Late Avondhu surge wins it
With eight minutes of normal time remaining, the North Cork division led 0-8 to 0-6, a margin which should have been far greater but for poor shooting. Two Colm O’Neill frees opened up some daylight, however, before Vincent O’Donoghue struck for a goal, calmly finishing after O’Neill and Teddy O’Shea had combined well.
When O’Neill and Cian O’Riordan added further points, nine points separated the teams, making a late Beara flurry academic. It all added up to last year’s semi-finalists taking their place in this campaign’s last 16, leaving manager Daithí Pierce pleased.
“We achieved what we came to do,” he said.
“It’s difficult trying to get a divisional team together but we’re grateful to the clubs and the lads are enjoying it after last year, all we have to do is send a text, we don’t have to chase them.
“The Beara lads who played last Sunday [when Adrigole played Castletownbere] kind of died in the last 10 minutes and that’s when we pulled away.”
Avondhu did play the better football for the bulk of the game, and with the wind in the first-half moved the ball impressively, their half-back line of Paul O’Flynn, Colm O’Connell and Eamon O’Connor driving forward.
To borrow from golfing parlance, while they were good from tee to green, the putting let them down, as nine first-half wides were registered.
Twice Mikey Sheehan could have had goals, first denied by a William O’Sullivan double-save and then, after his shot beat the goalkeeper, the ball hit the post and travelled across the goalline before being cleared. Nevertheless, as half-time neared Avondhu possessed a 0-5 to 0-1 advantage, Teddy O’Shea impressing in attack, but Kevin Goggin’s free kept Beara in touch at the interval.
Immediately upon the resumption, O’Shea pushed Avondhu further clear, but Goggin and Brendan Jer O’Sullivan with a super effort cut the lead to 0-6 to 0-4, and that was the way it was for much of the half as a score at one end was answered at the other.
Beara never really threatened a goal, bar a Brendan Jer O’Sullivan free which dropped dangerously and had to be punched away by the tireless Paudie Kissane. The West Cork men had no answer when Avondhu went into overdrive, O’Donoghue’s goal effectively ending the game as a contest.
Goggin, sub Seán O’Sullivan and David Harrington all scored for Beara in the closing stages, but a comeback was not a prospect.
Avondhu go to round four, having matched the achievement of their hurlers in emerging from the divisions and colleges section.
Scorers for Avondhu: C O’Neill 0-6 (4fs), T O’Shea 0-3 (1f), C Flanagan 1-0, C O’Riordan 0-2, M Sheehan 0-1.
Scorers for Beara: K Goggin (2fs), BJ O’Sullivan (1f, 1 45) 0-3 each, D Harrington 0-2, S O’Sullivan 0-1.
AVONDHU: C Conway (Clyda Rovers); N Barry (Grange), R Carey (Clyda Rovers), B Norris (Killavullen); P O’Flynn (Ballyclough), C O’Connell (Killavullen), E O’Connor (Kildorrery); P Kissane (Clyda Rovers), H Dockery (Mallow); C Flanagan (Clyda Rovers), C O’Riordan (Mallow), M Sheehan (Glanworth); V O’Donoghue (Araglin), C O’Neill (Ballyclough), T O’Shea (Ballyclough).
Subs: E Stanton (Mallow) for Flanagan (41), R O’Hagan (Fermoy) for O’Shea (57), T O’Flynn (Ballyclough) for Norris (60).
BEARA: W O’Sullivan (Adrigole); Lorcan Harrington (Castletownbere), Liam Harrington (Castletownbere), T Collins (Castletownbere); B Goggin (Adrigole), J Harrington (Garnish), Seán ‘Tom’ O’Sullivan (Garnish); B ‘Tom’ O’Sullivan (Garnish), D Fenton (Castletownbere); C Harrington (Urhan), B ‘Jer’ O’Sullivan (Adrigole), D Harrington (Adrigole); T ‘Joe’ O’Sullivan (Adrigole), K Goggin (Adrigole), S McCarthy (Adrigole).
Subs: C O’Shea (Adrigole) for B Goggin (32, injured), B Goggin for McCarthy (47), Seán O’Sullivan (Glengarriff) for C Harrington (55).
Referee: B Coniry (Crosshaven).
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