Inniscarra on top in Muskerry Junior Hurling League Final

Inniscarra 2-16 Blarney 1-11

THE Muskerry GAA Board managed to get another competition completed on Monday evening last when the junior hurling league final got a result. The contestants in same, Inniscarra and Blarney, were very anxious to finish their season on a winning note as they were expected to perform better in the division’s junior hurling championship.

A league success at the end of the season would provide them with a degree of compensation so a good, competitive encounter was anticipated. The game did produce passages of good play but there was never any doubting Inniscarra’s superiority. The experienced players in their line-up, Ger Burke, Aidan O’Mahony and Dan O’Connell, were significant figures in their victory as they led from beginning to end.

Inniscarra had three points on the board in as many minutes as they started strongly on the offensive and Blarney were on the back foot for most of the opening moiety. Fergal O’Leary, Dan O’Connell and Padraig O’Donoghue raised the white flag in those early stages as they were by far the more eager contestants and the Blarney defenders were under pressure to defend their lines.

The latter did manage to open their account in the tenth minute when Jack O’Keeffe drove the sliotar between the uprights, but they were trailing 0-5 to 0-3 at the end of the first quarter with Inniscarra no way flattered by their position.

Dan O’Connell then put daylight between the sides when he found the Blarney net in the sixteenth minute and Inniscarra further consolidated their position as the first moiety progressed. They were in a very strong position at the interval leading 1-12 to 0-5 and at that stage this group of adult Inniscarra players looked set to finish their season on a high note.

Blarney reduced the arrears early in the second half when Mark Cremin, from a 65, and Cathal Hegarty raised white flags but those scores were promptly nullified when Aidan O’Mahony and Jerry Roche were on target for Inniscarra. Blarney were more on the offensive subsequently, but they were unable to close the gap and 1-14 to 0-8 in Inniscarra’s favour entering the final quarter was steering the Blues to victory.

Aidan O’Mahony converted a free to put them further ahead but they then had reason for concern when Mark Cremin raised three white flags for Blarney from placed balls. A goal from Cian Dunlea gave the winners additional cause for concern but their defence refused any additional ground and Dan O’Connell finally wrapped things up when he raised a second green flag in the dying seconds. INNISCARRA: Dave Og Coleman, Cathal Griffin, Ger Burke, Michael O’Mahony,

Sean Sheehan (0-1), David O’Carroll, Donal O’Callaghan, Aidan O’Mahony (0-9, 6f), Jack Horgan, James Murphy, Mark Nagle (0-1), Jerry Roche (0-1), Fergal O’Leary (0-1), Dan O’Connell (2-2), Padraig O’Donoghue (0-1). Subs: Kieran Rice for James Murphy (50)

BLARNEY: Conor Murphy, Stephen O’Brien, Stephen Sheedy, Olan Hegarty, Mark Cummins, Dan Quill, Vincie O’Mahony, John D. Goode, Ray O’Donovan, Cathal Hegarty (0-2), Paul O’Connor, Jack O’Keeffe, William Crowley, Mark Cremin (0-8, 6f, 1 ‘65’), Colin Murphy (0-1). Subs: Sean McSweeney for O’Brien (ht), Danny White for Goode (ht), Cian Dunlea (1-0) for O’Donovan (ht), Barry Dennehy for O’Connor (38)

REFEREE: Colm O’Mochain (Cill Na Martra)