Under 16 Hurlers Win Double

Russell Rovers 6-9 Kiltha Óg 3-11 ( AET )
Our Under 16 hurlers made it an historic B Grade double when they added the league title to the Championship won earlier in the season in a hard fought contest at Shanagarry on Sunday morning last. Such was the ferocity of the weather earlier in the morning that it was feared that the match could not go ahead and although it rained heavily for the opening ten minutes of the game the conditions improved till the end of normal time before deteriorating once more during extra time. It was a tribute to both teams that they served up such a competitive fare of hard but clean hurling despite the elements in a game well handled by referee Brian Murphy.

Playing with the wind and rain advantage in the opening half, Rovers got off to a good start with a point from Aidan Beausang followed by a goal from Brian Hartnett inside the first two minutes. Kiltha pulled one back two minutes later before Hartnett converted a 65 for our second point. A point in the 9th minute followed by an easily conceded goal for Kiltha had the sides level. Daniel O'Brien put us a goal ahead in the 12th minute but worrying for us was our inability to take the scoring opportunities up front during this period of dominance while the Kiltha forward line were making good use of every chance they had. Over the following 9 minutes Kiltha hit over 4 points from play and one free without reply to leave them 2 points ahead by the 21st minute. Two points from Hartnett had the sides level again by the 27th minute and Aidan Beausang was to have the final say of the half when he scored Rovers third goal on the stroke of half time to give us a slim lead 3-4 to 1-7 at the turn around.
With a couple of scoring chances going abegging in the opening minutes of the second half the Rovers heads seemed to drop somewhat as Kiltha got into scoring mode. They hit a purple patch from the 35th to the 45th minute with two quick goals to put them in front and added on two points before a magnificently struck shot from out on the wing by Eoin McGrath went to the net. This score, as well as the repositioning of the team, seemed to bring new life to the Rovers challenge. With Kevin O'Brien now moved to center-forward and Hartnett playing more defensively , the team as a whole began to play more confidently. Hartnett reduced the deficit to a point by the 19th minute but, with both defences playing it very tight, we had to wait till the 27th minute before Rovers got the equalising point from a free by Hartnett. Kiltha went ahead again a minute later but Rovers were not going to give up on this one and Jack McGrath sent the match into extra time with a well-taken point on the stroke of full time.

Hectic defending from both sides meant scores were hard to come by in extra time. Our defence, having weathered the storm during normal time, really took over in the extra period. Keeper Andrew Hartnett brought off a number of fine saves and outside him the full and half-backs seemed to get stronger as the game went on, notably Aaron Beausang, Paul Lane and David Whelehan. Brian Hartnett put us ahead again after 5 minutes while Daniel O'Brien put some daylight between the sides with a goal in the 8th minute. While Kiltha pointed from a free a minute later, Hartnett converted a 65 to leave us four points in front after the first period of extra time. Substitute Ciarán Mullins had the final say with a goal a minute into the second period as conditions worsened and even though Kiltha made a number of valiant efforts to claw their way back, the Rovers defence held firm to give us a winning margin of 7 points.
The League Shield was presented by John Maher to winning captain Philip O'Neill who suitably thanked all who helped to make the victory possible, notably Coaches Mossy Walsh and John Paul Ivers before leading three cheers for the gallant losers.

Team: Andrew Hartnett, Kevin Ivers, Aaron Beausang, Paul Lane, Shane Fleming, Kevin O'Brien, David Whelehan, Brian Hartnett, Eoin McGrath, Jack McGrath, Aidan Beausang, Daniel O'Brien, James Moynihan, Philip O'Neill, Sean Maher.
Subs: Ronan Lynch, Ricky Walsh, Chris O'Brien, Ciarán Mullins, Michael Furlong, Kieran Walsh, Brian Whelehan, David Casey, Joseph O'Flynn

Under 15s Advance

Our Under 15 hurlers put in a good display when they overcame the challenge of Bride Rovers to advance to the next round of the Championship played at Rathcormac on Saturday evening. Playing into the driving rain in the opening half our lads did well to hold the home side to four points in the opening half as both teams struggled to come to terms with the wretched conditions. Even though we had to wait till the 18th minute for our opening score, a point from James Moynihan, who had a powerful first half along with his partner Jack McGrath, our lads got to grips with the game and added on two more before half time, one each from Captain David Whelehan and Joseph O'Flynn. To be just a point in arrears at half time was a great fillip for our team. O'Flynn had us back on terms after three minutes of the second half and then three minutes later Michael Furlong was on hand to finish the ball to the net for our first goal. O'Flynn added his third point soon afterwards and when David Whelehan's 50 metre free went all the way to the net at the three quarter stage things were looking good for us. It was by no means one way traffic however and Bride Rovers clawed their way back with three unanswered points to leave 5 points between the sides as the game entered the final 5 minutes. Enter Daniel O'Brien who soloed through the Bride defence to score a point and lift the siege and sealed the victory with a goal just before full time. This was great team display with our defence being particularly effective, notably Kevin Ivers, David & Brian Whelehan, Shane Casey and Kieran Walsh. Their commitment was total over the hour and did much to wear down the opposition . Midfield players Jack McGrath and James Moynihan also showed well as did centre forward Shane Fleming.
The game was sensibly handled by Referee Ger Sweeney. The next challenge is against Kiltha Óg next weekend.
Team: Daniel Guerin, Ricky Walsh, Kevin Ivers, Shane Casey, Kieran Walsh, David Whelehan, Brian Whelehan, James Moynihan, Jack McGrath, Daniel O'Brien, Shane Fleming, Michael Furlong, Ciaran Mullins, Joseph O'Flynn, Colman Quinlan.
Subs: Martin O'Flynn, Eolan Breathnach, Eoin Higgins, William Kenneally

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Glenbower Rovers 5-9 Russell Rovers 0-9

This JBFC quarter-final tie played in Castlemartyr last Saturday evening will go down as our worst defeat in championship football for many years. Having earlier given a walk-over to Ballyphehane in the County Junior B championship, serious questions must be asked about our future participation in football competitions unless there is a huge change in attitude and commitment within the club.
Yet, despite the final score-line we were very much in the game in the opening half (which was played in poor weather conditions) and went in at the break only two points in arrears, 1-4 to 0-5. Turning to play against a slight breeze in the second period, it is a matter of conjecture whether we lost our way or the Killeagh side upped the ante – probably a combination of both would be a fair assessment. When Glenbower got in for their second goal in the 13th minute followed by a brace of points to put them 8 points clear, the game was really over as a contest. Due to slack marking at the back, we conceded some very soft goals, none of which could be attributed to custodian Mike Mannion. Long before the final whistle we had thrown in the towel in a game that will not live long in the memory.
Best for Rovers were Barry Fitzgerald, Mikie Walsh, Anthony Archer and Eoin Ivers while Seamus Kearney, John Paul Ivers and Tadgh Crowley (before going off injured) also tried hard.
Scorers: Daniel Moynihan 0-4 (0-3f), Mikie Walsh, Anthony Archer, Eoin Ivers, Ian Smiddy and John Paul Ivers 0-1 each.
Team: Mike Mannion; Brian Crowley, Derek Crowley, Barry Fitzgerald; Anthony Walsh, Seamus Kearney, Tadgh Crowley; John Paul Ivers, Mikie Walsh; Ian Smiddy, Anthony Archer, Daniel Moynihan; David Morrissey, Eoin Ivers, Kevin Tattan.
Subs: Martin O’Donoghue, James Ahern, Chris Scanlon, David Higgins (all used).

