Check out the match report here for Courcey's recent win over Watergrasshill last Saturday night in the Premier Intermediate Hurling championship
Match Report by Shirley Moloney
Courcey Rovers advance after late Watergrasshill rally
Fixture: Cork County Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship Round 2B
Teams: Courcey Rovers v Watergrasshill
Venue: Páirc Liam Mac Cárthaigh, Ballygarvan
Date: Saturday 24th June 2017
Half Time Score: Courcey Rovers 2-08, Watergrasshill 0-07
Full Time Score: Courcey Rovers 2-17, Watergrasshill 3-12
The Play:
Courcey Rovers accounted for Watergrasshill on a beautiful, balmy evening in Ballygarvan when they survived a late rally from the men from the hill to hold out and book a place in round 3 of the Cork County Premier Intermediate Championship.
Even though Courceys had only two points to spare at the full time whistle it was the South East side who enjoyed much of the possession and kept the scoreboard turning over with greater efficiency over the course of the hour.
Ronan Nyhan opened the scoring on 5 with a well taken point, before Shane O’Regan on free taking duty for Watergrasshill slotted over a free from 45m. Shortly after Brian Collins and O’Regan exchanged points to tie up the scores on two a piece after 7. A minute later Terence Collins hit the side netting before Nyhan had a shot saved by Darragh O’Callaghan for a 65. Fergus Lordan slotted over the resultant 65 to see Courceys 0-03 to Watergrasshill 0-02.
On 11 Lordan opened up a 2 point lead for Courceys when he slotted over a placed ball from 40m. A minute later O’Regan collected on the end line and his shot was deflected by Stephen Nyhan between the Courcey posts to give Watergrasshill a 65m free. O’Regan pointed the resultant 65m to bring Watergrasshill to within 1 on the quarter mark before Paddy O’Regan made it all square at four a piece on 17.
Lordan put Courceys ahead by the slimmest on 19 when he split the posts with a placed ball on 50m. Courceys caught a break through a Tadgh O’Sullivan goal on 21 when he collected Nyhans free from deep in defence to show his marker a clean pair of heels and strike low to the back of the Hill net to give Courceys a four point cushion. Shortly after O’Regan and Lordan exchanged placed balls to see the score 1-06 to 0-05 in favour of Courceys on 25.
On 26 Courceys opened up a seven point lead when Terence Collins made no mistake by batting past O’Callaghan in the Watergrasshill goal to see Courceys surge ahead 2-06 to 0-05. O’Regan slotted over a 50m free on 27 to bring Watergrasshill to within 2 goals before cutting the deficit to 7 a minute later with another placed ball 60m from the target. A Courcey brace just before the short whistle through Fergus Lordan - 50m free and Dan Lordan from play saw Courceys 2-08 to 0-07 to the good at half time.
Brian Collins got Courceys on the scoreboard a minute after the restart after a series of good passing set him up from distance. However, Sean O’Callaghan quickly cancelled it out when he knocked over a sweet effort on the run.
Nyhan split the posts for Courceys on 32 to make it double scores 2-10 to 0-08. Good defensive play from Courceys saw Watergrasshill being forced into shooting under pressure, however, that all changed on 36 when Dylan McCarthy split the defence and rattled to the net to see the score 2-10 to 1-08 and shortly after Kevin O’Neill pointed to cut the Courcey lead to just four.
However, Courceys responded through Martin Collins and O’Sullivan with two fine efforts on 38 to restore a six point advance for the men from the South East. Two placed balls from the accurate O’Regan kept the Hill in touch, however, they were cancelled out when Terence Collins pointed from a Killian Moloney pass before Moloney himself pointed from distance to see the score 2-14 to 1-11 on 46. However, the lead was cut to three a moment later when O’Neill showed persistence in opening up some space to allow him shoot low and under pressure past Nyhan in the Courcey goal to throw Watergrasshill a life line. Courceys responded deftly through Martin Collins when he pointed to push the Courcey lead to four. Watergrasshill also showed resilience to respond and did so through O’Regan on 50 to leave the score 2-15 to 2-12 heading into the final 10. With 6 remaining Lordan slotted over two placed balls from 20m and 65m. With 5 left on the clock Courceys held a five point lead, however, the Hill weren’t done when O’Neill sprung to find the net after collecting an O’Regan free, but, the effort was too little too late and Courceys survived the late surge to hold out and take the spoils with two points to spare.
Teams:
Courcey Rovers: S. Nyhan, K. Collins, J. O’Reilly, B. Mulcahy, D. Lordan, D. Duggan, J. O’Neill, G.
Moloney, K. Moloney, T. Collins, B. Collins (capt.), T. O’Sullivan, S. Moloney, F. Lordan, R. Nyhan.
Subs: M. Collins for S. Moloney (36)
Watergrasshill: D. O’Callaghan, S. Field, A. Ricken, D. O’Riordan, P. Cronin, A. Cronin, E. O’Reilly, P.
O’Regan, B. Halbert, S. O’Regan, K. O’Neill, D. McCarthy, D. O’Farrell, S. O’Callaghan, J. McCarthy
Subs: C. Fenton for P. Cronin (3), E. Barry for E. O’Reilly (41), K. Coakley for B. Halbert (52).
Scorers:
Courcey Rovers: T. O’Sullivan 1-01, T. Collins 1-01, F. Lordan 0-07 (0-04f, 0-0365), R. Nyan 0-02, B.
Collins 0-02, M. Collins 0-02, D. Lordan 0-01, K. Moloney 0-01
Watergrasshill: K. O’Neill 2-01, D. McCarthy 1-00, S. O’Regan 0-08 (0-06f, 0-0165), P. O’Regan 0-02,
S. O’Callaghan 0-01
Referee: David Farrell, Mitchelstown
