Carrigaline’s late scoring burst shakes off Mallow

IN THE end Carrigaline had to dig deep, and were thankful for a productive opening half as they overcame Mallow in the first round of the Cork County Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship at Blarney last evening.

Their 10-point interval lead (albeit with the aid of a strong breeze) looked secure. However Mallow came back after the break, cutting the margin to five points. Carrigaline finished stronger though, consigning the north Cork side to a second-round meeting with Argideen or Castlelyons.

There were plenty match winners on the Carrigaline side, none more than goal-getters Tony Murphy and Raymond Keohane who struck at vital stages on 17 and 25 minutes — their rich vein of form yielded 1-3 apiece. It was unfortunate for young Mallow keeper Aidan Long who started confidently but he couldn’t hide his disappointment when Tony Murphy batted to the net from his initial save, and then eight minutes later a long Keohane delivery bounced past him as he was distracted by a couple of players in front of him.