Glen Rovers must wait to find Cork SHC final opponents
Cormac Walsh’s goal inside the first minute looked it was the perfect start for the East Cork side, but though they had 1-3 on the board inside 10 minutes, that proved to be the total of their first-half output. The Glen, with Patrick Horgan unerring from dead balls, moved ahead with a purple patch midway through the half, with Dave Noonan impressing at midfield, and they will have felt that an 0-8 to 1-3 interval lead didn’t do them justice as they gave up some cheap wides late on.
While points in quick succession from Paul Haughney and Brian Hartnett had Midleton back to within a point, 0-9 to 1-5, but the Glen found their groove again and hit five on the trot as Dean Brosnan, centre-back Brian Moylan and Conor Dorris all assisted Horgan on the scoreboard.
Midleton couldn’t be fully shaken off, though, with Walsh and Luke O@Farrelll on target as they reduced the margin to two and the sending off of Noonan for a second yellow card had the Glen nervy.
Horgan settled them again with a 65 - his 10th point - and, after Haughney blasted over with a goal effort, Dorris secured the victory.
P Horgan 0-10 (four frees, four 65s), C Dorris 0-3, D Noonan 0-2, B Moylan, D Brosnan, D Busteed 0-1 each.
C Walsh 1-6 (four frees), P Haughney 0-3, S O’Farrell, B Hartnett, L O’Farrell 0-1 each.
C Hickey; B Murphy, S McDonnell, G Moylan; D Dooling, B Moylan, G Callanan; D Cronin, D Noonan; D Brosnan, P Horgan, D Cunningham; C Dorris, B Phelan, D Busteed.
T Wallace; C Hurley, F O’Mahony, P O’Mahony; P Dowling, A Ryan, K Burke; P Haughney, S Smith; L Coughlan, P O’Farrell, J Nagle; C Walsh, L O’Farrell, S O’Farrell.
Referee: D Kirwan (Éire Óg).
An exciting closing ten minutes could not separate near-neighbours Sarsfields and Erins Own in the Cork SHC semi-final at Páirc Uí Rinn on Sunday.
Up to that point, the game was tense and replete with frees as neither side was capable of pulling away from the other – though a late penalty save from Shay Bowen proved crucial in keeping his side in this year’s championship.
A goal may have seen Sars home but they had to wait another few minutes to gain the equaliser and that came from brilliant midfielder, Daniel Kearney, who proved his side’s hero with a point in the 60th minute.
The side’s were locked at 0-8 apiece at the break but it was Erin’s Own who enjoyed the better of the exchanges on the turnover.
When their key marksman, Eoghan Murphy, brilliantly struck home a 43rd minute penalty, that pushed Erins Own 1-12 to 0-12 in front as Sars just about stayed in touch with this year’s championship surprise package.
However, a dramatic finale saw Cian McCarthy’s penalty saved by Bowen, Kearney snatch the equaliser before McCarthy had a chance in injury time to win the game with a 75m free but his mishit shot meant both sides will have to face each other again.
C McCarthy (0-6f); R O’Driscoll (0-3); D Kearney (0-2); E O’Sullivan, E Quigley, D Roche, P Leopold, T Óg Murphy (0-1 each)
E Murphy (1-10, 1-0 pen, 0-7f, 0-1 65); M Collins, S Cronin and R O’Flynn (0-1 each).
A Kennedy; T Crowley, C Leahy, W Kearney; C O’Sullivan, R Ryan, E Martin; D Kearney, P Leopold; E O’Sullivan, E Quigley (capt.), D Roche; R O’Driscoll, C McCarthy, T Óg Murphy.
S Bowen; C O’Connor, C Dooley, K Murphy; S Cronin, S Murphy (capt.), C O’Mahony; M O’Carroll, S Kelly; K Murphy, C Coakley, M Collins; C O’Callaghan, E Murphy, A Bowen.
D. Copps (Ballyhea)