Fixtures:
By the time this report goes to press, our U-21 B Hurling Championship semi-final game versus Bride Rovers will probably have been fixed. Please check on our website for details.

Car Boot Sale:
The Club is considering holding one more Car Boot Sale on the October Bank Holiday Monday if the weather looks promising leading up to it. Advertising signs will be put in place if we decide to go ahead with it.

Under 16s Falter at First County Hurdle

Russell Rovers 1-13 Courcey Rovers 3-14
Even though this was a clear cut win for the South East Divisional champions over our Under 16 hurlers in the first round of the County Championship played at Shanagarry on All Ireland Sunday, our lads gave of their all and stayed in touch up to the final 10 minutes when a goal for Courceys in the 22nd minute put some daylight between the sides as the Rovers challenge faltered. With Courceys looking a strong side and looking the more evenly balanced team throughout the field, Rovers had their work cut out if they were to progress and our lack of fire power up front was a telling point in the end. While first blood went to the home side when Brian Hartnett pointed from a 65 inside the first minute, Courceys had leveled from a free inside two minutes. From the puck out Hartnett gathered and went off on a solo that resulted in our second score. But for the next quarter hour it was all Courceys when they tacked on 5 points, two from frees, without reply as our backs had to withstand some tremendous pressure to prevent further scores. Gradually Rovers fought their way back. Hartnett pointed from play in the 18th and followed up with two converted frees in as many minutes. Then Eoin McGrath put us on level terms, 0-6 apiece, in the 22nd and when Hartnett pointed from a free in the 24th we were back in the lead. Our joy was short-lived as Courceys responded almost immediately and found the back of the net to restore their lead to which they added a point just before the break to give them a three point advantage.
The sides exchanged points from frees in the opening minutes of the second half before Courceys edged ahead with a point and then cut through the Rovers defence for their second goal in the 35th minute. Hartnett pulled one back with a free but two more Courcey points saw them stretch their lead to 8 points by the 40th minute. Rovers were by no means giving up and 3 points on the trot from Ronan Lynch and Hartnett (2) had brought the deficit back to 4 points. Once again Courceys responded to the threat with a point but then Rovers were thrown a lifeline when an attempted point from Hartnett was blocked down by the keeper and whipped to the net by Philip O'Neill to put just a goal between the teams. But we failed to build on this and shortly after only a full stretch save by Andrew Hartnett prevented another goal for Courceys. Over the following seven minutes both sets of backs were in control but when Courceys broke through for their third goal in the 22nd minute there was to be no fairytale come back for our lads and Courceys added on two more points for a clear win. In defence Paul Lane, Kevin O’Brien and David Whelehan stood out while Shane Fleming had a good opening half. Eoin and Jack McGrath came well into the game after a slow start. Despite this defeat, our lads can hold their heads high. They went down fighting to an extremely good side that should have a significant say on the outcome of the County Championship and there's no shame in that. The team have qualified for the league final so could well be in line for an East Cork double before season's end.
Team : Andrew Hartnett, Shane Fleming, Aaron Beausang, Paul Lane, Daniel O'Brien, Kevin O'Brien, David Whelehan, Brian Hartnett, Eoin McGrath, Jack McGrath, Aidan Beausang, David Casey, Ronan Lynch, Sean Maher, Philip O'Neill.
Subs. Daniel Guerin, Christpher O'Brien, Joseph O'Flynn, Michael Furlong, Ricky Walsh, Ciarán Mullins, Kieran Walsh

Dungourney 3-12 Russell Rovers 1-5

Our Junior footballers displayed a good deal of rustiness when they took on Dungourney in Round 7 of the JFL, Division 2 in Dungourney last Tuesday evening week, 2nd Sept. The home side raced into a 0-6 to 0-0 lead after 20 minutes and could have been much further ahead had they taken more of their scoring opportunities. We had a few scoring chances ourselves but our shooting boots were left at home. The game took a brief twist in the 24th minute when, against the run of play, Mikie Walsh carved open the Dungourney defence to fire home a well-taken goal which was followed by a good point from Tadgh Crowley two minutes later. Suddenly we were back in the game but not for long. A speculative high ball into our square wasn’t dealt with properly and ended up in the net. The Duns repeated the dose a few minutes later to put them into an unassailable lead of 2-9 to 1-2 at the break with Mikie Walsh kicking our second point.
Despite turning over to play with the breeze, we fared no better in the second period. As early as the 5th minute we conceded a needless penalty following a careless pass by our defence but custodian Mike Mannion was equal to the task and saved spectacularly, making amends for the error in the first half. Despite the efforts of centre-back Seamus Kearney to drive the team on, along with midfielders John Paul Ivers and Barry Fitzgerald (before his early shower!), we could only manage to tag on another three points, courtesy of Ian Smiddy, Mikie Walsh and David Morrissey. Dungourney added 1-3 to their tally to run out convincing winners, leaving Rovers with a lot of work to do before our championship game with Glenbower Rovers comes around.
Team: Mike Mannion; Brian Crowley, Eoin Ivers, Tom O’Brien; Joe Walsh, Seamus Kearney, Anthony Walsh; John Paul Ivers, Barry Fitzgerald; Ian Smiddy, Mikie Walsh, Kevin Tattan; James Furlong, Tadgh Crowley, David Morrissey.
Subs: Alan Cott, Martin O’Donoghue, Billy O’Sullivan, Derek Crowley.

Dungourney 4-15 Russell Rovers 2-8

For the second time in just four days we were on the receiving end of a drubbing from Dungourney, this time in our final game of the JHL Division 1 played in Dungourney last Saturday evening. We began brightly enough with a goal from Tadgh Crowley in the 4th minute which was cancelled out a few minutes later when our defence was penalised for over-carrying and Dungourney goaled from the resultant 20 metre free. It was tit-for-tat for most of the half with Rovers adding 5 points through Pa Daly (2), Tadgh Crowley, Joe Walsh and a magnificent strike by Mikie Walsh from all of 100 yards. The home side began to get on top towards the end of the half with four unanswered points to put them 1-7 to 1-5 in front at the short whistle. After the break an early point by Joe Walsh reduced the deficit to the minimum but inevitably the floodgates then began to open with Dungourney piling on the scores while we could only register another two points from Mikie Walsh and Joe Walsh. In the dying moments Joe Walsh goaled from a 20 metre free but this only served to put a half-decent look on the score-line.
Team: Eoin Ivers; Barry Fitzgerald, Anthony Archer, Brian Crowley; John Paul Ivers, Kevin Hartnett, Mikie Walsh; Seamus Kearney, Anthony Walsh; Ian Smiddy, Joe Walsh, Kevin Tattan; Tadgh Crowley, Derek Crowley, Pa Daly.
We would like to take this opportunity to welcome Derek Crowley back to the camp following his sojourn around the world.

Congratulations:
Congratulations and best wishes are extended to Padraig Higgins and Claire O’Leary who announced their engagement last week on their tour “Down Under”.

