Dungarvan Colleges are into Dr Harty Cup semi finals

Dungarvan Colleges are through to the semi finals of this year’s Dr. Harty Cup after a hard fought 0-14 to 0-10 win over Blackwater Community School from Lismore at Fraher Field at the quarter final stages of this years competition.

Conditions for this game were testing throughout. The field cut up very quickly and fog in the vicinity of the field resulted in players found it hard to adjust, but as the game progressed it did get somewhat better.

As expected, a huge crowd descended upon Fraher Field with some estimating an attendance of between 1,500 and 2,000.

Dungarvan had the better of the early exchanges with Patrick Curran hitting a brace of points in the opening minutes only for David Geary to strike back with a brace of scores for the Lismore outfit.

Patrick Curran who was one of a number of players involved with the Dungarvan outfit that helped them win the 2012 final that was involved again in this game. He gave them the lead on eleven minutes but a brace of scores from placed balls both from the stick of David Geary gave the Lismore side the lead for the first and only time on seventeen minutes.

Points from Patrick Curran and his namesake Cormac followed within a minute of each other to send Dungarvan Colleges back into the lead on twenty four minutes.

Kieran Bennett pointed for Blackwater Community School on twenty six minutes, before two points for Dungarvan Colleges followed in quick succession.

The short quick puck out is something that most will be aware of if they read match reports over the past four or five years is something that I am totally against. Patrick Curran pointed for Dungarvan Colleges on twenty eight minutes but once Darragh Lyons gained procession of the ball following a short quick puck out, it was only going one place as the holders of the famous trophy went two points up.

However, just a single score separated the sides at the break after David Geary from a ’65 in added time at the end of the first half found the range with the last puck of the half.

Leading 0-7 to 0-6 at the break it was first blood to Blackwater Community School in the second thirty minutes as Darragh Lyons put over an eight point for the holders on thirty two minutes only for Kieran Bennett to pull the defecate back to one a minute later.

The winning and loosing of this game happened in a six minute spell in the middle of the second half.

Patrick Curran put over frees on forty-one and forty four minutes to give Dungarvan Colleges a three point lead and when Darragh Lyons, a delightful Colin Dunford effort and another Patrick Curran score n forty-seven minutes it was beginning to look good for the holders.

The Lismore outfit were not going to give up without a battle and points from Cian Leamy and a brace from David Geary brought them right back into contention.

However this was as good as it got for them. Tadhg Bourke put over a ’65 two minutes from the hour mark to five them a deserved four point lead and while the Lismore men were to finish the game with fourteen men after the dismissal of David Geary on a straight red card it came too late to have any further impact in the outcome of the game.

Meanwhile in other quarter final games played today, Our Lady’s from Templemore had a 2-5 to 0-10 victory over Midleton CBS at Cahir and in the semi finals they will play Ard Scoil Rís from Limerick who had a 0-14 to 1-6 victory over Doon CBS at Bruff.

Dungarvan Colleges however will have to wait a little longer to see who they will play as the fourth quarter final between Thurles CBS and Castletroy College will not be played until tomorrow (January 17).

Dungarvan Colleges: L Power; M Cronin, B Looby, L Looby; T Bourke (0-1 ’65), K Daly, T Devine; C Dunford (0-1), M Harney; C Breathnach, P Curran (0-8 5 frees), E Crotty; C Curran (0-1), D Lyons (0-3), S Keating. Sub: D Gartland for E Crotty (41 min).

Blackwater Community School: S Barry; J Ring, C Roche, P Hennessy; C Murray, S O’Brien, N Fives; C Leamy (0-1), P Coleman; S Bennett, D Geary 0-6 (4 frees, 2 ‘65’s), A Crawford; M Kearney, D Meagher, K Bennett (0-3). Sub; A O’Sullivan for N Fives (51 min).

Referee: N Cosgrove (Tipperary).