Cork SFL: Douglas up and running, Clon edge West Cork derby with Newcestown

Without a win in their first four league outings, few outside the Douglas dressing room would have predicted a first victory arriving away to Knocknagree.

Sun, 26 Apr, 2026 - 15:23

Ger McCarthy

Douglas got off the mark in the McCarthy Insurance Group Division 1 county football league on the same afternoon Carbery Rangers continued their climb up the table.

Without a win in their first four league outings, few outside the Douglas dressing room would have predicted a first victory arriving away to Knocknagree.

That’s what happened on Sunday afternoon with the city side registering a 2-12 to 0-16 surprise win over an opponent that had lost only once in four league fixtures.

Adam Cantwell (penalty) and Seán O’Leary goals proved pivotal to the outcome as did a brace of goalkeeper Andrew Cotter’s two-point frees.

Cotter’s second two-point conversion sealed a win that Douglas will hope helps kickstart a move away from the bottom of the table.

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Seán O’Leary (1-2), Andrew Cotter (0-4), Adam Cantwell and Conor Russell provided the bulk of Douglas’ scores as did Anthony O’Connor (0-8) and Eoghan McSweeney (0-4) for Knocknagree.

Carbery Rangers inflicted a first Division 1 league loss of the season on St Finbarr’s in Rosscarbery.

Two forwards dominated an entertaining clash. Rangers’ Darragh Hayes twice found the net. So did the visitors’ Cillian Myers-Murray but it was the West Cork club who registered a seven-point victory.

Hayes’ first green flag handed Carbery a 1-8 to 0-5 interval lead. Two Myers-Murray goals, in the 32nd and 54th minutes, enabled St Finbarr’s to reduce the gap to a point.

Yet, it was the home team who finished strongly as Hayes’ second goal put the seal on a 2-16 to 2-9 win. Paul Hodnett (0-4), John O’Rourke, John O’Brien, Kelan Scannell and Aaron O’Brien also featured prominently.

Cillian Myers-Murray (2-6), John Wigginton-Barrett, Enda Dennehy and Bill O’Connell were St Finbarr’s scorers.

A West Cork derby between Newcestown and Clonakilty did not disappoint on Saturday afternoon.

Two clubs with realistic ambitions of challenging the Premier SFC’s top tier played out a cracking Division 1 contest at Newcestown’s home ground.

Clonakilty dominated the opening half and Newcestown the second. The Brewery Town led 1-7 to 1-3 at the interval but the introduction of Cárthach Keane helped the home side turn a four-point deficit into a one-point lead less than five minutes after the restart.

From that point onwards, a sometimes-feisty encounter was anyone’s game. Going score for score until the closing stages, Conor Daly’s late point moved the visitors 1-14 to 1-13 in front.

Richard O’Sullivan’s long-range free-kick narrowly missed the target six minutes into injury-time. Newcestown’s hopes of maintaining their undefeated county league record was gone.

Cárthach Keane rolled back the years by kicking five points, including a sublime two-pointer. Micheál McSweeney netted Newcestown’s goal with Seán O’Donovan, Humphrey Canty, James Burrows, Colm Dineen, Daire McAree and Tadhg Twomey also on the hosts’ scoresheet.

Clonakilty’s first win in three league outings has moved Martin O’Brien’s side back into Division 1 contention.

Cork senior Conor Daly (1-2) was part of a vibrant full forward line containing Darragh Gough (0-4) and Sean McEvoy (0-1). Dara Ó Sé, Brian White and Ross Mannix were also on target for the winners.

“We showed great character,” Clonakilty coach Eoin Ryan said.

“I thought we were very impressive in the first half, but, the second half, we didn’t start it well. We kept at it, and, you know, Newcestown is a tough place to come to. We are delighted with the win."

Newcestown manager Jim O’Sullivan added: “I don’t think we had played well in the first half,”

“Clonakilty taught us a lesson with their movement and their scoring. We stepped it up in the second half.

“Beaten by a point and our second-half performance, we will take something out of it. The first half performance let us down.”

In Division 2, Ballincollig and Dohenys couldn’t be separated following a 0-16 to 2-10 draw in Ballincollig. Despite not winning, the latter are up to third place and remain firmly in the promotion hunt.

League leaders Uibh Laoire went goal crazy in their latest outing away to Béal Átha’n Ghaorthaidh.

The Division 2 pacesetters found the net six times in a 6-10 to 0-15 triumph to remain a point clear of the chasing pack.

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