Midleton 2-11 Russell Rovers 0-13

This long-awaited Junior A hurling championship 3rd round tie versus Midleton ended most disappointingly for Rovers in Ballynoe last Monday evening week, 18th.While we seemed to dominate the opening 30 minutes of play, our half-time lead of 0-10 to 0-3 was not as comfortable as it appeared considering we had to turn around and play into the teeth of a strong breeze in the second period. The influence of the wind can be gauged from the fact that both sides managed to score only 3 points while playing against it. Our first half performance was in some respects a little bit illusory because if the truth were to be told, Joe Walsh’s impeccable free-taking (0-6), particularly from long range, contributed hugely to our half-time margin. Barry Hartnett chipped in with two excellent points with Kevin Tattan adding another. In the 28th minute Pa Daly caught a great ball, turned his man nicely but his shot flew over the crossbar when it was probably easier to have goaled. Another goal chance went a begging later which, if taken, would have cemented our position at the break.
Within two minutes of the restart John Ahern increased our lead to 8 points from a good cross-field delivery by Matt Fitzgerald but alas, we failed to register another score over the next 28 minutes. An indiscretion by Joe Walsh in the 9th minute deep in the Magpies half, as their goalkeeper was taking a free, was punished, wrongly in this writer’s view, by awarding Midleton a 20 metre free at our end. The resultant point was followed immediately by a goal which was the beginning of a scoring spree that lasted until the 27th minute. Our backs were under constant pressure during this period and we were finding it increasingly difficult to get out of our own half of the field. Substitute Tadgh Crowley made an instant impact when he plucked the sliothar out of the air in the 30th minute and set up Joe Walsh for a point which was followed by another from Kevin Hartnett a minute into injury time but these were little more than consolation scores.
And so another year has come to an end for our Junior hurlers but there should not be any despondency in the camp because with our young players learning their trade in Junior ranks and, hopefully, the return of our travellers “down under”, we can look forward with optimism to next year.
Team: Eoin Ivers; Anthony Walsh, Anthony Archer, Barry Fitzgerald; Matthew Fitzgerald, John Paul Ivers (Capt), Mikie Walsh; Kevin Hartnett, Seamus Kearney; Ian Smiddy, John Ahern, Barry Hartnett; Joe Walsh, Pa Daly, Kevin Tattan.
Subs: Chris Scanlon, Brendan Kearney, Brian Crowley, David Morrissey, Niall O’Donoghue, Tom O’Brien, James Ahern.

Under 16 Hurlers
Congratulations to our juvenile hurlers on capturing the East Cork U-16 B title and we wish you the best of luck in search of County honours, commencing 6th September.

Under 16 Hurlers Historic Title Win

Russell Rovers 3-11 Watergrasshill 1-14
Our Under-16 hurlers had a narrow win in the East Cork B Final against Watergrasshill at Rathcormac on Tuesday evening and in doing so made club history by capturing a first hurling title at this level. And a hard fought and well earned victory it was on a pitch that stood up well despite the heavy rains of the previous days. They say that goals win matches and in this case they certainly helped enormously. Three green flags for Rovers in the opening half kept us in this match against a strong breeze when Watergrasshill certainly looked the sharper outfit. Rovers had to line out without center-forward Aidan Beausang, injured towards the end of the semi final the previous week. Despite the tonic of a goal in the 3rd minute from Daniel O'Brien for Rovers, the Hill replied with three unanswered points from play in as many minutes to level matters. Kevin O'Brien restored our lead with a point in the 8th minute after picking up on a pass from Brian Hartnett. Watergrasshill came back again with two points and would have had more scores only for some tenacious defending by our backs and some fine goal-keeping by Andrew Hartnett who was kept busy over the hour. Against the run of play Rovers went ahead again in the 11th minute when Sean Maher was on hand to finish the ball to the net in a goalmouth scramble. But the men in Red came back with three more from play over a two minute period. Hartnett levelled matters with his first score from play in the 21st minute. As the Hill continued to threaten, some positional changes worked well for Rovers. Ronan Lynch moved to wing back where he was to play a major role in the second half, Eoin McGrath to center-forward while Kevin O'Brien went to midfield and Hartnett to center back for the final minutes of the half. The re-jigging worked well and while we did concede two further points before the break, a concerted Hartnett free kept us in touch coming to the end of the half when David Casey struck in our third goal to give us a 2 point advantage, 3-3 to 0-10.
Hartnett stretched this inside the opening minute of the second period with a point from play. With their noses in front the whole team rose to the occasion as Watergrasshill continued to put on pressure. Our defence stood up to the plate with David Whelehan and Ronan Lynch particularly impressive while Kevin O'Brien, now back in his original position, holding it all together. Full back Aaron Beausang was playing a stormer while corner backs Paul Lane and Shane Fleming provided good cover, were very secure and made numerous clearances. During the third quarter the sides exchanged points twice , ours coming from Hartnett and when Kevin O'Brien added his second point at the three-quarters stage things were looking good. However, the Hill came back with two frees so that only two points separated the sides with 9 minutes to go. Eoin and Jack McGrath came into their own as the half progressed and Philip O'Neill posed a constant threat to the Watergrasshill defence. Hartnett's unerring free taking added two more and then he pointed from play in the 29th to put us 5 points in front as the game neared the end . But the Hill were not giving up the ghost and drove forward for a goal as the game entered injury time. Further attacks were repulsed by our defence and Hartnett was to fittingly have the last word with a point deep into injury time, his 8th in total, to ensure an historic win.
The trophy was presented by Maurice O' Sullivan, Vice Chairman of the East Cork Juvenile Board, who congratulated both teams on the magnificent display of hurling produced on the night. He also thanked the Bride Rovers Club for the preparation of the pitch and Referee James Bermingham who handled the game in an excellent manner. Team Captain Philip O'Neill thanked the mentors Mossy Walsh, and John Paul Ivers for tremendous work they had put into the team during the season as well as all the squad and back up support, Donal O'Brien, Thomas Whelehan, Sheena McGlone and Dean Parker for First Aid. He then gave three cheers to a sporting Watergrasshill team. Russell Rovers now go on to play in the County Championship with the first game due on the 6th of September. Well done to Mossy and John Paul – you can both take a bow.
Team: Andrew Hartnett, Shane Fleming, Aaron Beausang, Paul Lane, Kevin Ivers, Kevin O'Brien, David Whelehan, Brian Hartnett, Jack McGrath, Eoin McGrath, Ronan Lynch, David Casey, Daniel O'Brien, Philip O'Neill, Sean Maher. Subs: Daniel Guerin, Christopher O'Brien, Michael Furlong, Ciaran Mullins, Ricky Walsh, James Moynihan, Brian Whelehan, Aidan Beausang.

