Maynooth University 0-10
UCC 4-18
CORK PAIR ROB O’Shea and Alan Cadogan sparkled for UCC this evening to leave Group A of the Fitzgibbon Cup delicately poised.
UCC lost their opening fixture against UCD but hit back with a 20-point victory against Maynooth University, who lost their opener by 18 to Limerick IT.
UCC now face a must-win fixture against LIT in their final group game and three teams – UCC, UCD and LIT – could yet finish level on four points each.
O’Shea hit 1-9 and Cadogan added 1-6 from play as UCC put Maynooth to the sword away from home.
The bookies offered even money on the 20-point handicap but brave punters who waded in would have been left empty-handed as that exact margin separated the sides at the finish.
This was routine stuff for UCC as Cadogan, Waterford’s Tom Devine and O’Shea netted in the first half.
UCC were 12 points clear at the break — leading by 3-9 to 0-6 — and they cantered to a big win.
O’Shea, although off-target with a couple, was generally good on placed balls but also managed 1-1 of his tally from play.
Cadogan was excellent throughout and terrorised starting corner-back Cian Forde, who was withdrawn, before taking on Maynooth’s only used sub, Tom Stafford.
As UCC visibly went hunting for a big win to boost their scoring difference, they reeled off six unanswered points after Dublin’s Paul Winters had opened the second-half scoring for Maynooth.
UCC’s fourth goal arrived with nine minutes remaining, Clare’s 2013 All-Ireland final replay hat-trick hero Shane O’Donnell on target.
Scorers for Maynooth: Brian Molloy 0-4 (3f), Paul Winters 0-3 (1f), Paul Kinsella 0-2f, Niall Kenny 0-1.
Scorers for UCC: Rob O’Shea 1-9 (0-6f, 0-2 65s), Alan Cadogan 1-6, Tom Devine 1-1, Shane O’Donnell 1-0, Jamie Barron & Niall McCarthy 0-1 each.
Maynooth
1. Robert Fitzgerald (Wicklow)
2. Ciaran Breen (Kilkenny)
3. Eoin McLoughlin (Dublin)
4. Cian Forde (Kildare)
5. David Hennessy (Kilkenny)
6. Paddy Deegan (Kilkenny)
7. Jim White (Wexford)
8. Eoin Kenny (Kilkenny)
9. Ross Donohoe (Wexford)
10. Paul Winters (Dublin)
11. Aryton Gleeson (Carlow)
12. Niall Kenny (Kildare)
13. Brian Molloy (Galway)
14. David Burke (Kilkenny)
15. Paul Kinsella (Offaly)
Subs
17. Tom Stafford (Wicklow) for Forde (27)
UCC
1. Keith Hogan (Clare)
2. Conor Gleeson (Waterford)
3. Dan Morrissey (Limerick)
4. Shane Roche (Waterford)
7. Richard Cahalane (Cork)
11. Michael Breen (Tipperary)
21. Niall Cashman (Cork)
8. Jamie Barron (Waterford)
20. Cormac Walsh (Cork)
12. Rob O’Shea (Cork)
19. Tom Devine (Waterford)
15. John Power (Kilkenny
13. Alan Cadogan (Cork)
14. DJ Foran (Waterford)
25. Shane O’Donnell (Clare)
Subs
10. Niall McCarthy (Cork) for Walsh (h.t.)
18. Barry Lawton (Cork) for Foran (41)
5. Gavin O’Brien (Waterford) for Cashman (47)
23. Mark Howard (Cork) for Power (50)
26. Mark O’Connor (Cork) for O’Donnell (54)
Referee: James McGrath (Westmeath)
