Adrigole delight after battle royal

DELIVERANCE.

After years of fruitless toil, a trophy so richly coveted by Adrigole is finally in their possession.

In atrocious conditions at Páirc Uí Rinn yesterday, they mastered gallant Grenagh to win the Evening Echo Cork Co JFC title for the first time after a battle royal.

Forget the scoreline, forget the fact Grenagh did not score in the first half and Adrigole failed to hit the target in the second moiety.

This was a typical junior battle, all out effort — Adrigole’s Brendan Jer O’Sullivan and Grenagh’s Mark Kenny getting their marching orders in a demanding second half when players died with their boots on.

Adrigole can also thank ‘hero and villain’ Brendan Jer O’Sullivan for their victory. His three fabulous first-half points were instrumental in landing the trophy on a bitch of an afternoon when scores were always going to be at a premium.

And they needed them, for they were pinned back by a battling Grenagh side who gave it their all. Strangely those wonderful scores stung the Muskerry champions into action, but the howling wind and rain that lashed into their faces did them no favours as missed opportunities by Aidan O’Neill, Mark Kenny, Martin Barry and Tom Kenny were to prove costly.

Grenagh kicked seven wides to Adrigole’s three in the opening half and trailed 0-5 to 0-0.

Despite a huge effort in the second half inspired by Tom Kenny, they couldn’t break down a resolute Adrigole rearguard.

Scorers: Adrigole: B. J. O’Sullivan 0-3, G. Green, E. J. O’Sullivan 0-1 each. Grenagh: T. Kenny 0-2, S. Coleman 0-1.

ADRIGOLE: M. P. O’Sullivan; J. O’Shea, S. J. O’Sullivan, S. O’Sullivan-Greene; J. Goggin, D. Carey, P. B. O’Sullivan; B. Goggin, T. O’Shea; K. O’Sullivan-Greene, B. J. O’Sullivan, G. Green; E. J. O’Sullivan, P. O’Sullivan, K. J. O’Sullivan.

Sub: H. Buckley for E. J. O’Sullivan.

GRENAGH: D. Linehan; R. Dorgan, C. Kenny, M. Lehane; A. Duggan, D. Dorgan. J. O’Neill; T. Kenny, J. Russell; T. Walsh, M. Kenny, M. Barry; K. Desmond, G. Russell, A. O’Neill.

Subs: S. Coleman fro Duggan, C Fitzgerald for A. O’Neill.

Referee: D. Farrell (Mitchelstown).