Under 16 Hurlers Reach Final

Russell Rovers 1-16 Cloyne 2-9
Having come through the first round encounter against Fr. O'Neills ten days ago on a scoreline of 4-6 to 2-7 with all but 2 points coming from play, our Under 16 hurlers faced Cloyne in the semi final played in Castlemartyr on Thursday last. The original fixture on the previous Monday having been scrapped due to the torrential rain, this game was played in fine sunshine but the slippery pitch restricted players of both teams in getting clean possession. However both sides gave an honest display of hurling with Rovers dominating possession throughout the game and deserving of the victory in the end despite a brave fight to the finish from Cloyne. Unlike the previous outing, most of our scores came from placed balls and Brian Hartnett punished the opposition repeatedly with his unerring free-taking. Ending up with a personal tally of 1-11 from frees and 65s as well as one from play, Hartnett's contribution to the overall play was enormous. It was good a night too for David Casey who scored 0-2 from play in the first half and a point in the second while Jack McGrath was our only other scorer. The game was evenly enough matched in the opening quarter and while first blood went to Rovers from a Hartnett free inside the opening minute, Cloyne responded quickly with a pointed free and converted 65. By the 5th minute Hartnett had levelled from a placed ball and a minute later shot us into the lead, one whch we were to hold throughout the game. Our half-backs were defending well with Kevin O'Brien, Ronan Lynch and David Whelehan closing down their opponents and setting up attacks. With Eoin McGrath and Hartnett getting the upper hand at midfield, Aidan Beausang was holding his own at centre forward but our inside forward trio of Philip O'Neill, Sean Maher and Ricky Walsh were well marshalled by the Cloyne defence. Casey shot the first of his brace in the 8th minute and added the second in reply to a Cloyne free two minutes later. A Cloyne free in the 13th minute reduced the margin to a solitary point but it was to be their last score of the half and Jack McGrath put us two ahead almost immediately. Three points from frees and one from a 65 from Hartnett gave us 6 point cushion at half time. But it was by no means one way traffic and our backs had to work hard to prevent further Cloyne scores over the second quarter with Aaron Beausang and Paul Lane being particularly effective. Kevin Ivers and James Moynihan were introduced at half time for Rovers as replacements for Maher and Walsh. Two points from placed balls, one a 65, stretched the lead in the opening minutes. Cloyne pegged two back from frees interspersed by Casey's third point before Hartnett buried the ball in the net from a 20-metre free in the 10th minute to give us a ten point lead. But Cloyne were not giving up the ghost and after their first point from play in the 14th minute, they launched another attack which ended in a goal after a deadly goal struggle. Hartnett pointed from a free in the 18th to steady the Rovers nerves but with Cloyne making an all out effort to get another goal our defence was under severe pressure. Positional changes worked well as Shane Fleming and Ronan Lynch swapped places and Ivers was to make a vital block late in the game. Cloyne were rewarded with a second goal as the game entered injury time to reduce the deficit to three points but Hartnett was to have the final say in the matter with a close- in free to give us the insurance point. The game was well handled in a firm manner by referee Denis O' Flynn.

The team meets Watergrasshill in the final in Rathcormac on Tuesday, 19th August. Good luck lads!

Team: Andrew Hartnett, Shane Fleming, Aaron Beausang, Paul Lane, Ronan Lynch, Kevin O'Brien , David Whelehan, Brian Hartnett, Eoin McGrath, Jack McGrath, Aidan Beausang, David Casey, Ricky Walsh, Philip O'Neill, Sean Maher.
Subs: Daniel Guerin, Joseph O'Flynn, Ciaran Mullins, Michael Furlong, Kevin Ivers, James Moynihan, Brian Whelehan.

Scorers in first round game versus Fr. O'Neills : Brian Hartnett 1-5 ( 0-2 frees); Philip O'Neill 2-0; David Casey 1-0; Eoin McGrath 0-1

St. Catherines 1-12 Russell Rovers 0-12

Any team hoping to win out a championship needs a slice of luck along the way but unfortunately Lady Luck deserted us in Carrigtwohill last Thursday evening when we lost by three points to a hungrier St Catherines side in the semi-final of the East Cork Minor B hurling championship. First, we lost the services of full-back Barry O’Keeffe with a neck injury to be followed later by Daniel Moynihan picking up a leg injury which clearly hampered him for the remainder of the game. Then, wing-forward Brian Hartnett was extremely unlucky not to have goaled in each half as the sliothar flew inches over the bar on each occasion. When all of these things happen you know it’s not going to be your day, yet we could have salvaged a draw towards the end of the game.
The first half exchanges were fairly even with the greasy underfoot conditions, following heavy rain, militating against a high-scoring game. Two points from frees by Brian Hartnett and another from play by Eoin McGrath, following a great run, put us 0-3 to 0-2 in front after 24 minutes. In the remaining ten minutes of play, St Catherines fired over four points from play and frees while we could muster just one more point from the stick of Hartnett to leave us trailing by 0-6 to 0-4 at the break. While the Ballynoe side got the opening point of the second period, Rovers also began brightly enough with Hartnett reducing the deficit with two points but then the Cats struck a six-minute purple patch in which they notched up 1-3 to put the game almost out of our reach. Hartnett (0-4) and Anthony Walsh (0-2) pegged back the lead but try as we might we could not breach the Catherines defence for that elusive equalising goal.
Andrew Hartnett had an excellent game between the posts with Tadgh Crowley doing well in front of him after Barry O’Keeffe went off injured. Anthony Walsh and John Burke worked hard on the wings while Kevin Tattan, Kevin O’Brien and scorer-in-chief Brian Hartnett (0-9) were the pick of the forwards.
Team: Andrew Hartnett; James Walsh, Barry O’Keeffe, Paul Lane; Anthony Walsh, Alan Cott, John Burke; Tadgh Crowley, Daniel Moynihan; Brian Hartnett, Kevin Tattan, Kevin O’Brien; Eoin McGrath, James Furlong, Phillip O’Neill.
Subs: James Ahern, John Cronin, David Whelehan (all used).

Fixtures:
We were scheduled to play Ballyphehane last Saturday evening in the first round of the County Junior B football championship but the team management decided to give a walk-over due to an apparent lack of interest coupled with one or two injuries This decision is both disappointing and worrying and reflects badly on the club. Perhaps the hold-up in the Junior A hurling championship is a contributory factor to the present morale but nevertheless a football team could and should have been fielded.

Russell Rovers 1-13 Cobh 1-11

We have seen some outstanding individual performances in hurling recently. Eoin Kelly for Waterford, Joe Canning for Galway and last Friday night in Carrigtwohill Rovers wing-forward Brian Hartnett displayed his vast array of hurling skills to register 1-11 out of a total of 1-13 in this keenly contested and entertaining Minor B hurling championship quarter-final.
From the throw-in we took the game to Cobh with an excellent opening point from Daniel Moynihan which was followed by 1-4 (0-2 frees) by Hartnett in a five minutes spell to put us 1-5 to 0-1 in front after 15 minutes. Eoin McGrath had a big part to play in the goal when he ran at the Cobh defence before laying off a good pass to Hartnett. But anybody who thought that this game was done and dusted was in for a rude awakening. The next ten minutes belonged to Cobh during which they notched up 1-4 with their centre-forward wreaking havoc out around the middle of the park. But Hartnett got us back on track, first with a pointed free from an acute angle, followed by another from play when he made a great run down the right flank and fired over from a similar angle. In the 27th minute we were awarded a 20 metre free in front of the posts and one could see that this confident 16-year old hurling artist was champing at the bit to have a crack at goal but common sense prevailed and he wisely tapped it over the bar to put us 1-8 to 1-5 ahead at the break.
The second period was a tit-for-tat affair with Cobh threatening to over-run us at times but our backs stood firm and were equal to the task, particularly full-back Barry O’Keeffe and Anthony Walsh, ably assisted by James Walsh and Paul Lane. Points by Hartnett (free) and Kevin Tattan cancelled out similar scores for Cobh who struck a purple patch midway in the half when they hit over three points from play to draw level. Another Hartnett free cancelled out one by Cobh to maintain parity. Both sides were now striving hard to gain supremacy, with Kevin Tattan playing a deeper role to help out our beleaguered defence. Hartnett came to the rescue once again three minutes from time when he converted a 65 to break the deadlock and added an insurance point from a free on the stroke of full time. This was a most satisfying victory, particularly when it was achieved with a few of our top players performing below par but I have no doubt they will come good in the semi-final against St Catherines tonight (Thursday).
Referee Tim Dineen did a good job on the whistle and refereed the game impartially.
Team: Andrew Hartnett; James Walsh, Barry O’Keeffe, Paul Lane; Anthony Walsh,
Alan Cott, John Burke; Daniel Moynihan, Tadgh Crowley; Brian Hartnett. Kevin Tattan, Kevin O’Brien; Eoin McGrath, James Furlong, Michael Kenneally.
Subs: Phillip O’Neill, David Casey, John Cronin, David Whelehan, James Ahern.

