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Dowd inspires Meath to lay low Louth challenge

Meath 0-15
Louth 1-11
by Michael Ellard
THE individual brilliance of Tommy Dowd saved Meath from falling into a pit of disaster at Croke Park yesterday.
Forced to walk a tightrope by next door neighbours Louth, in an enthralling Bank of Ireland Leinster football championship semi-final, Meath were left dangling precariously in mid-air until the Dunderry lionheart came to their rescue.
Meath, in trouble from the start, looked in dire straits two minutes into the second half when Louth opened up a five-point gap between the sides. Was the unthinkable about to happen? The attendance of 41,384 held its breath in anticipation of a shock.
But exploding into action the flame-haired Dowd took this game by the scruff of the neck. Conspicuous by his absence in the first half when Louth acted as 'lords of the manor', Dowd burst on the scene with a vengeance.
In irresistible fashion Dowd shot over three fabulous points on the trot. Meath were not out of the woods yet. But that spellbinding scoring act conjured up by their magnificent left corner forward threw the 1996 All-Ireland champions the lifeline they so dearly needed and imbued them with the confidence to stave off the memorable challenge thrown down by Louth.
Make no mistake about it Louth scared the living daylights out of the side many believe to be unbeatable in this season's championship. Louth looked the more confident side in the first half and when skilful corner forward Stefan White soloed in from the endline to score a goal of rare quality in the 19th minute Meath appeared to be all at sea.
This beautiful strike from the talented White powered Louth into a four-point lead, and had an earlier shot from full-forward Cathal O'Hanlon found the net instead of agonisingly hitting the crossbar then Meath would really have known what pain is all about.
Louth played the better football all through the first half and their composure and willingness to take on Meath in every aspect of the game was admirable. They gave the impression that they did not give one whit about their opponents reputation, particularly Meath's demolition of Offaly in the quarter final.
Louth's interval lead of 1-5 to 0-4 did not do justice to the splendour of the 'Wee County' representatives in the first half of this game which certainly warmed the cockles of the heart.
Louth were clearly the superior team. Their confidence on the ball and composure when things did not work out well for them served as a lesson to those who challenge the greats.
When left half-back Arron Hoey soloed upfield to kick an inspirational point two minutes after the resumption to edge Louth farther ahead the die was cast for Meath, five points in arrears and looking very brittle indeed.
But Meath got a lucky break which in retrospect played a crucial part in determining the final outcome of this terrific clash.
Referee Brian White, who had a superb match, blew for a free deep in the heart of the Louth defence when two players got into a tangle. He pointed his hand in favour of Louth, then changed his mind, and before the Louth defence could pick up their men Meath corner-forward Raymond Magee slotted over a point.
Meath's hopes were revived. The kiss of life had been administered. Then, in stepped Dowd to complete the recovery process.
Louth, on the verge of causing a sensation, suddenly found themselves hauled back to equality.
The Dowd-inspired Meath onslaught was calculated to break Louth's heart. Now there was only a point between them following his electrifying three-point contribution. But more agonising for Louth was the equaliser from Graham Geraghty. Many, including one umpire, deemed that Geraghty's shot was wide but referee White was adamant that the ball had gone over.
Despite the trials and tribulations they were subjected to, Louth's heads never dropped and the sides were level of two further occasions before Meath, who were hit by injuries to full-back Darren Fay and wing-forward John McGuinness, powered their way to the front coming into the closing straight.
But Louth never threw in the towel and Meath were left to sweat right up to the end. Indeed, two points from the magnificent Stefan White and centre-forward Colin Kelly, who converted a free seconds from the end, left the bare minimum between them at the end of a memorable Leinster semi-final.
Louth won most people's admiration with their splendid performance and stirring challenge but it was a relieved Meath team, courtesy of Tommy Dowd, who went through to play either Kildare of Laois in the Leinster final.
Scorers. Meath. T. Dowd 0-5; G. Geraghty 0-3; T. Giles 0-3 (0-1 from free; 0-1 from 65); J. McGuinness, R. Magee, B. Reilly, H. Traynor 0-1 each.
Louth. S. White 1-3; C. O'Hanlon 0-3; C. Kelly 0-2 (0-2 from frees); G. Curran, A. Hoey and A. Rooney 0-1 each.
MEATH: C. Martin; M. O'Reilly, D. Fay, D. Curtis; E. McManus, B. Callaghan, P. Reynolds; N. Nestor, J. McDermott; T. Giles, G. Geragthy, J. McGuinness; R. Magee, B. Reilly, T. Dowd. Subs. H. Traynor for Fay (injured); S. Dillon for McGuinness (injured).
LOUTH. N. O'Donnell; B. McPhilips, G. O'Neill, N. Malone; A. Rooney, J. Donaldson, A. Hoey; K. Reilly, G. Curran; O. McDonnell, S. Melia, C. Kelly; S. White, C. O'Hanlon, A. Doherty. Subs. D. O'Sullivan for McPhillips (injured); M. Farrelly for Doherty.
Referee. B. White.

