Seniors Lose out to Douglas...

We lost to Douglas in the quarter final of the Cork County Senior Hurling Championship last Saturday night at Pairc Ui Rinn. It was a game we looked like winning well when we went into a five point lead after forty five minutes. We were hurling confidently and the scores were coming nicely to put us ahead by 15 points to ten. A further twenty minutes play remained and in that time we managed just a single score while the city side added eight.   Those are the bare statistics of a game we could and should have won. Often after a championship defeat we bemoan all the wides we struck but on Saturday night our tally of wides was tiny. Douglas on the other hand had 15 wides and in fairness many of these, especially in the first  half were due to the pressure our backs exerted  on their forward line. The first half of the game was very even, reflected in the fact that we were just a single point ahead at the break. All during the first half never more than two points separated the sides. Then in the second half we gradually took over in most areas of the field and got some good scores. Barry Johnson was unerring from frees but a return of just three points from our six starting forwards was never going to be enough to win a championship quarter final. Neither team had many goal chances though Dinny make one top class save in the second half when the sliotar seemed destined for the net. We will point to the very long break since the Avondhu game but then Glen Rovers had a similar time gap , they started slowly against Bishopstown but came from seven points down to win handsomely. This game against Douglas was ours for the taking but we just managed to let it slip. I know all the players and management are really gutted after this display. The effort they put in all year has been brilliant. We can point to injuries to key player but every team suffers those setbacks and our panel last Saturday were as good if not better than Douglas everywhere except where it matters - on the scoreboard.

Douglas started well with two points in as many minutes. Stephen Glasgow opened our scoring a minute later with a nice point. Douglas were 3/ 1 ahead after a free was pointed in the sixth minute. Our half backline of Mike Kearney, Brian Murphy and Stephen Walsh were getting on top and our forwards benefited with a good supply of ball. Two great points from Stephen Walsh after Daniel Dooley had  supplied him came on either side of a pointed 65 from Barry to make it 4/3 in our favour in the tenth minute. Alan Cadogan tied up the scores a minute later. Douglas went ahead with a pointed line ball. Sean Ryan won a great ball but was dragged down as he headed for goal and Barry pointed the free. In the fifteenth minute Michael Collins raised the white flag and we were a point up. Douglas had plenty possession but our backs harried and hooked and put them under pressure in shooting - they had seven wides to just three for us in the opening half. With ten minutes to go Brenny O Driscoll was unlucky I thought not to have been awarded a free after being brought down . From a free at the other end Douglas made it 6/6. They went ahead with a pointed 65 in the 22nd minute. William Finnegan and Daniel Dooley combined in a good move but Daniel was fouled and Barry pointed. Two minutes later a ball from Brian Murphy to Daniel Dooley was passed to Barry and we were up one. This margin was doubled when Barry pointed a 65 in the 29th minute. Douglas had a point in the second minute of added time to make it Bride Rovers 0 9 Douglas 0  8 at the break.  The breeze was very slight and had little bearing on the match really. On the restart we outscored Douglas by 6 points to two in the first fifteen minutes. The points came from corner back Shane Kearney, subs Richard Whitty and Jason Mannix and Barry Johnson . Theses scores left us ahead by five points 15 to 10 and looking very good. It seemed like one or two more points would really put us in the driving seat. Those scores never came however and four points in a row from Douglas left just a point in it. In the 23rd minute Barry restored a two point lead. Douglas drove on and by the end of the hour the sides were level at 16 points each. In stoppage time Douglas missed tow chances to go ahead while we had one also. As three minutes of added time had elapsed all in Pairc Ui Rinn expected a draw and a replay scenario.  On the game went for a further two minutes during which Douglas scored two points to win the game by 18 points to 16.  A scalding defeat which didn’t do justice to the tremendous efforts of all the lads on the night. Senior hurling is where we're at and it's tough up there to be sure. For the third year in a row we've lost out to City teams, last year the Glen beat us 3 16 to 3 10 while in 2014 na Piarsaigh were winners on a scoreline of 0 18 to 2 9. It's ironic that we have played 15 of the 16 Cork Senior Clubs already in this year's SHL and won twelve of the games, and the only team we haven't played is Douglas in   Round 12. Our Season isn't over because we have qualified for the play off stage of the Senior Hurling League. Depending on the results of other. clubs remaining games we will be in the quarter or semi final of this Competition. We are so proud of the Trojan efforts made by the hurling panel this year and the massive amount of voluntary time put in by the players, selectors and all those in the vital backroom team. Sport can be brilliant - think of the victories in Ballynoe and Castletownroche earlier in the year, but it can be oh so cruel. We must learn from this defeat and be stronger and better next year. Very few outside of the panel and management are aware of the amount of time the players have put in since last December. Holidays, social functions, overtime and family events have all been put on hold for training and games this season as the selectors and players left no stone unturned for the Club.