Russell Rovers 1-10 Castlemartyr 3-9

Last Sunday morning we played near neighbours Castlemartyr in Round 6 of the Junior Hurling League, Division 1 in Shanagarry but unfortunately defeat was our lot.
Playing against the wind in the opening half, we found ourselves seven points in arrears at the interval, 2-7 to 1-3, with one of the visitors’ goals being of the soft variety. With the breeze behind us in the second period, we pegged back the lead to a single point and kept Castlemartyr scoreless until the last five minutes when they struck for their third goal and a brace of points to run out deserving winners.
In defence Barry Fitzgerald played his heart out with driving runs and good clearances while up front Ian Smiddy was the pick of the forward division, taking full advantage of good low ball which yielded 1-3. Daniel Moynihan and Tadgh Crowley also tried hard for a Rovers side that missed the steadying influence of Paudie Higgins and Kevin Hartnett.
Team: Eoin Ivers; John Ahern, Anthony Archer, Barry Fitzgerald; Matthew Fitzgerald John Paul Ivers, Barry O’Keeffe; Mikie Walsh, Seamus Kearney; Tadgh Crowley
(0-1), Joe Walsh (0-3), Daniel Moynihan (0-2); Pa Daly, Ian Smiddy (1-3), Kevin Tattan (0-1). Subs: Brendan Kearney and Brian Crowley (both used).

Carrigtwohill 3-11 Russell Rovers 0-9

Our Junior B hurlers made their exit from the championship at the first hurdle when they went under to a stronger Carrigtwohill side in Cloyne last Saturday afternoon.
We began brightly when Colin Garde fired over a good point almost from the throw-in but alas it turned out to be a false dawn. In the 7th minute Carrig served notice of what was coming down the track when they missed an open goal. Our backs were beginning to leave men unmarked all over the place and we paid the price for this mistake when Carrig scored a hat-trick of goals in a six minutes blitz which was almost like a replay of our recent league game against Killeagh. It was now a case of keeping the score down to manageable proportions which was partly achieved by the switch of Decky Healy from corner-forward to a more familiar corner-back role. Two well-taken points by Billy O’Sullivan, another from Pa Daly and a pointed free by David Morrissey gave us some glimmer of hope at half-time when the score stood at 3-2 to 0-5.
The introduction of Donal Fitzgerald for the second period helped to strengthen the forward division. He slotted over a good point in the 2nd minute and provided the pass for a Tadgh Crowley point seven minutes later. But Carrig were in no mood to let us back into the game and began to pile on the scores while we were only able to add two further points, courtesy of frees by David Morrissey and Pa Daly.
Chris Scanlon could not be faulted for any of the goals while outfield, Patrick Crowley, Tom O’Brien, Tadgh Crowley, Anthony Walsh and Pa Daly gave it their all with Brendan Kearney putting in a solid second half performance. Players who weren’t in regular training must wonder what might have been had preparations been better. Well done to Donal Fitzgerald and Pa Morrissey for putting the side together.

Team: Chris Scanlon; Mike O’Brien, Brendan Kearney, Mike Cremin; Mike Mannion
Patrick Crowley, Tom O’Brien; Tadgh Crowley, Anthony Walsh; Billy O’Sullivan, Pa Daly, Colin Garde; Martin O’Donoghue David Morrissey, Declan Healy.
Subs: Antoin Walsh, Donal Fitzgerald and Vincent Walsh (all used).

Russell Rovers 2-9 St Catherines 0-8

Our minor hurlers resumed their league programme with a comfortable win over St. Catherines played in Shanagarry last Thursday evening. However, the opening 10 minutes of play suggested we could be in for a drubbing as the Cats rifled over five points in quick succession without reply and then we lost the services of full-back Barry O’Keeffe through injury. But there’s plenty of resilience in this team and when full-forward Brian Hartnett moved outfield he made a significant impact in terms of possession as this hurling artist slotted over three fine points to bring us back into the game. Daniel Moynihan converted a long-range free to leave us just three points in arrears at the break (0-7 to 0-4).
With the breeze behind us and Barry O’Keeffe resuming his position temporarily at full-back, we began to take control of the game in the second half and limited our opponents to just a single point for the remainder of the game. Early points by Daniel Moynihan and Kevin Tattan were followed by goals from John Cronin and Kevin O’Brien to put us firmly in the driving seat. Further points by Brian Hartnett, Dan Moynihan and Kevin Tattan sealed a well-merited victory. Once our backs got to grips with the game they played well as a unit with goalkeeper Andrew Hartnett making no mistake behind them. While Anthony Walsh, Tadgh Crowley and Eoin McGrath didn’t score, they put in a tremendous hour’s work as did the midfield pairing of Dan Moynihan and Kevin Tattan.
Team: Andrew Hartnett; James Walsh, Barry O’Keeffe, Paul Lane; David Whelehan, Alan Cott, John Burke; Kevin Tattan, Daniel Moynihan; Anthony Walsh, Tadgh Crowley, Kevin O’Brien; John Cronin, Brian Hartnett, Eoin McGrath.
Subs: Phillip O’Neill and David Casey (both used).

Killeagh 5-5 Russell Rovers 1-6

This Division 3 JHL game played in Killeagh last Saturday evening was as good as over at half-time after a disastrous start in which we conceded a goal in the very first minute followed by three more later in the half to give a lop-sided score of 4-4 to 0-2 at the break, with our points coming from Tadgh Crowley and a David Morrissey free.
But despite being well beaten, our lads dug deep when they could just as easily have taken the handy option of throwing in the towel and can take a lot of credit for their second half performance in which they outscored their opponents. Points by Tadgh Crowley, David Morrissey (0-2 frees), Donal Fitzgerald and a well-taken goal by Martin O’Donoghue served to put a little bit of respectability on the score-board. Centre-back Kieran Ivers picked up a nasty hand injury early in the game and was replaced by late arrival Mike Mannion who proceeded to steady the ship. There were other encouraging performances from Tom O’Brien, Colin Garde, Anthony Walsh and Tadgh Crowley while custodian Chris Scanlon could not be faulted for the early goals. We play Carrigtwohill in the first round of the Junior B hurling championship in Cloyne next Saturday at 3 pm and if we can pick up where we left off the last day, who knows we might create club history by being the first Rovers second string team to win a championship game.
Team: Chris Scanlon; Patrick Crowley, Brendan Kearney, Vincent Walsh; Tom O’Brien. Kieran Ivers, Colin Garde; Anthony Walsh, Tadgh Crowley; Donal Fitzgerald, David Morrissey, Billy O’Sullivan, Declan Healy, Pa Daly, Martin O’Donoghue. Sub: Mike Mannion for Kieran Ivers.