Tipperary march on as
Clare fail to deliver

Tipperary 1-16
Clare 0-12
by Jim O'Sullivan
IT didn't seem likely when they struggled through the first round against Limerick and it wasn't very promising early in yesterday's game at the Gaelic Grounds. But, Tipperary footballers are through to the Bank of Ireland Munster football final in Thurles on August 2, and rightly so!
They overcame Clare's inconsistent challenge through an accumulation of factors, the most decisive being Declan Browne's expertly taken penalty goal ten minutes from the end.
Critical, too, had been the success of their backs in coming to terms with Clare's early advantage in attack and a powerful effort for the first five minutes of the second half which earned them a clear advantage on the scoreboard. Overall, it was a victory to savour for the fifteen players who started, outstanding substitute James Williams and new manager Colm Browne.
It was a day when much was expected of opposing left corner-forwards, Declan Browne and Clare's Martin Daly — who, for once, didn't play up to expectations, and was limited to three points from frees. Browne finished with 1-7 to his credit, which delighted followers in the crowd of 8,378.
Clare, following the example of their hurlers by not taking up their positions until after the national anthem, also started without selected centre-forward Francis McInerney — an injury doubt all the week and withdrawn after the pre-match kick around.
Tipperary had made the better start, boosted by the wind, with opening points from Lambert and Cummins (free) inside five minutes. But, very quickly, they started to experience problems in defence. Clare gained an advantage around midfield and at half-back and they moved the ball around in attack quickly and smartly. Michael Hynes was especially effective at left-half, Ger Keane and Johnny Enright were prominent on the right flank and London-born Senan Hehir was showing up well at full-forward.
In early raids, Martin Daly looked threatening, but nothing as sharp as usual. Crucially, he missed a very good chance of a goal in the 9th minute when he ran on to a through ball from Hehir and fumbled it. Though he did manage to kick it ahead to Keating (who pointed), it was a serious loss to him and the team. Interestingly, the favourites weren't to manufacture as good an opportunity for the rest of the game.
By the 13th minute, they were 0-5 to 0-3 in front, and looking good — despite the strong play of Derry Foley at midfield for Tipp. Centre-back Brendan Rouine was quite involved in the Clare defence and, behind him Frankie Griffin had made a strong start against Michael Spillane. Taking all factors into account it was calculated to produce a string of Clare scores, but didn't.
From a Tipperary perspective, it was noteworthy that the full-back line benefited from the switch of Conor O'Dwyer (over on Daly) and Niall Kelly and that Sean Maher (named at wing-forward) was a tireless worker at midfield, principally in a defensive capacity. Their raids into the Clare half were sporadic, with the influential Peter Lambert and Browne each looking capable of getting scores, except that they didn't see enough of the ball. Browne, too, was denied what seemed a legitimate penalty in the 14th minute when he was knocked from behind. Shortly afterwards, Cummins missed a 50 yards free for what proved the team's only wide for the entire game.
The threat from the Clare attack was steadily reduced following improved play from Mark Sheehan at centre-back and Sean Collum on his left (who stormed into the game after being injured in a tackle). Later, right half-back Bernard Hahessy was to emerge as a powerful force right to the finish. By the time Cummins worked his way through for a great point in the 21st minute and Lambert pointed a free shortly afterwards, Tipperary were competing on much more even terms and Clare's forwards were never to pose a serious threat again.
In the circumstances, it wasn't surprising to see Tipp end the half in front, 0-8 to 0-7, after the ref intervened when a Browne 'point' was initially waved wide. Indeed, but for the timely tackle of Padraig Gallagher, Browne might very well have managed a goal.
James Williams was brought into the Tipp attack at right half-forward and, after pointing within a minute, he was to perform an invaluable role, winning possession regularly and using it effectively. At a general level, the team displayed great confidence in adding three points in as many minutes to open up five points gap which, despite its narrowness, was to prove crucial in the long term.
Hahessy was now at his best at wing-back, the full-back line was to perform excellently under pressure and both Foley and Maher won ball repeatedly at midfield. Up front, Spillane was to make a major contribution after switching to the left corner and captain Brian Burke was more involved, too. Clare were in difficulties, missing a number of scoring chances, but were not finished yet.
Substitute Paul Hehir boosted them with a score following his introduction in the 52nd minute and, with the margin reduced to three points, Clare promised a recovery when their backs started to get on top. Williams and Hehir swopped scores as the game reached its most critical stage and then came the match-winning penalty when Burke was fouled. With Browne goaling in style, the game was finished as a contest.
Niall Barrett, by and large, did a good job of refereeing, even if he was a little inconsistent in applying the handpass rule. And, while it had the effect of slowing up the game, he wasn't found wanting in following recently introduced guidelines by penalising for 'personal' fouls.
Scorers: Tipperary - D. Browne 1-7 (0-4 frees); P. Lambert 0-3 (0-1 free); B. Cummins 0-3 (0-1 free, 0-1 fifty); J. Williams 0-2; D. Foley 0-1.
Clare: M. Daly 0-3 frees; P. Hehir 0-3 (0-1 free, 0-1 fifty); M. Hynes, J. Enright and G. Keane 0-2 each.
TIPPERARY: P. Ryan; N. Kelly, C. O'Dwyer, L. Cronin; B. Hahessy, M. Sheehan, S. Collum; D. Foley, S. Maher; B. Burke (capt.), J. Costello, B. Cummins; P. Lambert, M. Spillane, D. Browne. Sub: J. Williams for Costello (second half).
CLARE: J. Hanrahan; A. Malone, F. Griffin, P. Gallagher; B. Keating (capt.), B. Rouine, D. O'Sullivan; J. Considine, P. Cosgrove; G. Keane, B. Considine, M. Hynes; J. Enright, S. Hehir, M. Daly. Subs: M. Liddane for S. Hehir (49th minute); P. Hehir for B. Considine (52); F. McInerney for J. Considine (61).
Referee: N. Barrett (Cork)).

