An early set-back for Avondhu

COUNTY SFC ROUND 1

Beara 0-13 Avondhu 0-10

EARLY? Yes. Cold? Definitely yes. Challenging for all concerned? Most assuredly, however none of that could change the fact that the Cork County Senior Football Championship is now off and running, with Beara and Avondhu getting the ball rolling last weekend at a bitterly cold Cill na Martra GAA Club.

At the same time as Cork’s hurlers saved their league season from utter catastrophe these two divisional sides went toe-to-toe to see who would get to fire the first shot in anger across the bows of the county’s top club football sides – and on this day that honour went to the west Cork collective.

Beara came into this game with representatives of every side in the division, a credit to every club for facilitating the divisional side. Their opponents, had a host of players that never played for the north Cork division before with less than five players from last year’s side making themselves available.

This was always going to be a challenging year for Avondhu with so many of the division’s top sides genuinely vying for championship honours of their own. Mallow’s players (now senior) were a major loss to Avondhu but all that said, the championship still has to be competed for and Avondhu squared up to Beara as planned.

Dave Fenton, Sean T O’Sullivan, David Harrington led the way for the winners as they tormented Avondhu’s defenders throughout the 60 minutes.

For the vanquished side, Ballyclough’s Teddy O’Shea and Fermoy’s Padraig Clancy showed well with the duo managing to bag six of their sides 10 point tally. O’Shea was positive throughout and looked to be well capable at this level however Beara were in control for the most of this game and when the dust settled were worthy winners.

The loss will be a big blow to the Avondhu project after some years of real progress, but the division can still provide a competitive side if it can get access to the best players available – not always the easiest of tasks.

BEARA: W O’Sullivan (Adrigole): A O’Neill (Urhan), L Harrington (Castletownbere), R O’Driscoll (Garnish); J Harrington (Adrigole), D Dunne (Castletownbere), C O’Shea (Urhan); A O’Sullivan (Castletownbere) 0-1, B O’Sullivan (Garnish); S T O’Sullivan (Garnish) 0-2, D Fenton (Castletownbere) 0-5 (3f), E McInheney (Glengarriff); P O’Sullivan (Urhan), D Harrington (Adrigole) 0-5 (2f), R Dillane (Castletownbere) Subs: J Goggin (Adrigole) for P O’Shea (57), C McIlheney (Glengarroff) for D Harrington (59)

AVONDHU: K Cotter (Glanworth); L Finn (Mitchelstown), P Angland (Killavullen), S Flynn (Buttevant), D Roche (Grange), B Guerin (Kilshannig), S Fox (Killavullen); P Clancy (Fermoy) 0-3 (1f), M Keane (Mitchelstown); S O’Sullivan (Mitchelstown), T O’Shea (Ballyclough) 0-3 (2f), C Scott P McAulliffe (44), P O’Shea (Grange); C Lillis (Killavullen) 0-2, T O’Sullivan (Kilshannig) 0-1, C O’Mahony (Mitchelstown) 0-1 Subs: JP McAulliffe (Kilshannig ) for C Scott (12,inj); E O’Sullivan (Kilshannig) for S Fox (17, inj), K Fox (Killavullen) for L Finn (19, inj), P O’Sullivan (Killavullen) for JP McAulliffe (44), P O’Shea (Liscarroll) for C Lillis (50)

REFEREE: P O’Leary (Kilmurry)