Fermoy take County IHL title by a single point

In the game itself the howling wind had a major bearing on the final outcome with both teams failing in either half to score. Fermoy during the first while the home side were unable to register a score in the second.

Newcestown played with the aid of the wind in the first half and were quick to work the elements in their favour. Tadhg Twomey and Michael Bradfield were to the fore in the key midfield sectors and by the 10th minute they moved into a 0-4 to no score lead when Michael Bradfield, Sean O’Donovan, Tadhg Twomey and Fionn Keane reeled off some well taken points.

Fermoy, on the other hand, found it very hard to make headway in attack with the howling wind causing many problems. Nevertheless, their entire defence did very well as a unit in this half against a Newcestown outfit that are in action in the Munster Club IHC final this weekend against Wolfe Tones Shannon.

The Fermoy backline contained the Newcestown attack to just four more points before the break when Daniel Twomey, Tadhg Twomey, Luke Meade and Michael Bradfield had points as the Carbery side held a 0-8 to no score lead.

The second half was much the same as the first with Fermoy dominating matters in this period with David Geary, Tomas Clancy, and Padraigh De Roiste forming a new partnership in the full forward line. They had to wait till the 33rd minute to record their first score when David Geary pointed a free with team captain Brian O’Sullivan adding another point from a free soon after.

In the 36th minute they were right back in the tie when they struck for the only goal of the game when a delivery by Darragh O’Carroll deceived everyone with the sliothar making its way to the net. Like the first half Newcestown now found it near impossible to get quality ball into their full forward line.

Instead it was Fermoy that continued to drive forward with Ronan O’Callaghan, Brian O’Sullivan, Darragh O’Carroll, Martin Brennan, Kieran Morrisson, David Geary and Tomas Clancy featuring strongly. Kieran Morrisson had their first point from play with Mark Flynn setting up David Geary who pointed from distance at the end of the third quarter with the lead now down to the minimum. They were level in the 48th minute when David Geary pointed a free.

In a tense and keenly contested last 12 minutes both teams went in search of winning scores. In the end it came Fermoy’s way in the 58th minute when Brian O’Sullivan pointed a free. Newcestown tried hard late in the game to salvage the equalising score to force extra time but it was not to be with Fermoy holding out for victory and they capped off a memorable year with the majority of their side members of their Intermediate football side that claimed the County IFC title only a few weeks ago.

After the game Ciaran McGann, County Board Irish Officer, presented the cup to the winning captain Brian O’Sullivan.