Roscommon hush Sligo cheers

Roscommon 2-12
Sligo 1-15
TWO GOALS in the closing five minutes helped Roscommon to a dramatic draw in this incident-packed Bank of Ireland Connaught Senior Football Championship semi-final at Hyde Park yesterday.
Sligo held a five-point lead and looked to be coasting to a comfortable victory as time ran out and many in the crowd of 15,000 made for the exits.
However, those who reckoned Sligo were already on their way to a Connaught final meeting with Galway missed all the drama, as first Eddie Lohan found the Sligo net, followed two minutes later by a second Roscommon goal as Lorcan Dowd put full-forward Nigel Dineen through, following a high ball from Fergal O'Donnell.
Roscommon's unlikely comeback looked complete when Paul Taylor was wide with a Sligo free and Dessie Sloyane hit the woodwork in the closing stages, but Sligo were offered one last roll of the dice and when Roscommon's Gerry Keane stepped over the end line, after fielding a Taylor free, Brian Walsh converted the resulting 45 for an equalising point and the chance for Sligo to redeem themselves in a replay at Markieviz Park next Sunday.
The home side began this contest in sparkling fashion and they led 0-4 to 0-1 after nine minutes. However, they succumbed to a sucker-punch two minutes later when a Sean Davey shot seemed to take a deflection off centreback Clifford McDonald and ended up in the net.
Davey edged Sligo in front with an excellent point from an acute angle three minutes later and although Eddie Lohan and Dowd pointed to regain the initiative for Roscommon, it was Sligo who finished the half against the breeze with a more composed display.
Roscommon replied to points from Nigel Clancy and Paul Taylor through Michael Ryan and Lohan, before falling behind again when Sligo centreback Brendan Kilcoyne scored from long range.
However, the home side missed a glorious chance of going in front before the break when Dowd was sent through on goal by Dineen. Dowd was fouled by keeper Pat Kilcoyne but Lohan blasted the penalty wide of the left hand post.
Points from Lohan and Dineen kept Roscommon in touch during the opening five minutes of the second half but by the time Lohan converted another free, almost 20 minutes later, Sligo had built a commanding 1-14 to 0-10 lead.
Brian Walsh led Sligo's purple patch when he converted a 50-metre free before full-forward Taylor stamped his authority on proceedings with two points from play and a third from a free.
Ken Killeen had scored the first of two second half points, when Sean Davey was presented with a golden opportunity of putting the game beyond Roscommon. Put clean through by Sloyane, his first shot was blocked by goalkeeper Derek Thompson and he then booted the rebound wide.
In a desperate bid to salvage the game, Roscommon introduced Tommy Grehan and Fergal O'Donnell to their attack. The crowd had already begun to drift away when Sligo were given a hint of what was to follow in the closing stages. Roscommon full-forward, Dineen, fielded a Tommy Grehan free near the edge of the square but he toed the ball wide of the left hand post. Minutes later Grehan failed to find the net.
Roscommon continued to pile on the pressure and with five minutes remaining, Tom Ryan and Dineen combined to give Eddie Lohan sight of goal and he buried the ball in the Sligo net.
Two minutes later, Sligo failed to clear another high ball, lofted goalwards by O'Donnell and this time, Dowd fielded for Dineen to rifle home his side's second goal.
Taylor's last gasp equaliser was no more than Sligo deserved. In all, they totalled 14 wides and dominated the midfield exchanges where Roscommon were forced to switch Don Connellan for the below par Ryan.
Roscommon: E. Lohan 1-6 (5 from frees), N. Dineen 1-1, L. Dowd, M. Ryan 0-2 each, G. Keane 0-1.
Sligo: P. Taylor 0-6 (4 from frees), S. Davey 1-1, B. Walsh 0-3 (1 from free & 2 from 45), K. Killeen 0-2, B. Kilcoyne, N. Clancy, G. McGowan 0-1 each.
ROSCOMMON: D. Thompson; R. Owens, D. Donlon, E. Gavin; C. Heneghan, C. McDonald, M. Ryan; G. Keane, T. Ryan; V. Glennon, D. Connellan, E. Lohan; F. Grehan, N. Dineen, L. Dowd. Subs: D. Gavin for Owens, F. O'Donnell for Glennon, T. Grehan for F. Grehan.
SLIGO: P. Kilcoyne; N. McGuire, C. White, M. Cosgrove; D. Durkin, B. Kilcoyne, N. Clancy; P. Durcan, E. O'Hara; K. Killeen, D. Sloyane, S. Davey; B. Walsh, P. Taylor, G. McGowan. Subs; R. Keane for Durkin, C. O'Meara for Durcan, T. Brennan for Davey.
Referee: S. Prior, Leitrim.

