Cork ease past weakened UCC side to regain Canon O'Brien Cup

BATTLE: UCC and Cork battle for the ball. Picture: Jim Coughlan.

Canon O’Brien Cup: Cork 6-22 UCC 0-14

Shane Kingston scored 2-8 and the Cork cavalry added four more goals off the bench for a 26-point victory over a weakened UCC side to regain the Canon O’Brien Cup.

New captain Robert Downey completed a unique feat by lifting the trophy in back-to-back years but for opposite sides. Having led UCC to victory last year, he marshalled the Rebels to a routine eighth success in the 11th iteration of the pre-season challenge at the Mardyke.

They led 1-11 to 0-5 at half-time but their substitutes added 4-6 thereafter, with 2-1 for Robbie Cotter and a goal apiece for Declan Dalton and Brian Hayes, who was UCC’s match-winner last year.

Five players who started Cork’s challenge-game victory over Waterford last Saturday began here; three for the Rebels, Niall O’Leary, Cormac O’Brien, and Pádraig Power, and two for the Students, Ethan Twomey and Ben Cunningham.

O’Leary was among six starters from last year’s All-Ireland final to feature, while four more came off the bench. Among them was Patrick Horgan, who marked his 18th season in red with a first appearance and first point of 2025.

There was also a debut for Diarmuid Healy and first starts for Alan Walsh and Jack Cahalane.

This game, put back 24 hours due to the freezing weather conditions and played in aid of the Dillon Quirke Foundation, also served as a warm-up for UCC’s Fitzgibbon Cup opener at home to UCD next Wednesday.

They were without their four Sarsfields stars who are tuning up for next weekend’s All-Ireland Club final; Cathal and Colm McCarthy, Luke Elliott, and Daniel Hogan. Full-back Eoin Downey also missed out due to injury.

After a week of postponements, Ciarán O’Regan perhaps sensed the hunger for hurling among the teams and crowd lining the Mardyke pitch as he threw the sliotar in two minutes early.

UCC led twice in the opening exchanges through a Ben Cunningham free and a Fionn Coleman point either side of Power’s equaliser.

Cork jumped into the lead with a fifth-minute goal. Walsh broke the puck-out into Kingston’s wide-open path and he wrongfooted the keeper with a disguised finish.

Power’s second pushed them four clear before full-forward Walsh raised his first white flag for the Cork seniors.

Kingston kept pushing out the gap with points from frees and play. His final tally would read 1-5 from placed balls and 1-3 in open play.

Brian Keating and Cunningham came up with the UCC responses to cancel them out; 1-6 to 0-5.

Cork reeled off the final five points of the half with four from Kingston and Conor Cahalane registering from his new half-back berth.

Their eye for goal was not yet fully tuned, though. Shane Barrett couldn’t turn home after Tim O’Mahony’s sharp sidestep, Healy smacked the crossbar, and Paudie O’Sullivan denied Power.

All that in the closing stages of the first half but within three minutes of the restart, they had their second goal.

Walsh was held in the square as he attempted to chase the sliotar out towards the corner and O’Regan awarded a penalty. Kingston blasted to the top corner to open out a 2-12 to 0-5 advantage.

Healy, Brian Roche, and Eoin Carey, after powering through a tackle, tacked on points.

UCC put in one last push to mine four in a row with two from Darragh Flynn and one each from a Cunningham free and the lively Eoin O’Leary.

Ger Millerick powered forward to get Cork motoring again.

Walsh flicked another goal chance wide and Cotter became the second player to locate the crossbar instead of the net.

The Blackrock man’s opening goal would arrive seconds later with a low 45th-minute swipe and Cork strung together the next four points.

After a William Buckley interruption, they collected three goals in three minutes. Cotter fed Hayes to bat home the first in the 52nd minute. Hayes turned provided for Dalton to replicate his batted finish. And Cotter ran clear to tuck away his second after being fed by Roche.

Darragh Fitzgibbon and Buckley’s free completed the scoring.

Just as he started the evening, O’Regan called time four minutes early as the autograph hunters descended from all angles.

Scorers for Cork: S Kingston (2-8, 1-0 penalty, 0-5 frees); R Cotter (2-1); B Hayes, D Dalton (1-0 each); P Power, T O’Mahony (1 free, 1 65) (0-2 each); A Walsh, C Cahalane, D Healy, B Roche, E Carey, G Millerick, P Horgan (free), D Fitzgibbon, L Meade (0-1 each).

Scorers for UCC: B Cunningham (0-5, 4 frees); F Coleman, D Flynn, W Buckley (1 free) (0-2 each); B Keating, E O’Leary, D McSweeney (0-1 each).

CORK: B Saunderson; S O’Donoghue, N O’Leary, E Roche; C Cahalane, R Downey (capt), C O’Brien; T O’Mahony, B Roche; D Healy, S Barrett, S Kingston; P Power, A Walsh, J Cahalane.

Subs: E Carey for O’Brien, L Meade for Power, D Fitzgibbon for Downey (all half-time), G Millerick for C Cahalane (35, inj), B Hayes for Barrett, P Horgan for Kingston (both 39), R Cotter for J Cahalane, D Dalton for Walsh (both 42).

UCC (Cork unless stated): P O’Sullivan (Fr O’Neills); S Daly (Randal Óg), C Doolan (St Finbarr’s), M Mullaney (Stradbally, Waterford); E Guinane (Valley Rovers), J Dwyer (Ballincollig), T Wilk (Cobh); E Twomey (St Finbarr’s), D Flynn (Ballygiblin); B Cunninghan (St Finbarr’s), B Keating (Ballincollig), E Stokes (Doon, Limerick); D Cremin (Midleton), F Coleman (Blackrock), W Buckley (St Finbarr’s).

Subs: O O’Regan (Erin’s Own) for Daly, C McCarthy (Blarney) for Guinane, E O’Leary (Glen Rovers) for Cremin (all half-time), M Howell (Douglas) for Dwyer, D McSweeney (Blarney) for Flynn (both 42), E Kirby (Blarney) for Coleman (44), C Geary (Youghal) for Mullaney, C O’Mahony (Ballygunner, Waterford) for Stokes (both 47), J McCarthy (St Finbarr’s) for O’Sullivan (49), Flynn for Keating, K Lyons (Ballygarvan) for Cunningham (both 51).

Referee: C O’Regan (Ballyhea).