Senior Hurling Championship

Senior Hurling Championship replay. (3rd Round.)

Played at Pairc Ui Chaoimh on Saturday July 8th 2006.

Blackrock 0 - 10 Midleton 0 - 12

Referee Diarmuid Kirwans crucial decision to award a free against Wayne Sherlock for a handpass with three minutes to go from which Midleton scored, effectively sealed the Rockies fate in this replay. Blackrock had just drawn level from an Adrian Coughlan free for only the second time, a minute earlier and for the first time looked like they had the momentum to actually win the game.

Deep in injury time, Colin O'Leary's kicked effort for goal from close in went across the Midleton goal and wide and that signalled the end of Blackrock's aspirations for 2006 and so exited the last Cork city team from this years Championship. It was an unfortunate miss for O'Leary as he had earlier scored five good points from play and was Blackrock's most industrious and effective forward on the evening.

In truth however, it was the poor first half performance from Blackrock which was the source of the later problems and ultimately the defeat.

Colin O'Leary with three points on the score board at half time represented the entire Blackrock score at this stage. The score was Midleton 0 - 8 Blackrock 0 - 3. Michael O'Connell with five points from frees, along with Sean Hennessy, Daire Cott and Aonghus Cotter contributed to the East Cork sides tally. Midleton should have been out of sight, except nerves around the goal and good defending kept the Rockies in the game.

Blackrock thundered into the game in the second half aided by substitutes, Gearoid Cleary, Richard Curtin and Derek Gosnell in a team which looked more settled. Fergal Ryan now operated at half back, while Brian O'Keeffe played at half forward and began to win ball. With 2 frees from Adrian Coughlan, and points from Brian O'Keeffe and David Cashman and two from Colin O'Leary, the sides were level by the 15th minute.

There followed a tremendous battle for supremecy during which Blackrock missed some great chances for points while a Mickey O'Connell "65" was cancelled by an Adrian Coughlan free to leave the sides deadlocked. The "handpass" free put Midleton back in the driving seat and they finished the stronger. Referee Kirwan correctly over ruled an umpire who raised a white flag for a point a minute later for Midleton, which was clearly wide. However a second point from this puck out for Midleton forced the Rockies to go for goal in injury time.

They came so close but it was not to be!

Blackrock Team; Frank Barry, TJCoughlan, John Browne, Fergal Ryan, Sean Murphy, Chris Murphy, Wayne Sherlock, Ciaran Connery, Adrian Coughlan, Joe Young, David Cashman, Colin O'Leary, Brian O'Keeffe, Alan Browne and Barry Hennebry. Subs used: Gearoid Cleary, Derek Gosnell, Richard Curtin and David Coughlan.

Click here for photos (courtesy of George Hatchell)