Captain Jack leads Bandon to minor league glory

Bandon 2-13

Youghal 2-11

BY TOM LYONS

THE hurling scene in Bandon received a huge boost when the minor hurlers won the county premier 2 league final in the Mardyke.

It wasn’t just winning the title but the manner in which it was won that really lifted the club. One wouldn’t have given tuppence for Bandon’s chances in the first half against a flying Youghal outfit, especially when they trailed by nine points after 20 minutes. Having shown signs of a revival just before the break, Bandon dug deep in the third quarter to stay in contention but when they still trailed by five with 12 minutes remaining, their goose looked truly cooked.

Still, the Lilywhites refused to surrender and when the influential Jack Cullinane goaled, set up by the superb Denis O’Mahony, the lead was down to two. Momentum with Bandon, Youghal rattled, the lead was down to a single point when O’Mahony split the posts from a sideline cut. There was better to come and when Cullinane struck for his second green flag, assisted by Kevin Hannon, they were in front by two points.

The excitement was far from over as Youghal finally responded to the unexpected set-back and points from Brian Lynch and Oisín Walsh (free) had the sides level entering the closing five minutes of a real thriller. But there was no stopping Bandon’s resurgence and in those vital closing minutes they struck for two points, O’Mahony and Cullinane again the heroes.

It was shutters up then and there was no further score, just great scenes of delight as the league cup was presented to winning Bandon captain, the outstanding Jack Cullinane, by Steven Lynch of Rebel Óg.

One would have got long odds on a Bandon victory after only ten minutes of this final as they got hit for two early Youghal goals from the impressive Brian Lynch and Liam Durkin. By the 20th minute it was 2-5 to 0-2 for Youghal, Cullinane and Richard Tarrant landing Bandon’s only scores. The closing minutes of the half saw an improvement in Bandon’s play as they hit three points to close the gap to a manageable six points at half time, 2-6 to 0-6.

Whatever was said to the Bandon lads during the break really seemed to work as they re-emerged in a much more determined mood. However, their fight-back was blighted by wasted chances, only two points, from Gearóid Murphy, being registered from numerous chances. Redemption seemed on hand in the 39th minute when Brian O’Regan was fouled and a penalty awarded.

However, Michael O’Donovan’s shot was driven wide and the four point-lead, which should have become one, suddenly increased to seven when Youghal hit the next three points in a row, from Oisín Walsh, free, and the outstanding Jayden Casey (2).

A lesser team than Bandon might have buckled then but Bandon again lifted their game  and two Denis O’Mahony frees closed the gap to five with 12 minutes remaining. Then came Cullinane’s superb goal that opened the gate to a late, late dramatic comeback and a welcome hurling victory for the West Cork lads.

Scorers

Bandon: Jack Cullinane 2-2; Denis O’Mahony 0-6 (4f); Gearóid Murphy 0-2; Kevin Hannon, Richard Tarrant, C O’Flynn 0-1 each.

Youghal: Brian Lynch 1-2; Jayden Casey 0-5 (1f); Liam Durkin 1-0; Oisín Walsh (2f), J Lenane 0-2 each.

Bandon: J Buckley, Z Farrell, L O’Driscoll, C O’Mahony, A Kelly, M O’Donovan, F Cali, R Tarrant, G Murphy, A Barry, J Cullinane, K Hannon, C O’Flynn, D O’Mahony, B O’Regan.

Subs: R Ahern for C O’Flynn (47), S Murphy for B O’Regan (54), A O’Regan for F Cali (57).

Youghal: O Walsh, J Dineen, M Desmond, G Geary, S O’Brien, C Galvin, R O’Brien, F Hill, F Coleman, B Lynch, J Casey, D Lyons, E Kennedy, J Lenane, L Durkin.

Subs: S Skehan for L Durkin (55), D Tressero for E Kennedy (55).

Referee: Simon Stokes (Tullylease).