Youthful St Nick’s pip Clon

ACTION aplenty in the permanent TSB Cork County SFC over the weekend, pride of place going to a youthful St. Nick’s side who edged out last year’s beaten finalists, Clonakilty, 1-11 to 2-7 in Newcestown.

But they had to withstand a tremendous second-half fightback by Clonakilty before emerging winners. Fielding 10 of the U-21 team which won the county championship last year, St. Nick's deserved their win if only for their refusal to be ruffled after Clon had scorched into a 1-1 lead after just three minutes.

Nick's belied their tender years playing superb controlled football and, after leading 1-5 to 1-1 at the break, defended superbly to fashion an exhilarating win.

Scorers: St. Nicks: E. Geaney 0-7 (0-4 frees, 0-1 45); J. Kearney 1-1; R. Brosnan, D. Busteed, E. McCarthy 0-1 each. Clonakilty: P. Griffin, J. Connolly 1-0 each; C. O'Donovan 0-3 (0-2 frees); C. Murphy, K. Meade, H. Kenny, B. Murphy 0-1 each.

ALL the signs of a quite revolution in Ballincollig, under the watchful eye of Tom Dorgan, were exemplified in Ballinacarriga as Bantry Blues suffered another first round defeat to the underdogs from Mid-Cork, 1-13 to 0-13.

John Miskella may have opted out of inter-county football, but surely Cork could do with his sublime talents. Though chosen at left-half forward, Miskella played a roving role and was the centrepiece of almost all Ballincollig's attacks, carving open an out-of-sorts Bantry defence who will need to ask themselves some serious questions as they face a losers' round against St. Michael's.

Scorers: Ballincollig: J. Miskella and M. Greene (0-3 frees) 0-4 each; E. Crowley 1-0; L. O'Toole and F. Keohane 0-2 each. P. O'Mahony 0-1. Bantry: P. Clifford 0-4; D. O'Neill 0-3 (0-1 free); G. Canty and F. Harrington 0-2 each. D. Barron and S. McCarthy 0-1 each.

AGHADA, who won 0-13 to 1-7, looked on course for a comfortable victory when they led by nine points midway through the second-half of this replay with Youghal at Ballinacurra. But, as in the drawn match, Youghal produced their best work in the closing stages and, had they made the most of their chances, might well have denied Aghada a place in the third round.

Scorers: Aghada: E. O'Neill 0-6, 0-5 frees, B. Morrissey 0-2, D. Creedon, free, P. O'Neill, B. Crowley, J. O'Connell and B. Flaherty 0-1 each. Youghal: P. Moylan 0-5, 0-3 frees, P. Kelly 1-0, M. Walsh, free, and E.Coleman 0-1 each.

WITH only the winners to go through, yesterday's first round divisional clash between Beara and Seandun at Bantry should have been a competitive affair.

Far from it. A giveaway Seandún goal in the 39th minute quelled what had been, up to then, a vibrant city challenge and Beara went on to win 2-17 to 3-5.

Scorers: Beara; B Jer O’Sullivan 1-5, C Harrington 1-4 (0-3 frees), D Lowney 0-4, A O’Regan 0-2, C O’Sullivan 0-2 frees. Seandún; P Condon 2-2 (0-2 frees), K O’Brien 1-0 free, R Scannell, P Scannell, E Crowley 0-1 each.

IN the second all divisional game at Rathcormack last night, Avondhu defeated Imokilly 0-7 to 0-6.

But if Avondhu can take anything from this win it will be that they have an awful lot of work to do before playing either Muskerry or Carbery in the next round.

Following a very poor display Imokilly, who are now out of the championship, showed little signs of recapturing their glory days of years gone by.

Scorers: Avondhu: E Pierce 0-3 (frees), J Kearney 0-2, P Hickey and M Kenny 0-1 each. Imokilly: M Hopkins 0-2 (0-1f), P Fitzgerald, D Collins, S O'Farrell and V O'Sullivan (free) 0-1 each.

In the Cork intermediate championship there were victories for Kiskeam and Carbery Rangers.

The football wasn't pretty, oft times pretty awful. But in cold and wet conditions and on a very heavy pitch, Kiskeam will be well satisfied with their 0-10 to 0-5 victory over Valley Rovers at Macroom.

Valley Rovers simply couldn't match Kiskeam's determination and, despite taking an early three point lead, the class up front of Donie Herlihy, who scored five fine points from play, and Willie Cronin, who had four, proved decisive for the Duhallow men.

Scorers: Kiskeam: D. Herlihy 0-5, N. Cronin 0-4 (0-3 frees), D. O'Leary 0-1 (free). Valley Rovers: J. Hurley 0-4 (frees), J. Burke 0-1.

IT WAS simply cruel luck for St. Nicks' to be paired with newcomers and favourites for the title, Carbery Rangers, in the opening round at Kinsale yesterday and, though Nicks' seniors overcame another West Cork team the previous evening, the gulf in standards for their very youthful second string was too much to bear, swept aside with ease - 2-21 to 0-3 - by a highly-motivated Rangers team.

If the Rosscarbery men maintain this sort of form throughout the season then St. Nick's will not be the only team to suffer at their merciless hands, and any side that can conjure up 23 scores 12 coming in the second-half against a wind and hill advantage is the mark of a footballing force that will prove difficult to beat.

Scorers: Carbery Rangers: J. Hayes 1-8 (0-1 free); J. Murphy 1-1 (0-1 free); M. Moore 0-4; S. Hayes 0-3; D. Hayes 0-2; M. O'Sullivan, N. Hayes and M. Ronan 0-1 each. St. Nick's: G. Keane 0-2 (0-1 free); D. Dorris 0-1 (free).