Midleton retain U21 East title and honour their late friend Darragh McCarthy
Midleton players celebrate after defeaing Bride Rovers in the Mulcahy Steel East Cork under 21'A' HC final at Aghavine. Picture; Eddie O'Hare
Twelve months on from their U21 double, Midleton retained their divisional crown, but this one was earned the hard way, with the Aghavine wind and the weight of what they’ve carried all season.
They played without a number 10 once more, Cathal Beausang wore 30 instead. The 10 had belonged last year to Darragh McCarthy, a mainstay of their 2024 run and scorer in that final win over Bride Rovers. His tragic passing – and that too of club stalwart Ger Fitzgerald – shaped everything about this year for the club.
Afterwards, co-captain Dave Cremin spoke of that loss. And he and Mikey Finn – the other joint-captain – produced performances that felt like tributes.
Still, even with their leaders at full tilt, Midleton were hanging by a thread until the 63rd minute. Rovers had managed to get the margin back down to one, but when the next score came, it was decisive.
A stray line ball, Carthaigh Cronin intercepted. A quick offload to Finn. One long delivery that was carried by the wind. Dara Scanlon got a touch, Senan Carroll swept in, recovered, darted right, raced at goal, then buried it in the 63rd minute.
Rovers, as ever, fought to the last. David Barry and Ronan O’Connell immense, Cormac Barry sharp and incisive, just two wides from the Rathcormac/Bartlemy men all game. But they couldn’t find the late strike.
Midleton march on to the county section, with a two-in-a-row to chase there. A title defended, and a tribute fulfilled.
The start was rampant, Eoghan Fraser pulling off an excellent last ditch tackle to dispossess Jack Mannix and deny him a goal inside two minutes. Midleton worked it straight down the other end, Cremin had a shot drop short that Conor Morley recovered, he laid it off to Peter Barrett and the Midleton minor lashed it, goal.
But Rovers were quick to strike back, Adam Walsh and David Barry getting them within one.
The teams were level twice in the opening 15, Mannix again denied another goal chance, this time as Cronin and Tadhg O’Leary-Hayes intervened, but Rovers would find a surge. Seven of the next eight scores left it 0-12 to 1-3 after 26 minutes.
It was a spell where they made the most of every turnover and misplaced pass from the black and white, but a third Mikey Finn free, and two quickfire efforts from Cremin left Midleton just four behind at the interval, 0-13 to 1-6.
On the restart Evan McGrath had one back for the Magpies within nine seconds. Daragh Egan added another, gap at two.
And then, as Rovers had done in the first half with the breeze, Midleton hit seven of the next eight points – Cremin chipping in with two, Finn with frees and an outrageous sideline cut from just inside the 65.
From there, they looked set to coast home, until Rovers came roaring back. An Adam Walsh free on 55 minutes, a Cormac Barry effort on the hour. Gap down to two, five minutes of injury time left.
Another Walsh free, one point in it now, and all the momentum going Bride Rovers way. But Senan Carroll’s strike shut the door, and sealed the win.
M Finn 0-7 (0-5 f, 0-1 65, 0-1 sideline), P Barrett 1-1, D Cremin 0-4, S Carroll 1-0, E McGrath 0-2, D Egan 0-1.
A Walsh 0-7 (0-6 f, 0-1 65), D Barry 0-3, Cormac Barry, C O’Sullivan 0-2 each, J Mannix, Cillian Barry, M Kenny 0-1 each.
: Z Smith; S McSharry, T O’Leary-Hayes, E Fraser; M McSweeney, C Cronin, C Lawton; D Egan, M Finn (jc); C Beausang, E McGrath, C Stack; D Cremin (jc), C Morley, P Barrett.
D Scanlon for Stack (HT), S Carroll for Morley, A Moloney for Egan (both 54), M Murphy for McSweeney (60+5).
R O’Riordan; J Aherne, D Cashman, D Fitzgerald; C Hazelwood (jc), C Tobin, L Collins; R O’Connell (jc), C O’Sullivan; D Barry, Cormac Barry, L Roche; A Walsh, J Mannix, Cillian Barry.
M Kenny for Roche (10 inj), C O’Riordan for Mannix (44), R O’Callaghan for Cillian Barry (55).
A O’Regan (Youghal)
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