Second-half goals do the trick as Ardscoil Rís gain revenge

Ardscoil Rís 2-11 St Francis Rochestown 1-7: Two goals in a four-minute spell midway through the second-half propelled Ardscoil Rís into the penultimate round of the Harty Cup.

The Limerick nursery, who celebrated Harty Cup glory on three occasions in the past six years, were chasing revenge yesterday having fallen on Rochestown’s sword in a pulsating semi-final 12-months ago.

Pulsating this contest certainly was not; the heavy surface, greasy sliothar and biting cold weather making life extremely difficult for both sets of players. The Cork school, without question, came off second best in acclimatising to the conditions at Charleville, but four points in a row between the 36th and 41st minute had trebled their tally and, in the process, significantly eaten into their opponent’s lead - 0-9 to 0-6 now read the scoreboard. Finally we had a game on our hands. Or so we thought.