Cork SAHC: Courceys come out on top against Inniscarra - but it's not enough to progress

Courceys win was not enough to propel them into the knockouts phase. Picture: Martin Walsh.

Cork SAHC: Courcey Rovers 1-23 Inniscarra 1-16 

Courcey Rovers signed off on their Co-op Superstores Cork SAHC campaign with an entertaining victory over Inniscarra, with neither club progressing over the draw between Ballinhassig and Carrigtwohill.

Both clubs went into the tie with a chance of progression, a small piece of hope undone by the result in Páirc Uí Rinn.

Despite the dead rubber conclusion, there was plenty of drama in Carrigaline as Courcey Rovers needed a late goal from Daniel O’Donovan in the dying seconds to secure the win.

Inniscarra did take the lead on the 45th minute with a rapid fire 1-1 hit by Jack O’Mahony, and the rest of the tie was all red and white.

It was an entertaining encounter all round that saw Courcey’s hold a narrow 0-11 to 0-8 advantage at the break, with the first half seeing the two clubs level five times.

Daire Riordan and Daniel O’Donovan put Courcey’s into the lead in the dying seconds and they padded their cushion on the restart with a well worked score from Tadhg O’Sullivan.

Ardal O’Connell replied for Inniscarra and Sweetnam immediately hit back with a free from close range to make it 0-12 to 0-9.

Courcey’s continued to generate scores and they eventually went in front by three at 0-15 to 0-12.

Any sense of comfort the club had was undone when O’Mahony’s goaled in the 45th minute. The substitute flicked the sliotar in from the edge of the square to level the scoreboard at 1-12 to 0-15 and his next effort put Inniscarra back in front by one.

Courcey’s went up a gear with the time that was left to play, while restricting Inniscarra to just three points. Six different players scored at the other end, with Sweetnam registering four points.

The moment that sealed the win was the breakaway goal from O’Donovan from a shot that the Inniscarra goalkeeper had no chance of getting to.

Scorers for Courcey Rovers: R Sweetnam 0-11 (9f, 1 65); D O’Donovan 1-3; T O’Sullivan and J O’Neill 0-3 each; B Ryan, S Twomey, D Lordan all 0-1.

Inniscarra: J Enright 0-5 (4f); J O’Mahony 1-1; D O’Brien 0-4; A O’Connell 0-2, S O’Donoghue, P Holland, C Dineen, and D Murphy 0-1 each.

Courcey Rovers: S Nynan; B Ryan, C Roche, D Collins; J Harrington, M Collins, R O’Callaghan; DJ Twomey, R Sweetnam; S Twomey, J O’Neill, D Lordan; C Crowley, D O’Donovan, T O’Sullivan.

Subs: M O’Donovan for Crowley (39); L Collins for Crowley (49).

Inniscarra: K Rice; D Keane, C O’Leary, L Ryan; B Daly, S O’Donoghue, A McCarthy; F Horgan, D Enright; P Holland, J Enright, D O’Brien; D O’Keeffe, D Murphy, A O’Connell.

Subs: C Dineen for Keane (HT); J O’Mahony for O’Keeffe (37), T Lyons for Daly (42), N Buckley for Horgan (56), C Geoghegan for O’Connell (59).

Referee: Aidan Hyland (Kilworth).