Injury-time brawl the talking point as Youghal advance

DISGRACEFUL scenes broke out in Riverstown yesterday as this fourth round Premier IHC clash between Youghal and Tracton came to an end.

The game, which was marred by off-the-ball incidents and persistent fouling from the start, always threatened to boil over and just as the clock ticked into injury-time a brawl erupted involving full squads, selectors and officials.

By this stage the contest was over as a superior Youghal side never looked like letting their six-point lead slip but, with the game over, a row developed.

With Tracton duo Frank and Kieran Lynch sent-off for their part in the skirmish, Youghal had time to notch one more point, courtesy of Leigh Desmond, to bring an end to this unsavoury encounter.

Constant fouling by both sides meant the contest never got into any sort of flow. Youghal looked much hungrier from the start with Barry Ring, Conor Spillane and Brendan Ring putting themselves about to great effect. Just seven minutes into the tie Youghal boasted a 0-4 to 0-0 advantage and should have put the game to bed by half-time.

Instead they allowed themselves to be dragged into a dogfight by a Tracton side that was working hard on quelling their opponent’s momentum rather than taking control of the game. .

Two frees and a 65 converted by Ronan Walsh reduced the deficit as the contest became a tale of two dead ball specialists with Brendan Ring slotting five of Youghal’s six first-half points from placed balls, leaving the score 0-6 to 0-3 at the break.

Any spectators hoping for a reprieve after the break were soon disappointed when a small scrap kicked off just two minutes after the interval. This tension finally produced some competitive hurling with both sides trading point for point in the third quarter.

With just three points separating the teams going into the final six minutes Youghal upped their intensity as Ring and Desmond closed out the game before the appalling bust up overshadowed the hurling.

Scorers for Youghal: B Ring 0-11 (9fs, 0-1-65), L Desmond and B Coleman (0-2) each, B Moloney 0-1.

Scorers for Tracton: R Walsh 0-4 (3fs, 0-1 65), J Kingston, C Loren, S O’Sullivan, M O’Sullivan and F Lynch 0-1 each.

YOUGHAL: R Cunningham; B O’Sullivan, J Grace, B Ring; D Ring, C Spillane, A Curtin; B Moloney, N Roche; B Coleman, B Cooper, C O’Mahony; B Ring, L Desmond, J O’Mahony.

Subs: J Ormonde for B Cooper (25), K Dempsey for C O’Mahony (50) .

TRACTON: D Walsh; M Barry, J Murray, C McGuiness; C Lordan, K Corrigan, F Walsh; K Lynch, B Lynch; S O’Sullivan, M O’Sullivan, J Kingston; F Lynch, D O’Callaghan, R Walsh.

Subs: M Desmond for F Walsh (ht), J Kingston for D O’Callaghan (ht).

Referee: Michael O’Mahony (Kilbrittain).