O’Keeffe king as Rockies rescued

In 2010, Blackrock seemed set to drop from senior hurling ranks as they trailed Blarney in the relegation play-off, only for Kevin O’Keeffe to score a late goal to retain their top flight status.

The stakes may not have been as high at Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Saturday as the Rockies had another chance if they lost, but O’Keeffe’s tally of 2-6 ensured their survival as well as setting up a last-16 tie with Sarsfields.

O’Keeffe scored 1-3 in the final quarter, while Mark Ryan’s late score put the outcome beyond doubt as Bride struggled in attack, unable to add to Barry Johnson’s 44th-minute free, which put them 0-14 to 1-7 ahead.