Derry leave it late to
book ticket to final

Derry 2-13
Armagh 0-12
by John Graham
DERRY booked their place in the final of the Ulster Senior Football Championship, but, it took a late surge to see off the Armagh challenge in this absorbing encounter in front of some 21,000 spectators in Clones yesterday.
In a game that was never a classic, but was always interesting, with never more than a couple of points separating the sides, Derry always held a slight edge. At the same time, Armagh contrived to always keep in touch, without ever heading the winners.
Essentially the difference between the sides was Derry's greater use of possession and they were able to stage that late rally when the game hung in the balance.
With five minutes to go, Eamon Burns had restored Derry to a one point lead at 1-10 to 0-12, when Kieran McKeever set up the move that was the beginning of the end for the Orchard County men. He broke up a promising Armagh attack and, having raced clear, parted quickly to Joe Brolly, who gave Derry a two-point lead as the seconds ticked away.In the end, seven points separated the sides, but, that scoreline does something of an injustice to Armagh's great contribution and it was only the goal in injury time that gave an imbalance to the scoreline.
Armagh enjoyed early territorial advantage, but, wasted two good chances, while Derry got off the mark in their first attack, when Eamon Burns converted a free after a foul on Joe Brolly. Indeed, Armagh's wastefulness was to manifest itself again, this time from a free, before they drew level in the ninth minute, when Patrick McKeever converted.
The sides were level again at two points each in the 13th minute and at three points each after 18 minutes, but, crucially it was Armagh who were playing catch up on both occasions.
Twenty minutes into the first half Derry got a great boost, when Joe Brolly broke clear of the cover and released Dermot Dougan who jinked his way past two defenders before planting the ball in the Armagh net past a stranded Brendan Tierney.
Seizing on this initiative Derry added two points in succession; Gary Magill finishing well after good work by Dermot Dougan and Eamon Burns with the second coming from Enda Muldoon to open a five point gap.Armagh, to their credit, continued to capitalise on broken play and, after taking a good save out of Derry keeper, Eoin McCloskey, they went on to mount a period of pressure giving them five points without reply between the 27th and the 35th minutes. Oisin McConville began the rush and was quickly followed by Diarmuid Marsden, who was troublesome for the Derry defence throughout. McConville added two more, before substitute Ger Houlihan added the fifth, minutes after he had been introduced for the off-form Barry Duffy.
Armagh were back on level terms, despite their indifferent start, but again, Derry had the capacity to respond and they went in at the break a point ahead, after Joe Brolly had chipped over in injury time. Half time score: Derry 1-6, Armagh 0-8.
On the resumption, Armagh were back on the offensive, but again, did not capitalise on good chances, with Diarmuid Marsden being off target and Patrick McKeever shooting into the side netting.
In the ninth minute, Justin McNulty restored Armagh to parity after a good pass from Ger Houlihan, but, again Derry's response was swift and decisive with two points inside two minutes, the first from full-forward Seamus Downey and the second from a Joe Brolly free, after Downey had been fouled.
Armagh continued to press for openings, but, found it difficult to counter Derry's crowding tactics. They were lucky not to fall further behind, however, when Gary Magill raced through but was just wide of the left-hand post.Seamus Downey ended a ten-minute barren spell in the 22nd minute, when he exploited a good opportunity to put Derry two points in front, but again, Armagh fought back to parity, with points from Oisin McConville and Patrick McKeever, both from frees.
Derry introduced Geoffrey McGonigle for Gary Magill, and he had an influence in the outcome, winning good possession and placing Seamus Downey for a point three minutes from time.Entering the final five minutes of normal time, the sides were level, with Armagh's 0-12 matching Derry's 1-9, but, it was Derry who grabbed the initiative with the hitherto unimpressive Anthony Tohill winning vital ball out around midfield.
In that final five minutes, Armagh hit four points from an Eamon Burns free, Joe Brolly following a great steal by Kieran McKeever, Brolly again from a free and Seamus Downey after the ball had been delicately flicked into his path by substitute, McGonigle.
With time running out there seemed no way back for Armagh and Derry killed the game off completely when Dermot Dougan netted his second, after he had worked his way in behind the Armagh defence for a score that left the final tally not really reflecting the trend of the entire game.Derry play Donegal in the Ulster final in Clones on July 19.
Scorers — Derry: D. Dougan 2-0, J. Brolly and S. Downey 0-4 each, E. Burns and G. Magill 0-2 each, E. Muldoon 0-1; Armagh: P. McKeever and O. McConville 0-4 each, D. Marsden 0-2, G. Houlihan and J. McNulty 0-1 each.
DERRY: E. McCloskey; K. McKeever, S. M. Lockhart, P. Diamond; D. O'Neill, H. Downey, P. McFlynn; A. Tohill, D. Heaney; E. Burns, D. Dougan, G. Magill; J. Brolly, S. Downey, E. Muldoon. Subs. G. Coleman for P. McFlynn, R. Boylan for D. Heaney; G. McGonigle for G. Magill.
ARMAGH: B. Tierney; E. McNulty, T. McEntee, M. McNeill; A. McCann, K. McGeeney, J. McNulty; J. Burns, P. McGrane; J. McEntee, D. Marsden, N. Smyth; P. McKeever, B. Duffy, O. McConville. Subs. G. Houlihan for B. Duffy, M. McQuillan for N. Smyth.
Referee: P. McEnaney (Monaghan).

