Emphatic Holycross Ballycahill continue their push for the title with quarter win over Cashel

FBD Insurance Senior Hurling Championship quarter-final

Holycross Ballycahill 4-23

Cashel King Cormacs 2-17

By Michael Dundon

Holycross Ballycahill’s emergence as genuine championship contenders gathered significant momentum with a commanding twelve-point victory over Cashel King Cormacs in this FBD Insurance Senior Hurling Championship quarter-final at FBD Semple Stadium on Saturday.

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Pre-match talk suggested this would be a tight and competitive battle, but that theory was quickly dismissed as Holycross Ballycahill bossed the contest from start to finish. Three first-half goals laid the foundation for a nine-point half-time lead and left Cashel chasing shadows for the remainder.

Cashel never looked like reeling in their opponents, whose work-rate, movement and scoring power excelled throughout. Holycross made full use of the space afforded to them and a tally of 4-23 underlined their credentials as serious title challengers, even if the quality of the opposition left question marks as Cashel failed to deliver on their potential.

Three straight county U19 titles in recent years highlight the conveyor belt of talent within Holycross Ballycahill, and while Cashel had pipped them at that grade in this year’s county semi-final, the Mid men are now beginning to reap the rewards of their strong underage structures at senior level.

The first-half goals proved decisive. Even before Robbie Ryan finished off a slick move in the 12th minute, Holycross were already 0-7 to 0-4 ahead thanks to an on-song Darragh Woods. That lead doubled when Eoin Craddock kicked home a goal four minutes later after good work by Tadhg Gould.

Cashel tried to respond, with Ross Bonnar, Ger Browne and Devon Ryan landing points, but they were denied a lifeline in the 19th minute when Ewan Bourke produced a brave save to block a Ger Browne goal attempt.

And the Mid men struck again in first-half injury-time. Robbie Ryan, a constant menace, capitalised on hesitancy in the Cashel defence to bag his second goal and send Holycross to the break with a commanding 3-11 to 0-11 advantage.

Cashel needed a fast start to the second half and four points in the opening seven minutes gave them hope, cutting the gap to six. But that momentum was halted dramatically when captain Eoghan Connolly received a red card for a clumsy tackle on David Fogarty in the 40th minute. Three minutes later, Joe Caesar sliced through the defence after being picked out by Robbie Ryan to blast home Holycross’ fourth goal, stretching the lead to 4-15 to 0-16.

With Cashel reduced to 14 men, Holycross pressed home their advantage. Five unanswered points pushed them twelve clear heading into the final ten minutes. They did suffer a setback when Cathal Barrett received a second yellow card in the 53rd minute, and Cashel responded with goals from Ronan Connolly and Cathal Quinn in quick succession. But the damage had long since been done, and Holycross finished strongly with scores from Woods and Craddock to seal a comprehensive victory.

It was a performance brimming with positives for Holycross Ballycahill. Woods was outstanding in the first half, Robbie Ryan’s threat up front was constant, and Craddock shone alongside them. In defence, Barrett, Gould, Jim Ryan and Bryan O’Mara were uncompromising, while Caesar impressed both in midfield and attack.

Cashel, meanwhile, were a shadow of themselves. The concession of three first-half goals effectively ended their challenge, and Connolly’s red card only compounded matters. Still, they will take lessons from the experience as they look to re-establish themselves among the county’s elite. Devon Ryan carried their scoring threat with support from Bonnar, while Browne and Conor O’Dwyer also battled hard.

Scorers: Holycross Ballycahill: Darragh Woods (0-13, 0-9f), Robbie Ryan 2-2, Eoin Craddock 1-3, Joe Caesar 1-1, Tiarnan Ryan (0-2), Mikey Nally, Luke O’Mara 0-1 each.

Cashel King Cormacs: Devon Ryan (0-8, 0-6f), Ross Bonnar 0-4, Cathal Quinn, Ronan Connolly 1-0 each, Eoghan Connolly, Ger Browne 0-2 each, Conor O’Dwyer 0-1.

Holycross Ballycahill: Ewan Bourke; Cathal O’Reilly, Cathal Barrett, Evan Morris; Tadhg Gould, Jim Ryan, Liam Doyle; Bryan O’Mara, Joe Caesar; Robbie Ryan, Eoin Craddock, Mikey Nally; Tiarnan Ryan, Darragh Woods, David Fogarty.

Subs used: Jack Ryan for Doyle (45); Luke O’Mara for Fogarty (49); Jimmy Lahart for Nally (51); Paraic Russell for Caesar (54).

Cashel King Cormacs: Aaron Browne; Conn Bonnar, Nathan Ryan, Kieran O’Dwyer; James Cummins, Ronan Connolly, Conor O’Dwyer; Eoghan Connolly, Cathal Quinn; Devon Ryan, Ger Browne, Paddy Fahy; Ross Bonnar, Oisin O’Donoghue, David McGrath.

Subs used: Shane Neville for McGrath (36); Briain O’Donoghue for Fahy (54); Adrian Cummins for Ryan (54).

Referee: Michael Kennedy (Newcastle)

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