Tracton snuff out Midleton attempts at comeback

By Andrew Horgan

[team1]Tracton[/team1][score1]0-18[/score1][team2]Midleton[/team2][score2]0-13[/score2][/score]

Tracton advanced to a date with Blackrock in a Cork Intermediate Hurling championship quarter-final after defeating Midleton 0-18 to 0-13 in Ballinora on Saturday evening.

Midleton trailed twice in the opening 15 minutes of the game, but battled back, and a couple of well-taken scores from Kieran Mulcahy edged them into a 0-4 to 0-3 lead. But that proved a catalyst for Tracton to up the tempo, with excellent strikes from Alan Kiely and Sean O’Sullivan.

The victors then scored the next three points through Joseph Kingston and a brace of frees from Ronan Walsh as they led by double scores (0-8 to 0-4) after 23 minutes. Midleton hit two points in reply, but Tracton finished with a hat-trick of scores to lead 0-11 to 0-6 at the break.

Midleton scored the first point of the second half through Aron Mulcahy, but Tracton quickly restored their five-point lead thanks to another Walsh free. The two sides would soon swap two points each before Sean O’Sullivan gave Tracton a 0-15 to 0-9 advantage with 20 minutes remaining.

Midleton continued to battle however, and efforts from Aron Mulcahy (2) and Shane Finn gave the town side hope. Midleton went in search of a goal, but there was no way past a resolute Tracton side who were full value for their five-point win.

Scorers for Tracton: R Walsh (0-5, 5f), J Good (0-5), J Kingston (0-4), S O’Sullivan (0-2), A Kiely and D O’Flaherty (0-1 each).

Scorers for Midleton: A Mulcahy (0-7, 6f), K Mulcahy (0-3), S Finn (0-2) and P O’Keefe (0-1).

TRACTON:

D O’Neil; J Lynch, S O’Sullivan, D Byrne; T McGuinness, G Jago, K Webb; R Walsh, J Good; D O’Flaherty, A Kiely, D Harrington; M Griffin, J Kingston, C McGuinness.

Subs: M O’Sullivan for D Harrington (51).

MIDLETON:

A Power; C O’Brien, E Mitchell, C Gunning; A Kearney, M Abernethy, R McConville; K Finn, S Quirke; P O’Keefe, P Dowling, A Mulcahy; P O’Brien, K Mulcahy, S Finn.

Subs: D Scanlon for C Gunning (40), C Gunning for C O’Brien (57), H Wall for S Finn (59), C Crowley for K Finn (59).

Referee: Cormac Dineen (Douglas).