Crowd savours vintage
Sonia O'Sullivan run

by Brendan Mooney
SONIA O'SULLIVAN responded in the best possible way when she delivered a new world record for two miles.
Noureddine Morceli, the world's best ever miler/1,500m runner, turned in a spell binding performance while local boy, Mark Carroll, thrilled with a spectacular victory in the 5,000m when the biggest crowd in over a decade turned up for Bord Gais Cork City Sports on Saturday.
They were also treated to an exciting victory by James Nolan in the 800m who also entertained them with his version of the Brazilian Samba afterwards and world 400m champion, Cathy Freeman, added her personal touch of brilliance to the proceedings in the women's 200m.
Throughout the programme there was drama and not least the performance of national record holder, Gary Ryan, on the bend that paved the way to a very significant victory in the men's 200m while Susan Smith overcame conditions that were very difficult to win the 400m hurdles in 56.54 secs.
Sonia O'Sullivan was the one they came to see, however, and the afternoon belonged to her both on and off the track.
At the end of it all the record books will now show her as the leading world performer at both 2,000m and two miles following her 9:19.56 victory over the American 5,000m record holder, Amy Rudolph (9:21.31), and both of them were well inside the old world best of 9:28.15.
If Sonia O'Sullivan's performance over 1,500 (4:01.05) in Bratislava almost three weeks earlier was impressive then this was vintage O'Sullivan.
The double world cross-country champion stamped her authority on the race with every stride.
There were just four runners in contention behind her when the young Kenyan, Faith Macharia, took the field through 880 yards in 2:18 with O'Sullivan, Amy Rudolph, Kathy Butler of Canada and Yuko Kawakami of Japan, a finalist in the 10,000m at the Atlanta Olympics, tucked in behind.
The Kenyan took them through the first mile in 4:40 before stepping off the track and leaving Sonia O'Sullivan to make her own way home.
She was tracked all the way by Amy Rudolph who moved up into a challenging position with 200m to go but when the Cobh athlete, with the 6,000 strong crowd ecstatic, kicked for home to complete a 63.74 sec last lap she could not match strides.
"Having her there on the back straight was good for me," O'Sullivan said afterwards. "I knew that the fact that she was not passing me on the back straight was good. I said if she is not passing me not she is not passing me in the finishing straight."
"It is only my third race but then I have not raced for three weeks and I feel like you get nervous again before you come back out. Once I get into it again and start racing one race after another I will be a lot better off. That way you get on a bit of a roll. But when you take time off racing you know you are fit but you have been on the line for a long time and that's difficult."
She said her next race will be a 1,500m race in Oslo on Thursday week when she will be making her debut in the $1 million Golden League.
She was delighted with crowd on Saturday afternoon and pointed out that the race was important to her in her build-up to the European championships.
"For me it keeps me going. You could quite easily ease off and there might not be a record at all."
She admitted that the World Cup had upset the track and field schedule but said it was a godsend in some ways.
"Not racing can be difficult mentally. Physically it is not a problem. In fact it means you can get all the training in that you need for the rest of the season. It will mean that I will be in better shape when I start racing one race after another and I don't have to worry about getting training in between the races."

Late Anderson and O'Riordan
points earn the Glen a replay

Glen Rovers 1-14
Sarsfields 2-11
by Bob Lester
THE Spirit of the Glen is alive and well. Anyone at Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Saturday night will bear testimony to that.
