O’Keeffe sparkles as Aghada provefar too strong for Ballygarvan

A ONE-HORSE race at Páirc Uí Rinn last night as a vastly superior Aghada inflicted a crushing 12-points defeat on Ballygarvan in the Evening Echo Cork IHC second round.

Leading from start to finish, Aghada, with the outstanding Trevor O’Keeffe scoring 1-7, six from frees, ruled the roost and never allowed Ballygarvan a glimmer of hope. Ballygarvan, outclassed in practically every department, were a bitter disappointment and the die was cast for them long before the final whistle.

Aghada took maximum advantage of their strong wind assistance in the opening sequences. Trevor O’Keeffe pointed them into the lead after just 15 seconds and the sparkling left corner forward increased his side’s advantage with a pointed free two minutes later.

O’Keeffe was on fire as Aghada proceeded to dominate. Centre-forward Eoin Healy powered them three points in front before O’Keeffe hit a blockbuster of a goal in the ninth minute. It was all Aghada as a shell-shocked Ballygarvan side tried disconcertingly to fit the pieces together.

Four further points from midfielder Steve O’Keeffe, Trevor O’Keeffe, who converted another free, menacing full-forward Pearse O’Neill and left half forward Vincent Morrissey propelled Aghada into a 1-7 lead after the opening quarter and things looked dire for out-gunned Ballygarvan.

With JP O’Connor a commanding presence at full-back for the East Cork side, Ballygarvan rarely got a look in up front and two more successive strikes from frees by Trevor O’Keeffe left 1-9 between them. Midfielder Paudie Wall made it 1-10 before half forward William O’Halloran finally broke Ballygarvan’s duck in the 26th minute. Full forward Mark Kennefick added another but a late strike from right half forward Cian Fleming left it 1-11 to 0-2 in Aghada’s favour at half time.

Any semblance of a Ballygarvan comeback after the resumption evaporated when full-forward Mark Kennefick failed to convert a close in free and two pointed frees at the other end from Trevor O’Keeffe sealed the Carrigdhoun side’s dismal fate.

Ballygarvan lacked the scoring power and finesse to make a match of it and always allowed Aghada to gain the upper hand. Trailing 1-14 to 0-4 at the end of the third quarter, Ballygarvan did manage to put a look of respectability on the scoreboard with two pointed frees from Kennefick and another from play by corner forward Gary White.

But what was a nightmare occasion for them, Ballygarvan failed to score again in the closing stages and a supremely authoritative Aghada side brought the curtain down on their resounding victory with two splendid late scores from Finbarr Day and Vincent Morrissey.

Scorers for Aghada: T O’Keeffe 1-7 (0-6f); E Healy 0-2; V Morrissey 0-2; S O’Keeffe, P O’Neill, P Wall, C Fleming, F Day 0-1 each.

Ballygarvan: M Kennefick 0-3 (0-2f); W O’Halloran, A Murphy, C O’Conchuir, G White 0-1 each.

AGHADA: M Day; A Morrissey, JP O’Connor, K O’Connor, P Kilbane, G Melvin, K O’Keeffe, S O’Keeffe, P Wall, C Fleming, E Healy, V Morrissey, F Day, P O’Neill, T O’Keeffe.

Sub. M Russell for Wall (inj.)

BALLYGARVAN: P Murphy, John Spillane, Joe Spillane, G Spillane, Derry O’Sullivan, Damien O’Sullivan, C O’Sullivan, M O’Riordan, R Bouse, D Bouse, A Murphy, W O’Halloran, G White, M Kennefick, J Browne.

Subs. W McCarthy for O’Riordan; T Quilligan for O’Halloran; C O’Conchuir for O’Sullivan; M Dowd for Murphy.

Referee: J Dorgan (Nemo Rangers).