Under 16 Hurlers Continue Winning Streak

Russell Rovers 1-16 Aghada 0-8

Our Under 16 hurlers continued where they left off before the exam break when they had a hard earned win over a tough Aghada side at Rostellan on Monday evening last. Eventhough the hurling was not as sharp as previous games, this side continues to impress and have clocked up five league wins in a row. The home side opened the scoring with a free in the second minute but four points from Brian Hartnett, two from placed balls, and one from Eoin McGrath saw Rovers leading by four points by the midway stage. A converted free and a 65 from Aghada narrowed the gap but then came a peach of a goal by James Moynihan in the 21st minute which restored the daylight between the sides. Hartnett continued to add on the scores with a 65 and three more points from play to leave us with a three goal advantage at half time on a scoreline of 1-9 to 0-3. Despite this cushion, the second half was no cake walk for us, as the sides exchanged points on a number of occasions until the 20th minute, two of ours coming from Eoin McGrath and three from Hartnett , two from frees and one from play, to see us go into the final 10 minutes with an eight point lead. Aghada kept on attacking and our defence was kept busy throughout the game with Andrew Hartnett having to bring off numerous saves. While we lived dangerously at times, our backs defended tenaciously and denied the home side the goal that might have brought them back into the game. Aaron Beausang, standing in at full back for his injured cousin Aidan , was impressive, as were Paul Lane, and Shane Fleming in the corners. Centreback Kevin O'Brien played most of the game with an injured finger, which may have hampered his ball catching ability but not his overall play. He even managed to shoot over Rovers final point in the 25th. Flankers David Casey, returning after a long injury, and David Whelehan did well. Philip O'Neill and Ricky Walsh also impressed.
The team play Watergrasshill on Monday next in Shanagarry.
Team: Andrew Hartnett, Shane Fleming, Paul Lane, David Casey, Kevin O'Brien, David Whelehan, Brian Hartnett, Daniel O'Brien, James Moynihan, Eoin McGrath, Joseph O'Flynn, Sean Maher, PhilipO'Neill, Christopher O'Brien, Subs Ricky Walsh, Ciaran Mullins, Daniel Guerin, Kevin Ivers, Jack McGrath.

Russell Rovers 1-14 Watergrasshill 1-11

Even though they had the better of the play for much of the game, our Juniors were given a good run for their money by the Hill in this Junior Hurling Championship first round tie played at Carrigtwohill on Saturday evening last. Leading from start to finish, but unable to get out of sight of their opponents, Rovers had to withstand a late rally before they finally made it past the first hurdle with three points to spare.
Ian Smiddy opened the scoring for Rovers with a point in the first minute and Joe Walsh added to this with a free in the 5th. The Hill pulled one back before Walsh struck over his second free two minutes later. Then in the 12th minute Daniel Moynihan made a great run down the left flank and gave a perfectly weighted pass to Mikie Walsh who cut inside and rattled the far corner of the net with a blistering low drive. Rovers had a good deal of possession in the opening quarter and they should have had a better return before the Hill showed how dangerous their attack could be with a goal and a point inside two minutes midway through the half to cut our lead to the minimum. Seamus Kearney, who had a very solid game all through, added a point following a good pass from Kevin Tattan and a minute later Tattan pulled a great ball down off the air and slotted it over the bar for a beauty. Walsh tacked on another from a free but the Hill showed they were very much in the game with two points from play before Kearney and Walsh restored our three points advantage coming up to half-time (1-8 to 1-5).

The second half saw a good opening period from Rovers with some outstanding attacking wing back play from Matt Fitzgerald who fired over a point in the 1st minute. Kevin Hartnett, who had a quiet enough first half by his standards, came into his own as he stormed through the Hill defence for an inspirational point with Matt Fitzgerald providing the initial pass and then took on a sweeper role behind the half backs when we were under pressure. The Hill kept coming back however and a point from loose play and a converted 65 kept them very much in contention. Hartnett pointed again in the 10th and a minute later Smiddy was on hand to strike over his second point when Walsh's free came back off the post. Hartnett stretched our lead to six points but Rovers had a lucky escape when keeper Eoin Ivers had to go at full stretch to deflect a goal-bound shot over the bar. Walsh restored our six points cushion in the 23rd minute with a converted 65 but in the final five minutes the Hill whittled our lead down to three points and then we had to withstand four and a half minutes of injury time pressure before emerging victorious. The defence as a unit played well throughout. Anthony Archer and Barry Fitzgerald were secure in the corners while Paudie Higgins had a very steady second half. John Paul Ivers played a captain’s role at center-back and was ably assisted by Barry O'Keeffe and later John Ahern who exchanged positions for the final ten minutes. Overall it was a solid team performance and a big improvement over recent league outings with all lines more than holding their own in a hard-earned victory.

Team: Eoin Ivers, Anthony Archer, Padraig Higgins, Barry Fitzgerald, Matthew Fitzgerald, John Paul Ivers (Captain), Barry O’Keeffe; Seamus Kearney, Kevin Hartnett, Joseph Walsh, Mikie Walsh, Daniel Moynihan, Kevin Tattan, Ian Smiddy, John Ahern.
Subs: Chris Scanlon, Tadgh Crowley, Pa Daly, David Morrissey, Alan Cott, Brendan Kearney, Kieran Ivers, Anthony Walsh, Martin O’Donoghue, Mike O’Brien, Tom O’Brien, Barry Hartnett.
An open draw for the third round will take place at the Board meeting next Wednesday night and will be posted on our website later that night.

Russell Rovers 1-11 Erins Own 4-5

It is said that goals win matches and this was certainly the case when we conceded four to Erins Own in this JHL, Division 1 tie played in Carrigtwohill last Sunday.
The first of these came almost from the throw-in with our backs at sixes and sevens. This was a disastrous start that we didn’t want but we made amends two minutes later when Daniel Moynihan provided the on-running Kevin Hartnett with an excellent pass and his angled drive found the corner of the net. This was the only time that we really threatened the Erins Own goal in the opening half because once again our full- forward line as a unit tended to drift out too far, leaving the Erins Own keeper do as he pleased inside the 20 metre line from where he launched frequent attacks with long-range clearances.
The remainder of the half was a tit-for-tat affair with Rovers notching up five points courtesy of Joe Walsh (0-3), Ian Smiddy and Mattie Fitzgerald to put us 3 points ahead but then in the 25th minute Erins Own pounced for their second goal from a poor clearance by our defence, leaving the half-time score at 1-5 to 2-2.
We began the second half well with points from Mikie Walsh, Joe Walsh and Kevin Hartnett and at this stage we appeared to be in control. But disaster struck once again midway in the half when a mis-directed pass in the middle of the field saw Erins Own race through for their third goal to which they added a brace of points, all in the space of four minutes. Kevin Tattan and Matt Fitzgerald added two points to our tally but in the last minute of normal time Erins Own put the final nail in the coffin with a scrambled fourth goal. This was a disappointing result, particularly when the players and mentors know that this game and league points were there for the taking but as long as we correct elementary errors we can look forward with confidence to our first round championship game against Watergrasshill next Saturday evening.
Team: Eoin Ivers, Anthony Archer, Paudie Higgins, Barry Fitzgerald; Matthew Fitzgerald, John Paul Ivers, Barry O’Keeffe; Seamus Kearney, Kevin Hartnett; Joe Walsh, Mikie Walsh, Daniel Moynihan; Kevin Tattan, Ian Smiddy, Tadgh Crowley.
Subs: Alan Cott for Barry O’Keeffe, Kieran Ivers, Davis Morrissey, Martin O’Donoghue.