For right at the death they came back at Sarsfields and two smashing match saving points from John Anderson and Conor O'Riordan, perhaps two of their more influential players on the night, secured a TSB Cork county championship replay they really didn't deserve.
In truth, Sars had enough chances to win two games in a contest that was, for the most part, mediocre and the hurling and striking seldom of a high quality.
Twenty two wides is an appalling indictment of Sars' shortcomings and one can only feel sorry for their normally reliable sharpshooter Pat Ryan, who must have been responsible for half the misses.
Sars started the game with fire in their bellies and had a ragged looking Glen side at sixes and sevens in the opening quarter.
Unfortunately, they forgot the art of scoring, and a 0-4 to 0-1 lead after the opening 15 minutes was a very poor reflection of their superiority.
They shot eight wides in this period, from good positions too, and a very unsettled looking Glen must have been counting their lucky stars.
Paddy Gahan had two early points for the Glanmire men and when John Murphy and Tadg O´g Lynch tacked on two more the Glen looked in tatters.
But slowly the Glen settled and, let off the hook, Anderson had a point in the 11th minute and O'Riordan a second five minutes later.
And as Sars continued to squander the chances, with the strong breeze at their backs, they were hit by a Glen goal in the 20th minute.
A great right wing cross from Dean Cooper was batted down by O'Riordan and goal poacher supreme Richie Kelleher was on hand to fire the ball home.
Now it was the Glen who were calling the shots and a couple of points from O'Riordan and another from Tomas Mulcahy had them two points clear, all against the run of play, with two minutes of the half remaining.
The Sars sideline must have been reeling. But then it all came right for last year's beaten finalists and this time Glen goalkeeper Ian Lynam will have to take responsibility for two late goals.
He fumbled a shot from Brendan O'Callaghan on the line in the 28th minute and John O'Flynn finished the ball to the net.
Then, almost from the puckout, John Barry's teasing shot from some 40 yards deceived the goalkeeper in the strong setting sun, the ball going all the way to the net, and Sars must have been relieved with their 2-6 to 1-5 interval lead.
The third quarter was again riddled with poor shooting, from both sides, with just two points scored. Seanie McGrath, not doing anything heroic, opened his account in the 37th minute, Tadg O´g Lynch replying for Sars four minutes later. So it was down to the final quarter and what a 15 minutes it proved to be.
Tadg Murphy, later replaced after dislocating his shoulder, O'Riordan now out around midfield and Anderson were keeping the show going for the Glen. So too were Peter Queally, Conor and Brian McCarthy and Tadg O´g Lynch for Sars and when Sars this time tried John Murphy with the free taking in the 50th minute there was still no joy.
With five minutes remaining Sars led 2-8 to 1-11, all their scores coming from play, and when Ryan at last found the target with two frees and time almost up it looked like the Glanmire men had done the business - albeit the hard way. But then came that Glen last stand. There was no way the Blackpool men were going to lie down, Anderson and O'Riordan made sure of that.
The Glen had got out of jail and Sars gave them the key. It should be some replay.
Scorers for Glen Rovers: C. O'Riordan 0-6 (0-2 frees), R. Kelleher 1-1, J. Anderson 0-3, T. Mulcahy , S. McGrath 0-2 each.(
Sars: J. O'Flynn, J. Barry 1-0 each, P. Gahan 0-3, J. Murphy, T. O´g Lynch, P. Ryan (frees) 0-2 each, G. McCarthy, B. O'Callaghan 0-1 each.
GLEN ROVERS: I. Lynam; M. Ahern, R. Considine, B. McSweeney; C. Lee, C. O'Callaghan, G. Hackett; T. Murphy, D. Kirwin; S. McGrath, J. Anderson, D. Cooper; R. Kelleher, T. Mulcahy, C. O'Riordan. Subs: J. Goggin for Kirwin, G. O'Riordan for Cooper, S, Kennefick for Murphy.
SARSFIELDS: T. Murphy; G. McIntyre, P. Smith, B. McCarthy; P. O'Flynn, P. Queally, C. McCarthy; P. Ryan. T. O´g Lynch; B. O'Callaghan, G. McCarthy, J. Barry; J. Murphy, P. Gahan, J. O'Flynn. Sub: N. O'Sullivan for J. O'Flynn.
Referee: L. O'Flynn (E´ire O´g).

