Bantry find extra gear in final quarter

Having lost the previous three finals, Clyda Rovers must to do things the hard way if they are to reach a fourth PIFC decider in a row after they were beaten by Bantry Blues at Kilmichael on Saturday.

Having scored the first three points of the second-half, Clyda led 0-6 to 0-5 by the 44th minute of a dogged encounter that threatened to boil over at times. But they failed to score again as Bantry found an extra gear in the final quarter.

Stephen Coughlan’s 48th minute goal, after Michael O’Sullivan equalised, was the visible catalyst for West Cork side’s resurgence, but some excellent performances further out the field greatly influenced the result. Cork captain Graham Canty dominated at midfield for all but the early stages of the second period while his partner Mark Delaney and Ruairí Deane at wing-forward also impressed as the game developed.