Blarney steer past Courceys in powerful second-half show

A POWERFUL second-half saw Blarney into the third round of the intermediate premier hurling championship at Newcestown last night and condemned Courcey Rovers to the back door route.

The first half was a drab affair, despite perfect conditions for hurling and a beautiful sod. Both sides struggled for any kind of fluency though they started off brightly enough, 0-3 apiece after ten minutes, corner-forward and free-taker Niall Murphy with two for Courcey Rovers, wing-forward Michael O’Donovan with the third, Eugene McCarthy, John Hurley (free) and Colm Sheehan replying for Blarney, but thereafter it deteriorated and neither set of forwards were able to locate the posts.

Eight wides for the Rovers, O’Donovan particularly wasteful with four, a mere four for Blarney, two of those from very poorly struck 65s by corner-back James Hughes; into injury-time we went and still no further score until finally Niall Murphy broke the tedium by pointing a 20m free from wide left.