Goals from penalties paved way
for Carrig in thriller

Carrigtwohill 3-9
Valley Rovers 3-7
by Bob Lester
CARRIGTWOHILL at last overcame the first hurdle in the TSB Cork County Intermediate Hurling Championship at Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Saturday night, beating Valley Rovers in as honest a second round contest one could hope to see.
A terrific third quarter, inspired by three golden points from youngster Niall McCarthy, put this youthful Carrig side on the road to victory and they can now face E´ire O´g with confidence in the quarter-final.
They also got the benefit of two penalties, one in each half, beautifully put away by Sean Barry, and these two goals were also instrumental in putting Carrig through in an exciting curtain-raiser to the big game.
The first-half was evenly contested, but Rovers, with the wind at their backs, looked sharper and quicker to the ball. It was level after 10 minutes, Michael Fitzgerald scoring two frees for Carrig and Chris O'Donovan from play and Ray O'Donovan with a free replying for Rovers.
John Burke then gave Rovers a slim first quarter cushion with a fine point although Sean O'Farrell did have two goal chances for Carrig but was unable to apply the finishing touches.
Valley Rovers were well on top in the second quarter and leading 0-5 to 0-2 they were hit by a first penalty decision in the 28th minute. Fitzgerald, put through by O'Farrell, was pulled down and excellent centre-back Barry rammed home the penalty.
But Rovers gained quick compensation when Denis Kiely goaled after a great ball from Jeremy Hurley on the whistle to lead 1-6 to 1-2 at the break, Carrig failing to score from play.
But what a cracking third quarter it proved to be, a 15 minute spell calculated to win the game for Carrigtwohill. McCarthy scored those three magnificent points in quick succession and the excellent Barry was to play his part too.
After O'Donovan scored his second goal for Rovers to negative those points, Barry changed the course of the contest in the 41st and 43rd minutes. First a great ball from the centre-back was grabbed by O'Farrell and he made no mistake from close in.
Then another fine delivery from Barry was again caught by O'Farrell. Referee John Relihan deemed him to be fouled and despite Valley Rovers protests, Barry stepped up to slam the his second penalty home.
In fairness to Rovers, they again responded quickly with a goal from Chris O'Donovan and there was only a point between the sides entering the final quarter, Carrig leading 3-7 to 3-6.
Two Jim O'Connor points proved to be Carrigtwohill winners although Denis Kiely got a great chance to win the game for Rovers just before time but was unable to take advantage.
Scorers for Carrigtwohill: S. Barry 2-0 (penalties), M. Fitzgerald 0-4 (0-2 frees), S. O'Farrell 1-0, N. McCarthy 0-3, J. O'Connor 0-2.
Valley Rovers: R. O'Donovan 2-2 (0-2 frees), D. Kiely 1-3, C. O'Donovan, J. Burke 0-1 each.
CARRIGTWOHILL: J.J. Barry; B. Nolan, S. Barrett, J. Horgan; N. Kidney, S. Barry. N. Furlong; S. Cuddigan, S. McCarthy; J. Roche, N. Gubbins, N. McCarthy; J. O'Connor, S. O'Farrell, M. Fitzgerald. Sub: J. Barrett for Roche.
VALLEY ROVERS: N. Murphy; A. Crowley, T. Burke, R. Hurley; C. O'Riordan, F. Twohig, John. Hurley; B. Falvey, J. Hurley; B. Falvey, Jeremy. Hurley; R. O'Donovan, G. O'Sullivan, J. Burke; D. Kiely, E. Newman, C. O'Donovan. Subs: James Hurley for Falvey; P. Hoey for O'Riordan, N. McCarthy for O'Sullivan.
Referee: N. Relihan (Castletownroche).