Russell Rovers 3-11 Cloyne 1-5

Last Saturday evening in the sun-drenched venue of Shanagarry we played our near neighbours Cloyne in Round 4 of the Junior Hurling League, Division 1.
While we won comfortably in the end, the standard of hurling did not always match the glorious weather conditions and both sides have a good deal of work to do if they are to make an impression in the upcoming championship. Despite an early point from Daniel Moynihan in our very first attack, we found it difficult to get into the game in the opening quarter. Our general play lacked urgency even though this was a local derby with two important league points at stake. As the half progressed we began to open up a gap with points from Kevin Tattan (0-1), Joe Walsh (0-4), Ian Smiddy (0-2) and wing back Alan Cott (0-1) to put us 0-9 to 0-3 ahead at the interval. However, the score-line does not reflect the equal share of possession that Cloyne enjoyed as they wasted a good number of scoring chances from both play and frees.
On the resumption of play Daniel Moynihan fired over another point and in the 10th minute came the first of our three goals. Seamus Kearney made a good run forward to receive a sideline cut, checked briefly and then continued his run to ghost in behind the Cloyne defence where he gathered possession and shook the far corner of the net. This was a good example of reading and anticipating the play which we would like to see more often. After Joe Walsh pointed another free, won by Kevin Tattan, our second goal came from good work by Tattan and a clever pass to Ian Smiddy who made no mistake from close range. A few minutes later Mikie Walsh, under pressure out towards the corner, managed to whip the ball across the 13 metre line where Smiddy was waiting again to repeat the dose and take his tally to 2-2. But the game was long over as a contest by this stage even though Cloyne did manage to get in for a consolation goal before the final whistle.
One aspect of our play in this game that needs to be addressed is the tendency by several players to hit balls straight to their opponents because of not taking time to look up which will be punished severely by better opposition. This in turn resulted in our full forward line roaming out too far looking for possession, particularly in the first half, leaving no one inside to take advantage of several spilled balls by the Cloyne custodian. Still, this was a very satisfying and badly needed win.
Team: Eoin Ivers; Anthony Archer, Paudie Higgins, Barry Fitzgerald; Alan Cott, John Paul Ivers, Barry O’Keeffe; Seamus Kearney, Mattie Fitzgerald; Joe Walsh, Mikie Walsh, Tadgh Crowley; Kevin Tattan, Ian Smiddy, Daniel Moynihan.
Subs: Kieran Ivers, David Morrissey (both used), Brendan Kearney, Pa Daly, James Ahern, Michael Cremin.

Footballers Well Beaten

Russell Rovers 1-3 Castlemartyr 5-11

This was a very poor outing for our footballers when they were completely outclassed by visitors Catlemartyr in this Division 2 League match played on Thursday evening at Shanagarry. All three of our scores came in the first half. A Joseph Walsh goal in the 6th minute, after a disastrous opening few minutes when we conceded 1-1, gave us some hope. But Castlemartyr were to tag on two more points before John Paul Ivers scored a point in the 20th minute. The visitors added on two more goals before Daniel Moynihan scored our second point of the game to leave us trailing by three goals at the interval 1-2 to 3-5. Try as they might, and many of our players did their best, Rovers just could not get to grips with the faster Castlemartyr side and the result was a foregone conclusion early in the second half in which we managed to score just one more point from a free by Daniel Moynihan. Castlemartyr's two late goals came when the game was well and truly over as a competitive spectacle and only served to emphasise their superiority on the night.

Team : Mike Mannion, Patrick Crowley, Eoin Ivers, Barry O’Keeffe, James Ahern, Seamus Kearney, Alan Cott, Padraig Higgins, John Paul Ivers, Joseph Walsh, James Furlong, Daniel Moynihan, Kevin Tattan, Tadgh Crowley, David Morrissey. Sub. Pa Daly

Russell Rovers 4-10 Cobh 1-12

Our Junior B hurlers had a comfortable win over Cobh in Division 3 of the JHL, played in Shanagarry last Saturday evening. Trailing by six points at the break, we made an outstanding come-back in the second half to run out easy winners in the end. In defence there were fine performances from Brendan Kearney and Barry Fitzgerald in the pivotal positions, ably assisted by Michael Cremin, John Burke and Mike Mannion. Substitute Pa Crowley also made a significant impact when introduced later. At midfield Alan Cott had a superb game, scoring six points from play and frees while his partner Antoin Walsh chipped in with a good goal. Up front Pa Daly (1-2), John Cronin (1-0), Tadgh Crowley (0-1) and David Morrissey (0-1) found their scoring form in the second period while Declan Healy (1-0) made a welcome return to action in an unfamiliar role of corner-forward from where he got the final touch to the net from a John Cronin shot.
Team: Colin Garde, Vincent Walsh, Brendan Kearney, Michael Cremin; John Burke, Barry Fitzgerald, Mike Mannion; Alan Cott, Antoin Walsh; David Morrissey, Pa Daly, John Cronin; Billy O’Sullivan, Tadgh Crowley, Declan Healy. Sub: Patrick Crowley.

Under 16 Footballers Beaten by Youghal

Russell Rovers 2-6 Youghal 2-12

Our under 16 footballers, though they battled to the end, were beaten by a very strong Youghal side in the League played at Youghal on Monday last. The home side had the better of the opening exchanges and had kicked over 4 points without reply before Kevin O'Brien got our first score on the quarter hour. Indeed it took some desperate defending by our backs to keep the score so low in the opening quarter. Brian Hartnett aded two more pints from frees to one from Youghal before Eoin McGrath put us into the lead when he rifled to the net after picking up on a pass across the front of the square from Michael Furlong in the 25thminute. Youghal were shortly back on terms and added on two more to lead by a mere two points at the interval. Rovers were first to score in the second half but this was cancelled out after a few minutes. Ronan Lynch pointed for us in the 12th but Youghal came back again and added on two more points before the floodgates finally opened and they two goals without reply with 8 minutes to go. However our lads never gave up and were rewarded with two late goals from Eoin McGrath and Aidan Beausang to leave 6 points between the sides at the finish.
Team: Andrew Hartnett, Christopher O'Brien, Aaron Beausang, Ricky Walsh, David Whelehan, Aidan Beausang, Paul Lane, Kevin O'Brien, Eoin McGrath, Sean Maher, Ronan Lynch, Joseph O'Flynn, Brian Hartnett, Philip O'Neill, Michael Furlong, Subs. James Moynihan, Kevin Ivers, Daniel O'Brien

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Russell Rovers 2-11 Ballinacurra 2-11

On the Bank Holiday Monday we played old rivals Ballinacurra in the postponed second-round game of the JFL, Division 2 in Shanagarry. With the visitors already into the quarter-final of the Junior A championship, this was always going to be a tough encounter and so it turned out to be just that. Missing a number of regulars, we fielded no fewer than six minors, all of whom acquitted themselves with flying colours.
The first quarter belonged to Rovers when we raced into a 1-5 to 0-3 lead but then the Village got to grips with the game and notched up 2-3 in the next eight minutes, including a well-struck penalty which could just as easily have been a free out to us. Ballinacurra lead by 2-6 to 1-6 at the break. The second period was a ding-dong affair with the sides exchanging points regularly and the visitors maintaining their three points advantage. Then in the final minute of normal time John Paul Ivers, who had an outstanding game, displayed leadership qualities when he surged up field on the right wing and planted the ball in the far corner of the net for a peach of a goal.
A minute later Daniel Moynihan was on hand to tap over what looked like a winning point and an unlikely victory but our delight was short-lived when Ballinacurra converted a free at the other end to take a share of the spoils which was probably a fair result overall. Best for Rovers were Eoin Ivers, Seamus Kearney and Alan Cott in defence, Paudie Higgins and John Paul Ivers (1-2) at midfield while up front young James Furlong used his strength to good effect at centre-forward. Daniel Moynihan was our scorer-in-chief with 9 points to his credit, including 3 points from play and Kevin Tattan was a live wire in the corner. Besides scoring a good goal in the first half, he also won several frees which Moynihan converted.

