DRINAGH Rangers moved three points clear at the top of the West Cork League Premier Division after their 3-1 win against Togher Celtic.
Togher, who now sit second from bottom, took the lead through Ian Crowley after 18 minutes but the Drinagh storm came strong. Barry O’Driscoll (T) equalised on 38 minutes to level it at half time before Keith Jagoe gave Rangers the lead on 54 minutes.
Drinagh nerves were settled five minutes from time when Tom McQueen slotted home a penalty to open up a gap between themselves and Castletown Celtic at the top of the table.
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The top-of-the-table clash between Lyre Rovers and Baltimore in the OBrienWaterServices.com WCL Championship ended with Baltimore coming out on top, 3-2.
There was one point between the top two teams before kick off and it was Lyre who got the perfect start with Harry Oates netting after just two minutes. Baltimore hit back and led at half time thanks to strikes from Barry Collins and Dan MacEoin, both set up by Kieran Lynch.
A tense second half led to an exciting finale as Kevin Keohane looked to have rescued a draw for Lyre on 88 minutes.That wasn’t the last big action though as Kieran Lynch won it for Baltimore in the fourth minute of added time to send them four points clear.
Skibbereen AFC moved up to third after a comprehensive 4-0 victory over Aultagh Celtic B. It was deadlocked until the 60th minute but once Skibb got their first goal, the floodgates opened. Conor Hourihane, Mark Collins, Ryan Hourihane and Kevin O’Driscoll all netted to compound Aultagh’s misery.
Meanwhile, Bay Rovers sit in fifth after a 3-0 win over Ardfield. Robert Cronin gave them an early lead before Eoin Bowden and Barry O’Driscoll added further goals on a good day for Rovers.
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There was a lot of cup action this weekend with some interesting scorelines. Dunmanway Town advanced to the next round of the FAI Junior Cup after a 6-3 round-three win over Ballincollig (MSL). Keith White and Cian Collins struck a brace each while Steve O’Donovan and Oran McCarthy also got on the score-sheet in a game where Town scored five first-half goals.
In the Parkway Hotel/Maybury Coaches Cup, Clonakilty Soccer Club progressed with a thrilling 7-4 victory over Beara United. Amazingly, Ben Sullivan scored a hat-trick for Beara but still ended up on the losing side.
Clon had this game wrapped up at half time as Odhran Bancroft, Chris Collins (two each), Alan Ward and Jack Crowley all contributed to a 6-2 short-whistle lead. Darren Nolan finished off the Clon goal frenzy while Dean Murphy hit the other Beara goal.
Drinagh Rangers B advanced in the same competition with a 3-0 win over Castlelack as Cillian Fitzpatrick, Liam Daly and Jack O’Sullivan all found the net.
Elsewhere, in the Championship Cup, Skibbereen Celtic got through, but by the skin of their teeth, beating Mizen Hob 7-6 on penalties after the game finished 1-1. Mizen had the lead in this one through Gerald O’Callaghan but Luke O’Sullivan rescued Skibb’s cup status before they held their nerve in the spot kicks.
Aultagh Celtic beat Spartak Mossgrove 4-1 as three O’Connells – Conor, Steven and Oisin – were on the goal trail while Daire O’Brien scored too. Aaron O’Driscoll netted the consolation for Mossgrove.
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Beara United and Drinagh Rangers were both unbeaten heading into their Fusion Home Decor Women’s 7s Premier Division clash and that stat stayed the same after a goalless draw.
Mizen AFC kept pace at the top with a 2-0 win over Dunmanway Town as Sarah McSweeney bagged a brace. Meanwhile, Drinagh Rangers B beat Aultagh Celtic 3-0 with a Kellie Dolan hat-trick.
Also, Clonakilty United won a 7-3 thriller against Castlelack, with Abbie Sheehan scoring a hat-trick for the latter. Clon’s Ciara Deasy went one better than Sheehan by scoring four, while Bernadette Collins (2) and Katie McCarthy also contributed.
