nemo Rangers 3-10 Bantry Blues 1-5

Ominous words from delighted Nemo Rangers coach Ephie Fitzgerald after a powerful performance which saw his charges knock Bantry Blues out of the Evening Echo Cork County SFC in woeful conditions at Castlehaven on Saturday.

The roving James Masters was a class act for Nemo, his appetite to be involved kept an already stretched Bantry defence on constant alert and his kicking was sublime. His five first-half points were exquisite and his 1-6 total went a along way to earning Nemo a semi-final meeting with Aghada.

Joe Kavanagh and David Niblock got Nemo’s first-half goals as they led 2-5 to 0-4 at the break. And Nemo struck for goal number three in the 35th minute, this time Brian O’Regan finding Masters with a glorious low ball and he made no mistake. Game over.

Scorers: Nemo Rangers: J. Masters 1-6 (0-3 frees, 0-1 ‘45), J. Kavanagh, D. Niblock 1-0 each, S. O’Brien, A. Cronin, P. Kerrigan (free), M. McCarthy 0-1 each. Bantry Blues: A. Hamilton 1-0, P. Clifford 0-2 (0-1 free), J. Canty (free), N. Canty, J. Griffin 0-1 each.

O’DONOVAN ROSSA by a whisker, 1-10 to 0-12, as Na Piarsaigh’s deplorable lack of discipline left them down in an ill-tempered fourth round replay at Castlehaven.

Na Piarsaigh had two players - substitute Sean McLoughlin and Colin O’Sullivan - red-carded. Yet, despite their numerical disadvantage, they came so close to forcing the game to extra-time when an attempted 45 conversion by Asaki Ó hAilpín drifted wide of the posts in the seventh minute of additional time and O’Donovan Rossa finally secured a quarter-final meeting with Dohenys.

Scorers: O’Donovan Rossa: R. Long 1-0; J. Werner 0-6 (0-3 from frees); C. McCarthy 0-4. Na Piarsaigh: J. Gardiner 0-5 (0-5 from frees); S. Glasgow 0-3; C. O’Sullivan 0-2; C. O’Mahony, and R. Healy 0-1 each.

A POINT three minutes into injury time by substitute Dan O’Connell gave Muskerry an unlikely 3-8 to 3-7 victory over Clonakilty in a rousing county SFC quarter-final at Dunmanway.

Clon looked to have secured their place in the penultimate round when they led by a goal as the game drifted into injury time.

However, the referee played three and a half extra minutes, and the Mid Cork side scored 1-1 without replay to reach the semi-final.

Scorers: Muskerry: J. Russell 1-2 (1-0 pen); P. Concannon 1-1; N. Buckley 1-0; C. Sheehan, N. O’Leary, P. Dunlea (free), D. Dorgan D. O’Connell 0-1 each. Clonakilty: B. Walsh 1-3; C. Callanan 1-2 (0-1 free); C. O’Donovan 1-1 (0-1 free); P. Griffin 0-1.

MAKING light of the wretched conditions, Carbery Rangers cruised into the Cork County IFC semi-final with a 0-13 to 0-7 victory over St Vincent’s at Bandon on Saturday. Kiskeam will provide a tougher test for the Rosscarbery side in Macroom on Sunday.

Scorers: Carbery:J. Murphy (frees), J. Hayes 0-3 each; S. Hayes, M. Moore 0-2 each; M. O’Sullivan, M. Ronan, D. Hayes 0-1 each. St. Vincents: D. O’Connor (frees), P. Herlihy (frees), F. Murphy 0-2 each; J. Buckley 0-1.

SHOWING all the championship attributes of nerve, heart and bottle, Aghada powered into their second Evening Echo Premier IHC final in five years after an exciting 2-7 to 0-7 semi-final replay win over Youghal at rain-swept Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

Scorers: Aghada: S O’Keeffe 1-2; T O’Keeffe 0-4 (0-3 frees); D Creedon 1-0; B Morrissey 0-1. Youghal: E Coleman 0-3 (0-2 frees; 0-1 ‘65’); J Grace, D Ring and Brendan Ring 0-1 each.

SHANE O’MAHONY was the hero for Argideen Rangers in this gripping Cork County IHC semi-final replay at rain-lashed Bandon on Saturday. He scored the winning goal to give Argideen Rangers a 3-6 to 3-5 victory that two minutes from the end of normal time looked highly likely.

Scorers: Argideen Rangers: S. O’Mahony 2-3 (0-3 free); N. Coomey 1-0 (pen.); M. Walsh 0-2; M. O’Callaghan 0-1. Kilbrittain: F. Hickey 1-2; R. Cashman 1-1 (1-0 pen., 0-1 free); V. O’Brien, A. Hayes 0-1 each.

IT WAS a shocking day in Kinsale on Saturday, but the biggest shock of all was when Carrigdhoun representatives, Shamrocks, knocked out hot favourites Diarmuid Ó Mathunas 0-10 to 1-6 in the Evening Echo Cork JAHC quarter-final.

Scorers: Shamrocks: C O’Sullivan 0-5 (0-3 frees, 0-1 65m, 0-1 s/l), S O’Neill 0-3 (0-2 frees), B Sweeney and M Prout 0-1 each. Diarmuid Ó Mathunas: J P O’Callaghan 0-5 (0-3 frees, 0-1 65m), S Crowley 1-0, J O’Donovan 0-1.

A GAME of one half in Fermoy on Saturday, as Fr O’Neill’s qualified for the Cork JHC A semi-final with an emphatic 4-14 to 0-10 win over Duhallow champions Freemount.

Scorers: Fr O’Neill’s: J. Flavin 1-7; K. Wall 1-1; G. O’Leary 0-4 (0-3 frees 0-1 65); P. Butler 1-0; R. Murphy 1-0; B. Murphy, E. Holland, 0-1 each. Freemount: P. Collins 0-7 (0-5 frees 0-1 65); K. Broderick, M. Enright, G. Withers, 0-1 each.

DESPITE a brave second-half Mallow revival, Ballyclough held on to retain the North Cork JAFC at Glantane yesterday, beating Mallow 0-16 to 1-9.

Scorers: Ballyclough: P O’Flynn 0-5 (0-2 frees); C O’Neill 0-4 (0-1 free); J Ahern, S Smyth, T O’Connor, T Herlihy, J O’Shea, T O’Neill and B O’Leary 0-1 each. Mallow: P Dineen 1-3 (0-1 free); N Dinan 0-4 (0-3 frees; 0-1 ‘45’); H Dockry and F O’Neill 0-1 each.

VALLEY ROVERS had little trouble in disposing of Glanmire in the Cork County U21 FC semi-final at Church Road on Saturday, winning 2-12 to 0-8.

Scorers: Valley Rovers: E Manning 1-3, H O’Donovan 0-5 (0-4 free), F Lynch 1-1, R Butler 0-3. Glanmire: J Murphy 0-6 (0-3 free), J Herlihy, F O’Reilly 0-1 each.