Imokilly 6-31
Muskerry 0-17
NOEL HORGAN REPORTS
AS mismatches go, they don’t come any more lopsided than this.
It was always on the cards Muskerry would to find it difficult to measure up against a star-studded Imokilly side that had thrashed Avondhu to the tune of 27 points en route to the Co-Op Superstores Divisional/Colleges premier senior hurling final at Páirc Uí Rinn last Sunday.
That the East-Cork side’s facile victory in their only previous outing was achieved in the absence of Cork seniors Seamus Harnedy and Ciarán Joyce served to underline the mammoth task confronting Muskerry as they sought to upset the odds.
Not surprisingly, they never looked capable of achieving the desired result, as Imokilly came out with all guns blazing, easing into an 0-7 to 0-1 lead inside the opening ten minutes.
They were 1-10 to 0-3 to the good after full-forward Sean Desmond fired in the game’s first goal five minutes later, and it was obvious even at that early stage the extent of their winning margin was the only matter to be resolved. The gap was 32 points in the end.
‘This was a big step up from junior and intermediate level, because we were up against a team close to inter-county standard today,’ Muskerry manager Diarmuid Kirwan suggested.
‘The score Imokilly got was phenomenal, I think they’ll rattle the county with the talent they have, and no team will relish taking them on in the quarter-final.
‘We were obviously hoping to give them a better game, but it didn’t help that, for a variety of reasons, we were missing five first-choice players, including Tadgh O’Connell and our captain Eoin O’Shea, who’d be key men for us.’
Muskerry trailed by 1-18 to 0-7 at half time, their tally before the break shared by Matthew Bradley, who scored four points (three from frees), Sean O’Neill, Odhran O’Driscoll and wing-back David O’Sullivan.
They were three behind when O’Neill got them off the mark in the fifth minute, but Imokilly quickly responded with a four-point flurry before Bradley posted Muskerry’s second score from a free. That was the pattern for most of the match, as Muskerry struggled to string a couple of scores together, while Imokilly had the facility to carve out the openings virtually at will.
By the time Matthew Bradley, from a 65, and Odhran O’Driscoll eventually raised a couple of flags in succession for Muskerry approaching the last ten minutes, Imokilly – aided by goals from Jack Leahy (2), Daire O’Leary and substitute Brian Lehane – had moved 5-28 to 0-11 ahead. Another sub William Leahy bagged goal No. 6 for an Imokilly side captained by corner-back Ciaran O’Brien, who was presented with the Denis O’Riordan Cup at the finish.
Scorers
Imokilly: J Leahy 2-7 (5f); S Desmond 1-4; D O’Leary, B Lehane 1-1 each; W Leahy 1-1 (0-1 sideline); M Kelly 0-4; S Harnedy, D Healy 0-3 each; C Joyce 0-2; B Lawton, J Cronin, A Murphy, T Wilk , L O’Shea 0-1 each.
Muskerry: M Bradley 0-10 (8f, 1 65); S O’Neill, O O’Driscoll 0-2 each; D O’Sullivan, C O’Leary, B Corcoran 0-1 each.
Imokilly: E Davis (St Catherine’s); T Wilk (Cobh), M Russell (Aghada), C O’Brien (St Ita’s); D O’Leary (Watergrasshill), C Joyce (Castlemartyr), J Cronin (Lisgoold); M Kelly (Castlemartyr), K O’Neill (Watergrasshill); B Lawton (Castlemartyr), S Harnedy (St ita’s), D Healy (Lisgoold); A Murphy (Watergrasshill), S Desmond (do.), J Leahy (Dungourney).
Subs: B Lehane (Watergrasshill) for Harnedy (42), L O’Shea (Lisgoold) for Lawton (42), J McCarthy (Dungourney) for Joyce (46), W Leahy (Aghada) for Desmond (46).
Muskerry: J Linehan (Ballincollig); M Brady (Éire Óg), B Corcoran (do.), C McGoldrick (do.); C O’Leary (Ballincollig), F Denny (do.), D O’Sullivan (do.); O O’Driscoll (Cloughduv), D Kirwan (Éire Óg); S O’Neill (Ballincollig), A Murphy (Cloughduv), S Joyce (Grenagh); M Bradley (Aghabullogue), P Ring (do.), M Lucey (Donoughmore). Subs: O O’Shea (Éire Óg) for Lucey (44), A Dinan (Donoughmore) for Joyce (44), T Twomey (Grenagh) for O’Sullivan (51), P Kelly (Ballincollig) for O’Driscoll (inj, 58).
Referee: N Fahy (Brian Dillons).
