Inniscarra at their best to retain Senior A status and relegate sorry Mallow

Inniscarra showed some of the form that earned them promotion last season in an opening quarter that provided the platform for their win in Blarney.

STAYING UP: Inniscarra's Sean O'Donoghue goes high to win possession ahead of Mallow's Darragh Moynihan, during their Senior AHC clash, at Blarney.

Inniscarra 3-16 Mallow 1-13

Mallow exited the Senior ‘A’ grade of the Co-Op Superstores Cork hurling championship with a whisper more than a scream after Inniscarra produced their best performance of the season to stave off the threat of relegation in Blarney on Sunday afternoon.

Two goals in the opening quarter from David O’Keeffe and Colm Casey gave them the perfect start, 0-4 from Casey and Seán O’Donoghue after the break helped to keep them ahead while a late 1-3 haul from Pádraig Holland meant that a late Ronan Mills goal for Mallow, who only hit 0-4 from play, was merely of the consolation variety.

Inniscarra showed some of the form that earned them promotion last season in an opening quarter that they utterly dominated.

They led by 0-4 to 0-1 after eight minutes with Holland on target from both a free and general play while Ciarán Lombard and Shane O’Mahony also pointed as Mark Tobin tapped over a free for Mallow.

Sean O’Donoghue then pinged the ball into the hand of O’Keeffe, and the corner-forward buried it to give his side some breathing space.

Inniscarra's David O'Keeffe hammers the ball to the Mallow net past Padge Buckley, during their Senior AHC clash, at Blarney.

Their goalkeeper, John O’Keeffe, then maintained that breathing space when he saved brilliantly from Denis Hayes before Casey exacerbated Mallow’s woes when he planted Inniscarra’s second goal after they had overturned a puck-out.

Mallow were heaving, but managed to slowly edge themselves back into the game, mainly through the accuracy of Tobin and a fine score from Daniel Sheehan.

An O’Donoghue point was cancelled out by a Tobin free to leave it 2-5 to 0-5 but then Inniscarra kicked again, hitting three in-a-row through Casey (2) and Marc Nagle.

Tobin, inevitably, managed to keep Mallow in touch with the final two points of the half to make it 2-8 to 0-7 at the break.

The sides broke even after the interval with O’Donoghue’s third point of the day making it 2-13 to 0-12 with seven to go.

Mallow needed a goal, but Inniscarra got their third when O’Keeffe put Holland through, and he put the result beyond all reasonable doubt.

He added three points after, and though Mills goaled for Mallow, and Mark Kelleher tapped over another point, their race was run.

Scorers for Inniscarra: P Holland (1-5, 0-4 frees), C Casey (1-4), D O’Keeffe (1-1), S O’Donoghue (0-3), C Lombard, M Nagle, S O’Mahony (0-1 each).

Scorers for Mallow: M Tobin (0-9, 0-8 frees), R Mills (1-0), S Leneghan (0-2, 0-1 free), Daniel Sheehan and M Kelleher (0-1 each).

INNISCARRA: J O’Keeffe (JC); D Keane, Con O’Leary, B O’Mahony; S Sheehan, L Ryan, J Harrington; S O’Mahony, C Lombard; C Casey, M Nagle, S O’Donoghue (JC); O McCarthy, P Holland, D O’Keeffe.

Subs: J Enright for Lombard (blood, 42-46), J O’Sullivan for B O’Mahony (49), J Enright for Nagle (50), M Nagle S O’Mahony (inj, 57), Colin O’Leary for Con O’Leary (59).

MALLOW: P Buckley; S Copps, B Kingston, J Healy; Dan Sheehan, N O’Riordan, D Moynihan; P Lyons, S Buckley; F O’Neill (c), R Sheehan, R Mills; M Tobin, D Hayes, Daniel Sheehan.

Subs: S O’Callaghan for Healy (19), P Healy for Buckley (25), S Leneghan for Tobin and M Kelleher for O’Callaghan (both 43).

Referee: Colm Lyons (Nemo Rangers).