*St Flannan’s College Harry Doherty in action against Jack O’Halloran of Ard Scoil Rís. Photograph: Ruth Griffin.
ST FLANNAN’S College and St Joseph’s Tulla have qualified for the quarter-finals of the Dr Harty Cup.
By Gearóid Howley
A four point win for Flannan’s had them as the first Clare school in the quarter-final draw with Tulla topping Group 4 to advance to the knockout stages.
Flannan’s eliminate Ard Scoil
St Flannan’s College 1-19
Ard Scoil Rís 0-18
Venue: Clarecastle Astro Turf
St Flannan’s secured their spot in the last eight of the Harty Cup with a late goal from Clarecastle’s Harry Doherty proving decisive. The Ennis school were just edged out for top spot in their group on scoring difference by Nenagh CBS, who put seven goals past Cashel.
Very little separated the sides in the early stages as they were level at 0-3 apiece with ten minutes on the clock. Just two minutes later St Flannan’s had gained a three-point advantage with Rory Ralph, Patrick Finneran and Eoin O’Connor all pointing from play in quick succession. By the nineteenth minute Ard Scoil Rís had reduced their lead to the minimum and very nearly went ahead when Alex Kearns had a shot saved by Flannan’s shot-stopper Leon Talty.
Finneran struck for his second point of the afternoon not long after the goal chance at the other end and Harry Doherty nailed a free from inside his own half to push the gap back out to three points. John O’Connor responded for the Limerick school before Graham Ball slotted over two-points to put Brendan Bugler’s side back in the driving seat.
Ball’s midfield counterpart Conor Conlon-Ryan made it a one-score game again, but Flannan’s responded with points from Isaac Hassett, Finneran and Doherty from a free to put them six clear nearing the break.
As half-time loomed Conlon-Ryan and Jack Cosgrove combined to make it a four-point game. Flannan’s joint-captain Harry Doherty answered back on the brink of half-time with his first score from play leaving the scoreboard reading 0-14 to 0-9 at the interval.
Ard Scoil Rís came bursting out of the traps in the second-half with three quickfire points from Malachy McKenna, David O’Keefe and John O’Keefe, all of which were created by surging runs from deep.
Doherty, who was top scorer on the day slotted over a free from an acute angle to settle the Clare school back into the contest before Clooney/Quin’s Darragh McNamara added a point of his own to put a halt to their rivals’ purple-patch.
Alex Kearns responded with two scores from placed balls to make it a two-point game with just over fifteen minutes to go but Flannan’s showcased their resilience once more. Rory Ralph scored his second of the afternoon and they got a valuable contribution from their bench yet again as substitutes Ben Talty and John Barry chipped in with respective points.
The Ennis school looked to be pulling away at this stage, but Ard Scoil Rís mounted the pressure again with two long-range frees from Kearns alongside a phenomenal point by wing-forward John O’Connor, which left them trailing 0-19 to 0-17 on fifty-seven minutes.
The St Flannan’s defence held firm in the closing stages as several balls were launched towards the edge of the square to no avail. Harry Doherty put the game to bed heading into injury time with a sensational solo run straight from a Leon Talty puckout before duly dispatching the sliotar to the back of the net for the only major of the game. Gavin O’Brien pointed late on for Ard Scoil Rís as they tried to keep their campaign alive, but it wasn’t enough for the side which featured just one player from Clare.
Gallery of photos by Ruth Griffin.
Scorers St Flannan’s College: H Doherty (1-6, 0-4f, 0-1 ‘65), P Finneran (0-3), G Ball (0-2), R Ralph (0-2), E O’Connor (0-2), I Hassett (0-1), D McNamara (0-1), B Talty (0-1), J Barry (0-1)
Scorers Ardscoil Rís: A Kearns (0-6, 6f), J O’Connor (0-3), J Cosgrove (0-3), C Conlon-Ryan (0-2), D O’Keefe (0-1), M McKenna (0-1), J O’Keefe (0-1), G O’Brien (0-1)
St Flannan’s College:
1: Leon Talty (St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield)
2: Conor Hill (Ballyea)
3: Sean McNamara (Clooney/Quin)
4: Darragh Murrihy (Inagh/Kilnamona)
6: James Cullinan (Ruan)
7: Colm Daly (St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield)
5: Darragh Ball (St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield)
8: Graham Ball (St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield)
12: Isaac Hassett (Clooney/Quin)
10: Harry Doherty (Clarecastle)
11: Patrick Finneran (Clooney/Quin)
9: Rory Ralph (Clarecastle)
23: Eoin O’Connor (Ballyea)
15: Darragh McNamara (Clooney/Quin)
13: Thomas O’Connor (St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield)
Subs:
24: John Barry (Inagh/Kilnamona) for Hassett (36)
18: Ben Talty (St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield) for E O’Connor (39)
26: Donncha Mahon (Clooney/Quin) for T O’Connor (45)
14: Jason Keane-Hayes (Kilmaley) for G Ball (60)
Ardscoil Rís:
1: Marcus Murphy (Na Piarsaigh)
2: Eoin Hennessy (Patrickswell)
7: Conor Ryan (Adare)
4: Evan Ryan (South Liberties)
5: Adam Fitzsimons (Na Piarsaigh)
6: Eoin Brosnan (Na Piarsaigh)
3: Jack O’Halloran (Sixmilebridge)
12: Malachy McKenna (Pallasgreen)
9: Conor Conlon-Ryan (Ahane)
10: John O’Connor (Ahane)
11: Jack Cosgrove (Ahane)
8: David O’Keefe (Na Piarsaigh)
13: John O’Keefe (Murroe Boher)
19: Alex Kearns (Na Piarsaigh)
21: Paul McDonagh (Na Piarsaigh)
Subs:
26: Gavin O’Brien (Kilmallock) for McDonagh (28)
14: Rian Horgan (Murroe Boher) for D O’Keefe (50)
Referee: Johnny Healy (Smith O’Briens)
Tulla progress
St Joseph’s Tulla also booked their place in the Harty Cup knockout stages with an emphatic 2-21 to 1-13 win over CBC Cork, topping Group 4 in the process. Broadford duo Michael Vaughan and James O’Donnell grabbed the goals that powered Terence Fahy’s side to a commanding victory.
