THE RETURN OF action in the Dr Harty Cup, the premier Munster colleges hurling championship, saw contrasting fortunes for the 2020 finalists, the last season the competition was played.
St Flannan’s, the reigning champions, were defeated by 2-20 to 1-21 today by Thurles CBS, while Christian Brothers College won the big all-Cork clash as they overcame Midleton CBS by 1-2o to 1-14 in Midleton.
De La Salle Waterford and Cashel Community School also overcame St Joseph’s Tulla and Our Lady’s Templemore respectively.
Monday’s opening game saw Ardscoil Rís defeat Nenagh CBS by 0-18 to 0-16, while the meeting of St Colman’s and Blackwater CS today was postponed, and will instead be held on Friday afternoon.
*****
Dr Harty Cup Results
- CBC Cork 1-20 Midleton CBS 1-14
- Thurles CBS 2-20 St Flannan’s College 1-21
- De La Salle Waterford 0-20 St Josephs Tulla 0-18
- Cashel Community School 2-22 Our Ladys Templemore 1-14
*****
There was a large crowd in Midleton to witness a repeat of the 2019 Dr Harty Cup final and 2020 semi-final, with CBC Cork’s third-quarter surge proving crucial. There were several recent Cork All-Ireland minor winners in action on both sides. Goalkeeper Paudie O’Sullivan, who pulled off a couple of excellent saves, started for Midleton CBS and was joined by members of the Cork team that won the All-Ireland final in August in Timmy Wilk, Diarmuid Healy and Jack Leahy.
CBC Cork were able to call upon James Dwyer, Mikey Finn, David Cremin and Eoin O’Leary from the team that started in that minor triumph. They also possessed in captain Eoin Downey, a defender in excellent form, after a season where he was an All-Ireland U20 victor during the summer and helped Glen Rovers reach a county senior hurling final last Sunday.
David Cremin hit 0-6 from play for the winners while Eoin O’Leary matched his tally, with four of his efforts registered from frees. Eoghan Kirby struck 1-4 from play and it was his early second-half goal that was the critical score.
CBC Cork were ahead 0-9 to 0-8 after an evenly-contested first half, but had moved significantly clear by 1-15 to 0-11 by the second-half water break. A late goal by Timmy Wilk and 0-10 overall from Leahy, the 2021 minor hurler of the year after his exploits with Cork, saw Midleton CBS claw back the deficit.
But the winners were full value for their six-point success as they advance to the quarter-finals and Midleton will face into the backdoor, where they will meet the losers of Blackwater CS and St Colman’s.
Ardscoil Rís, De La Salle Waterford and CBC Cork are the three teams now straight through to the quarter-final on 8 January.
Scorers for CBC Cork: Eoghan Kirby 1-4, David Cremin, Eoin O’Leary (0-4f) 0-6 each, Daire Burke 0-2, Peter Linehan, James Dwyer 0-1 each.
Scorers for Midleton CBS: Jack Leahy 0-10 (0-5f, 0-1 ’65), Timmy Wilk 1-0, Darragh Joyce, Darragh McCarthy, George Walsh-Wallace, Diarmuid Healy (0-1f) 0-1 each.
CBC Cork
1. Eoin O’Neill (Blarney)
2. Darragh Murphy (Blarney), 3. Shane Kingston (Ballinora), 4. Louis Casey (Sarsfields)
7. Eoin Downey (Glen Rovers – captain), 6. Cormac McDonnell (Erin’s Own), 5. James Dwyer (Ballincollig)
8. Mikey Finn (Midleton), 9. Brian Keating (Ballincollig)
10. Peter Linehan (Blackrock), 11. Eoghan Kirby (Blarney), 12. Rhys Dunne (Glen Rovers)
13. Daire Burke (Douglas), 14. Eoin O’Leary (Glen Rovers), 15. David Cremin (Midleton).
Subs
Cillian Egan (Whitechurch) for Finn (56)
Bill Kingston (Mallow) for Downey
Cian Barrett (Blarney) for Burke
Jeremy Kingston (Sarsfields) for Kirby
Daragh Murray (Sarsfields) for Murphy (all 60)
Midleton CBS
1. Paudie O’Sullivan (Fr O’Neills)
2. David Joseph (Carrigtwohill), 6. Ciarmhac Smyth (Midleton), 7. Daniel Murnane (Carrigtwohill)
3. George Walsh-Wallace (Killeagh), 5. John Ahern (Kiltha Óg), 8. Timmy Wilk (Cobh)
4. Jamie Fogarty (Killeagh), 9. Evan Lane (Killeagh)
11. Darragh McCarthy (Midleton), 10. Diarmuid Healy (Lisgoold), 12. Darragh Joyce (Kiltha Óg);
15. Conor O’Leary (Fr O’Neills), 12. Jack Leahy (Kiltha Óg), 13. Tiernan Roche (Midleton).
Subs
C Leahy (Killeagh) for O’Leary (28, injured)
A Rooney (Carrigtwohill) for Lane (half-time)
Dylan McCarthy (Killeagh) for Darragh McCarthy (47)
D Collins (Aghada) for Walsh Wallace (50)
M Wall (Fr O’Neills) for Joyce (58).
Referee: Simon Stokes (Tullylease).