Newestown rally fails to shake determined Castlelyons hurlers

Castlelyons 0-12
Newcestown 0-10
by Conor George
CASTLELYONS withstood a tremendous second-half revival by Newcestown at picturesque Church Road on Saturday night to book their place in the second round of the TSB Intermediate Hurling Championship.
In what was a low-scoring game and, despite the fact that they had the advantage of a near gale-force wind at their backs in the first half, Castlelyons were guilty of some poor wides as they turned over with only a 0-5 to 0-1 advantage.
Missed opportunities were the story of that first half as both sides passed up some glorious scoring chances.
Castlelyons hit eleven wides during the opening 30 minutes while Newcestown had a sixth minute penalty, easily saved to deny them the opportunity of opening the scoring.
Newcestown were left to rue the folly of that missed penalty attempt, as an easily taken point at that stage of the proceedings could have changed the outlook of a game, played on a perfect surface at Church Road.
The quality of the Blackrock pitch lent itself to good hurling conditions and both sides reacted superbly with some committed displays, even if their scoring averages left a bit to be desired.
Newcestown could hardly believe their luck when they started the second half only four points behind and when half-time substitute Pat Kenneally doubled their tally soon after the re-start Castlelyons appeared to have lost their chance.
Both sides swapped points over the next period of play but it was Newcestown who were looking the better of the two sides with Kenneally having an immediate impact at centre-forward and Kevin Long was beginning to relish his move to wing-back.
Long, a Cork intermediate hurler, had appeared stifled when playing at corner-back but with the extra room afforded him on the wing he began to have a far bigger influence on proceedings.
All their hard worked seemed to have come to nothing however, for Kenneally's second point sparked off a scoring spree for Castlelyons as Timmy McCarthy and Eoin Fitzgerald both scored two points, each without reply.
Cruising at 0-10 to 0-3 Castlelyons seemed to have the game wrapped up at this stage but a late burst of form saw Newcestown score six unanswered points to close the gap to just one point.
Newcestown were now playing some of the best hurling of the match with Long dominant at wing-back, Padraig Crowley impressive at midfield and Kenneally breaking the play up on the 40.
A draw looked to be the likely outcome.
Castlelyons showed their mettle however and, as both McCarthy and Fitzgerald once again began to cause problems, Castlelyons hung on to the final whistle for what was a deserved win.
Scorers for Castlelyons: E Fitzgerald 0-7 (0-5 frees), T McCarthy 0-2, S McCauliffe, M Spillane & P O'Brien 0-1 each.
Newcestown: P Condon 0-4, P Crowley 0-3 (0-2 frees, 0-1, 70), P Kenneally 0-2, E Kenneally 0-1.
CASTLELYONS: A Barry, B O'Connell, W O'Riordan, A Meade, P Murphy, B Fitzgerald, P Cotter, S Cotter, D Sheehan, T McCarthy, S McCauliffe, E Fitzgerald, B Ronayne, M Spillane, P O'Brien. Sub: J. Makassey for Ronayne.
NEWCESTOWN: C Wilson, K Long, D Twohig, J Wilson, C Crowley, J O'Sullivan, J Crowley, D Wilson, B O'Donovan, N O'Sullivan, D Collins, D McCarthy, E Kenneally, P Condon, P Crowley. Subs: P Kenneally for O'Donovan; P Dineen for O'Sullivan.
Referee: M O'Flaherty (Blackrock).

© Examiner Publications Ltd, 1998