Cromane’s deadly duo to the fore in O’Sullivan win

CROMANE ended 2018 on a high with a two-point win today over neighbours Glenbeigh / Glencar in the Mid Kerry O’Sullivan Cup final in Killorglin. It was well-deserved as they dominated the second half at one stage opening up a four-point lead, 0-15 to 1-8 with 12 minutes left.

Things got a bit nervy towards the end with referee Maurice Murphy playing over six minutes of injury time, but the lads got the job done in the end. Apart from a poor patch of play in the middle of the first half when Glenbeigh / Glencar hit six points in a row they controlled matters and could have passed the 20-point mark but for some wayward second half shooting.

Cromane started the game very well and led by 0-4 to 0-1 after eight minutes with points from Darren Houlihan (two long distance frees) and two from play courtesy of Seán O’Sullivan and Mikey Houlihan. Glenbeigh / Glencar settled and hit that purple patch reeling off six points in-a-row between the 10th and 18th minutes to power ahead, 0-4 to 0-7.

Cromane rediscovered their mojo and proceeded to hit four unanswered points of their own (all from play): Seán O’Sullivan (with two), Shane O’Neill and Darren Houlihan the scorers.

This seemed to have settled them but then they were hit with a sucker punch just before the break with a high ball into the Cromane square was punched to the net by Glenbeigh / Glencar’s Kieran Cahillane to give them the lead once again, 0-8 to 1-7. A late first-half free from Darren Houlihan (his fourth point of the half) left Cromane one adrift at the break, 0-9 to 1-7.

Glenbeigh / Glencar midfielder Colin McGillycuddy started the ball rolling in the second half with an outstanding point from wide on the left, off his left. However, this was to be Glenbeigh / Glencar’s last score for 20 minutes as the Cromane lads knuckled down and started to play their best football: quick and simple football.

Between the 34th and 48th minutes, they rattled off six unanswered points in a period of play that ultimately won the game for Cromane.

Scores came from Donnchadh Walsh, Danny O’Shea to level matters (0-11 to 1-8), three Seán O’Sullivan frees (one a mighty score from the sideline off his left boot), and a fine Liam Teahan effort to leave Cromane ahead, 0-15 to 1-8 entering the last quarter.

Glenbeigh / Glencar stopped the onslaught with a Kieran Courtney point before Cromane captain John Michael Foley pulled off a great save to deny the same player moments later.

While Cromane were getting their act together in the forward line it was their backs who dominated their men in the opening 20 minutes of the second half: John Michael led the way, with Conor Sugrue, Brendan Foley, Cathal Crosby, Ethan Griffin, and Liam Teahan following his example. Goalkeeper Paudie McMahon was also assured under some testing high balls when he was needed.

A Mikey Houlihan point in the 56th minute reopened Cromane’s four-point cushion, 0-16 to 1-9, but Glenbeigh / Glencar to their credit finished strongly with three unanswered points to leave Cromane in squeaky bum time as the referee added on those six minutes. In the sixth of those Seán O’Sullivan tapped over a free (his seventh point) of the day and moments later the final whistle blew on a fine win.

After the match, winning captain John Michael Foley accepted the O’Sullivan Cup while the man-of-the-u-match award – sponsored by Ashe’s Bar, Glenbeigh – went to Cromane’s Darren Houlihan.