John O’Shea at Ciocaim Park Dundrum
Cashel King Cormacs are through to the Berties Bar Dundrum Crosco Cup Final following their six point winning margin over Eire Og Annacarty at Pairc Ciocaim Dundrum on Wednesday evening.
Played before a good crowd on a well prepared pitch, this game lived up to all the expectations, with really the difference overall between the sides being a goal from Cathal Quinn two minutes before the break.
This goal proved to be a big score as it gave the TJ Connolly managed town side a cushion for the remainder of the game, the sides having been on level terms four times during the opening quarter.
Cashel were quickly out of the blocks and Devon Ryan opened the scoring at the Railway end with a converted placed ball inside the first minute.
Eire Og replied with three minors, two from Tom Fox and one from Donal O’Dwyer, all from a distance. Davy McGrath put over from a tight angle before Tom Fox hit his third in the space of four minutes.
With play switching from end to end, scores were exchanged regularly and when Seanie Ryan hit his opening score on the quarter hour it tied the game for the fourth time.
Devon Ryan then hit three in succession, two from play, before Aidan Griffin opened his account from a placed ball.
As the game headed towards the half time break, there was only the minimum separating the sides until Cathal Quinn crashed home the only goal of the game, beating Mooney from close-in, having been set up by Davy McGrath.
An Anthony Walsh free, while Devon Ryan was receiving attention, put five between the sides at the break, Cashel K.C. 1.11, Eire Og 0.9.
The second half followed a similar pattern, with scores exchanged on a regular basis, after Cashel had gone into a seven-point lead early on.
With Johnny Walsh in fine form, between the Cashel posts, Eire Og were unable to get the required goal to get them back in the game. Also, their inability late on to convert a few placed balls was a contributing factor to a Cashel victory.
Cashel now meet Kickhams in the decider, in a repeat of the 2021 final, which was the last occasion for Cashel to claim victory.
Scorers & Teams.
Cashel K.C.: Devon Ryan (0.10, 7 frees), Cathal Quinn (1.0), Davy McGrath (0.3), Paddy Fahy (0.2), Ross Bonnar ().2), Anthony Walsh (0.1, free), Dan Moloney (0.1), Simon Delaney (0.1), James Cummins (0.1), Ger Browne (0.1), Eoghan Connolly (0.1)
Eire Og Annacarty Donohill; Aidan Griffin (0.6, 2 frees), Seanie Ryan (0.4, 2 frees), Donal O’Dwyer (0.3), Tom Fox (0.3), Connie Bradshaw (0.2), Kevin Fox (0.1), Dinny Crosse
Cashel K.C.: Johnny Walsh, Conn Bonnar, Nathan Ryan, Kieran O’Dwyer, James Cummins (Captain), Conor O’Dwyer, Fabian Ryan, Paddy Fahy, Cathal Quinn, Ross Bonnar, Devon Ryan, Dan Moloney, Davy McGrath, Simon Delaney, Anthony Walsh. Subs used: Ger Browne (44), Eoghan Connolly (54)
Eire Og Annacarty Donohill: Daragh Mooney, Paul Downey, David Fox, Darragh O’Brien, Mikey Bradshaw, Brian Fox, Donal O’Dwyer, Tom Fox, Seanie Ryan, Dinny Crosse, Liam Og O’Dwyer, Liam Crosse, Aidan Griffin, Kevin Fox (Captain), Connie Bradshaw. Subs used; Paul Devlin (56), Jordan Hayes (56)
Referee: Fergal Horgan (Knockavilla Donaskeigh Kickhams)
