St Finbarr’s End Castlehaven’s Reign in Quarter-Final Thriller
St Finbarr’s 6-11 (29) Castlehaven 0-19 (19)
Castlehaven’s reign as McCarthy Insurance Group Premier SFC winners has been brought to an end by St Finbarr’s after a 10-point loss on Sunday afternoon.
A large crowd flocked to Clonakilty for this quarter-final clash between the heavyweights. They had met at the semi-final stage for the last five seasons,but it was the Barrs who came out of this with a win having lost to the Haven in the last two years.
Brian Roche’s side were full value for their victory as they now meet Ballincollig in the last four in two weeks.
Goals proved crucial here with the Togher outfit raising four green flags in the opening 30 minutes. The Barrs had a six-point buffer at the break and even though the margin was cut down to three points in the final quarter, the Barrs always looked in control.
Steven Sherlock ended up with 3-3 including two penalties, but it was an excellent team performance.
The game started at a blistering pace with both teams not holding back. The back-to-back winners did land the first two points from Conor Cahalane and andrew Whelton before the Barrs did get up and running with a Ricky Barrett effort after seven minutes.
Brian Hurley kicked a sweet point for the Haven, but their opposition did score a goal after eight minutes. It didn’t come from Sherlock, who hadn’t touched the ball yet.
Ian Maguire, following a driving run, stayed calm to slot the ball into the net, 1-1 to 0-4.
Brian Hayes did edge St Finbarr’s ahead with a point, but Castlehaven kicked three of the next four points to lead 0-7 to 1-3 after 11 minutes.
St Finbarr’s had shown promise in the forward line without clicking,but it came together with two goals in three minutes.
Sherlock billowed the back of the net after Maguire did brilliantly in the build-up. The second goal was from the penalty spot after Haven goalkeeper Darragh Cahalane pulled down Ethan Twomey.
The netminder received a black card as Damien Cahalane stepped in between the sticks for 10 minutes. The latter couldn’t keep out Sherlock’s unstoppable effort, 3-3 to 0-7 after 30 minutes.
The Hurley brothers, Michael and Brian, kicked points to reduce the deficit down to a goal, but a low block game plan was working a treat for the Togher side.
St Finbarr’s Defeat Castlehaven in County Premier Senior Football Championship Quarter-Final
St Finbarr’s secured a 10-point victory over Castlehaven in the County Premier Senior football Championship quarter-final, finishing with a score of 6-8 to 0-18. The match, played in Clonakilty, saw a strong finish from the city side after a competitive contest.
Castlehaven initially dominated possession, with a point from Michael Hurley bringing the score to 5-6 to 0-17 after 51 minutes. Conor Cahalane then narrowed the gap to three points, but a crucial goal from William Buckley for St Finbarr’s in the 53rd minute, capitalizing on Castlehaven’s forward commitment, shifted the momentum.
Stephen Sherlock followed up with two points from frees, extending St Finbarr’s lead to 6-8 to 0-18.The Barrs continued to press, adding three of the last four points to secure a pleasant win.
Scorers:
* St Finbarr’s: Stephen Sherlock 3-3 (2 penalties, 1 2pt free, 1 45), Ian maguire 1-1, William Buckley, Cillian Dennehy 1-0 each, Brian Hayes, Ryan Barrett 0-2 each, Jack Burns, Eoin McGreevy, Jack Wigginton-Barrett 0-1 each.
* Castlehaven: Brian Hurley 0-9 (1 penalty, 1 2pt free, 2 frees), Michael Hurley 0-4, Conor Cahalane, James Cahalane 0-2 each, Mark Collins, Andrew Whelton 0-1 each.
Teams:
* St Finbarr’s: david Newman; Sean Ryan, david Quinn, Adam O’Connor; Ben Hennessy, Jack Burns, Cillian Dennehy; Brian Hayes, Cian Doolan; Ian Maguire, Eoin Twomey, William Buckley; Jack wigginton-Barrett, Ryan Barrett, Stephen Sherlock.
* Subs: Liam Hannigan for Ryan Barrett, Eoin McGreevy for Jack Burns (both 47), Cillian Myers-Murray for Jack wigginton-Barrett (54), Brian O’Connell for Eoin twomey (64).
* Castlehaven: Darragh Cahalane; Tom O’Mahony, James O’Regan, Jack O’Driscoll; Andrew Whelton, Robert Minihane, Ryan Maguire; Damien cahalane, Mark Collins; Sean Browne, Brian Hurley, Conor Cahalane; Michael Hurley, James cahalane, Conor Maguire.
* Subs: Michael Maguire for Robert Minihane (h-t),Sean Walsh for Sean Browne (49),James O’Neill for Conor Maguire (56),Sean O’Connell for Andrew Whelton,Liam McCarthy for Jack O’Driscoll (both 65).
Referee: James Regan (Lough Rovers).