Team v Douglas, D. Fitzgerald, F. Collins, D. Carr, S. Kearney (0 1), M. Kearney, B. Murphy (Capt.), S. Walsh (0 2), M. Liddane, B. Johnson (0 9,  0 6 frees, 0 2 65's), M. Collins (0 2),  W. Finnegan, D. Dooley, S Ryan, B. O Driscoll, S. Glasgow (0 2). Subs J. Mannix (0 1), R. Whitty ( 0 1 ),  S. O Connor.  They say the darkest hour is before the dawn, we are near the top so though we are all disappointed after the defeat we must keep going onward and upwards.

JUNIOR C TEAM WIN.

On Sunday evening far from the madding crowd it was off to a wild and windswept Lisgoold for the first round of the East Cork Junior C Hurling championship against Cobh. Conditions were brutal with driving rain and a crosswind making it very difficult for hurling.  With David Boyce and James Murphy starting at midfield for us we were quickly into the attack and early points from Terry and Walshie settled us. Cobh replied with a point before we struck a purple patch. Our half forward line of Gavin O Flynn, Terry and Alan O Keeffe won a lot of ball and our inside forwards caused  a lot of problems for the Cobh rearguard. Donal Ryan created havoc and distributed the sliothar very well. Goals from Walshie and gave us a good lead.  Points from Terry, Daniel O Brien and Pat Walsh put us nine points ahead. With the two Barry's  Collins and Murphy and Jim O Connor hurling well in the half back line we were well on top in all sectors. Dylan Browne got good cover in goal from Brian Pa and Tomas. A third goal gave us a mighty cushion though Cobh hit over six points to leave us eight ahead at the break. As the light was fading the wind and rain kept beating down making life difficult on and off the field. Cobh started the second half with a flurry of scores -three points to eat into our lead. Theses scores seemed to drive them on and we were under pressure for the first ten minutes. A few points helped our position before a Jamie Buckley goal put us in a winning position and we held on for a good 4 12 to 0 11 win.

This was a good start to the championship and puts us into the semi final v Sarsfields. No fixture has been made at the time of writing but the game may be on next weekend Sept 17th or 18th.

Team and scorers v Cobh; D. Browne, B. Lahive, P. O Driscoll, T. Kearney, B. Collins, B. Murphy, J. O Connor, D. Boyce, J. Murphy ( 1 0),  G. O Flynn ( 1 0). T. Broderick (0 3), A. O Keeffe, D. O Brien (0 2), D. Ryan, P. Walsh (1 5). J Connor, J. Buckley, S . Cotter, D.Pyne, J. Tobin.  Damian Leahy was unavailable to play due to the death of his uncle and the Bride Rovers Club extend our sympathy to Damian and his family.     

1966 Team Reunion.

 A very pleasant function was held in the Rathcormac Inn last Friday night when a reunion of the 1966 Bride Rovers team was held. Fifty years ago this tem won our first ever Junior B Grade Hurling championship less than two years after the Club had been reorganised. It was great to see so many of the players present along with selector Joe Browne, Club Treasurer of the time Tommy Barry and retired Garda Donie O Sullivan who was part of the 'backroom team' in 1966. Family members of the three deceased members of the panel Tony O Brien, Tony Walsh and Michael Twomey were present while Isabelle Milward represented her father Willie Cotter. Speakers included Club Chairman Billy Finnegan, East Cork Board Chairman Dick Fitzgerald  and the Captain and Vice Captain of the 1966 team Willie Sheehan and Seanie Barry. Special certificates were presented to all the team members and their relatives and a special souvenir leaflet was also produced for the night. Thanks to Liam Barry of Fermoy Print for his great work with these items. Refreshments were provided by the Rathcormac Inn. It was a lovely occasion where old games were replayed and friendships renewed.

Photographs from the night & from the SHC v Douglas. can be viewed http://briderovers.ie/gallery/295397/All_Recent_Photos

WEEKLY CLUB LOTTO.

The Jackpot for Tuesday September the 6th was €4200 and the four numbers drawn were 5,7,11 and 18 and there was no winner. The winners of €30 each were paddy O Shea, Rathcormac,  Hannah O Driscoll Rathcormac, Breda  Cahill Rathcormac, Batty Hogan Kildinan and Orla Hickey Carrigaline. A weekly ticket for the Club Lotto costs just €2 and every ticket sold helps with the day to day running of the Club. Tickets are on sale every day in local business outlets and of course from Club Members. Tickets can also be purchased online at locallotto.ie Your ongoing support for the Lotto is deeply appreciated.

ALL IRELAND FOOTBALL FINAL.

Though no Cork team will grace the Croke Park field next Sunday the Bride Rovers Club will have a dual involvement on gaelic football's biggest day. The Minor Final is between Kerry and Galway and for this game James Bermingham will be the Fourth Official. For the Senior Final between Dublin and Mayo Conor Lane is the referee and Raymond Hegarty will be one of the umpires. It is a great honour for the Club to have two Bide Rovers stalwarts on Croke park duty and we wish James and Raymond the very best of luck.

TWITTER.

We have now reached a grand total of 2000 followers on Twitter so well done to everyone who follows the activities of Bride Rovers in this way.