Team: Michael Mannion; Patrick Crowley, Eoin Ivers, Tom O’Brien; Alan Cott, Seamus Kearney, James Ahern; John Paul Ivers, Paudie Higgins; Joe Walsh, James Furlong, Daniel Moynihan; Kieran Ivers, Tadgh Crowley, Kevin Tattan.
Sub: Martin O’Donoghue (50th min)

Sarsfields 2-17 Russell Rovers 0-9

This JHL Division 1 tie played in Riverstown last Saturday evening was another one of those games that is best forgotten. Even allowing for the fact that we were missing several first choice players, this was still a dismal and even lethargic display from a Rovers side that never seemed to get going. Sars appeared to have extra players all over the field and proceeded to give us a lesson in the skills of the game. Our first touch was poor and conceding two soft goals did not help matters. Surprisingly, we were only 4 points in arrears at half-time (1-6 to 0-5) but inevitably the floodgates opened up after the break and the game was really over as a contest ten minutes later. Just three points from play over the hour summed up our performance which was in stark contrast to the corresponding game last year which we won by ten points. In fairness it must be said there have been no less than seven changes in personnel from that game. Going on this display Sars will be a formidable force in the championship while things can only get better for us. For the record Joe Walsh was again our main scorer with six points from frees and one from play with Tadgh Crowley getting the other two points
Team: Eoin Ivers; Alan Cott, Seamus Kearney, Patrick Crowley; Matthew Fitzgerald, John Paul Ivers, Barry O’Keeffe; Paudie Higgins, Daniel Moynihan; Joe Walsh, Mike Walsh, Kieran Ivers; Michael Cremin, Tadgh Crowley, Kevin Tattan.
Subs: David Morrissey, Brendan Kearney (both used), Tom O’Brien, Mike O’Brien, Martin O’Donoghue, James Ahern.

Under 16s Good Run Continues

Russell Rovers 2-13 Cloyne 0-9

In a tough contest played at Shanagarry on Bank Holiday Monday Rovers came away with the points against neighbours Cloyne to stretch their tally to four wins on the trot in the hurling league. The ten point winning margin may flatter the home side but they were worthy winners. With a personal tally of 7 points, all but one of them from placed balls, Brian Hartnett was once again outstanding both as a sharpshooter and in his overall contribution throughout the hour. While Rovers did not reach the heights they did against Erins Own the previous week, some aspects of their play were notable. Ronan Lynch continues to improve at midfield while the elusive Eoin McGrath took two fine points in the first half after James Moynihan had opened the Rovers account in the second minute. Cloyne were quick to respond with three unanswered points, which put them in the lead. McGrath leveled matters in the 12th minute and from then on Hartnett's unerring shooting added five points on the trot, interspersed by two from Cloyne, to leave us three points in front coming to the closing minutes of the first half. Philip O'Neill was causing all sorts of trouble for the Cloyne defence and when he broke down the ball near the square in the 27th minute Joseph O'Flynn was on hand to finish the ball to the net. Another pointed free from Hartnett saw us 1-9 to 0-5 in front at the interval. O'Flynn shot over a point shortly after the resumption but the visitors clawed their way back with four points before Hartnett settled Rovers nerves with a converted free midway through the half. Kevin O'Brien increased our lead, before substitute Ricky Walsh ensured the victory with a goal in the 22nd minute. While there were a few hairy moments in the final ten minutes, our defence weathered the storm with sterling performances particularly by Aidan and Aaron Beausang and Paul Lane. O'Brien who used his pace to set up a number of attacks during the game, completed our scoring with a free two minutes from the end.
Team Andrew Hartnett, Shane Fleming, Aidan Beausang, Paul Lane, Aaron Beausang, Kevin O'Brien, David Whelehan, Brian Hartnett, Ronan Lynch, James Moynihan, Sean Maher, Eoin McGrath, Christopher O'Brien, Philip O'Neill, Joseph O'Flynn, Subs Ricky Walsh, Kevin Ivers, Ciarán Mullins, Michael Furlong

Russell Rovers 1-7 Watergrasshill 1-7

This low-scoring Division 3 junior hurling league game played in Shanagarry last Tuesday evening week ended all square. With the appointed referee failing to turn up, the game was refereed by Pa Morrissey who did a good job under the circumstances.
A blistering start by Tadgh Crowley saw us race into a 1-2 to 0-0 lead within two minutes of the throw-in. Further points by Barry Fitzgerald (free), David Morrissey and Tadgh Crowley again put us 1-5 to 1-4 ahead at the break. Because of the late start it was agreed by both sides to play a short second half due to fading daylight.
As a result, scores were scarce in this period with Barry Fitzgerald (free) and John Ahern increasing our tally while the Hill added 3 points to level matters at the final whistle.
Best for Rovers were goalkeeper Chris Scanlon, backs Michael Cremin, Brendan Kearney and Alan Cott, midfield pairing of Barry Fitzgerald and John Ahern while Tadgh Crowley was the best forward on view with Dave Morrissey and John Burke also trying hard.

Team: Chris Scanlon; Patrick Crowley, John Paul Walsh, Michael Cremin, Alan Cott, Brendan Kearney, Tom O’Brien; Barry Fitzgerald, John Ahern; David Higgins, David Morrissey, Billy O’Sullivan; Jonathan Walsh, Tadgh Crowley, John Burke.
Sub: Luke Cullinane for David Higgins.

Here's a Table Quiz quirky question for you. What was the farthest any Russell Rovers team travelled to play a match? For the answer, read on………
The weekend trip to Guladuff County Derry in April 1983 by a team of Russell Rovers Juveniles still rates as the farthest away any Rovers team has ever travelled for matches. The epic journey came about as result of Father Bertie Troy's involvement in the Gormanstown Coaching Courses of the early eighties organised to develop hurling in the weaker counties. Father Troy was assigned to help County Derry and so began a friendship with Tom McGill Chairman of the Derry Hurling Board who hailed from the little village of Gulladuff, home of the famous Lavey football club. Tom invited Fr. Troy to bring up a team of Primary school boys for a weekend and I was roped in to help. In his own intrepid way Fr. Troy dreamt up a unique way of funding the venture. The main cost would be the train fare for the twenty or so boys who would be going, as accommodation was to be with local families. Sponsorship cards were printed and people were asked to sponsor the trip at a rate of 50p a mile for the 500 mile journey. The boys did their work and reached their target in no time.
An early morning train trip to Dublin was followed by a picnic on a freight trolley in Heuston Satation with a large dish of hot sausages provided by Fr.Troy's sister. This was followed by a leisurely walk to Connolly to board the NIR to Portadown where we were met by Tom and some club members who took us to Gulladuff by late afternoon. We played the local team in a challenge game that evening. Rovers, helped by a couple of overage boys we had brought to beef up our side, managed to beat the locals! Later that night when asked had his team beaten much, Fr.Troy was heard to remark, “They wouldn't beat eggs!” The boys were put up in the houses of the local club members and were given a right homely welcome in this little nationalist enclave of south Derry. All the surrounding villages had their footpaths proudly painted red white and blue but the tricolour proudly flew over the Lavey clubhouse. That night a Ceili was put on where the boys from Shanagarry and Ballycotton entertained the locals with many ballads Fr.Troy had taught them and we were introduced to “The Waves of Tory” a dance similar to the Siege of Ennis. A trip to Derry City on the Saturday morning (having been assured that we would be well gone home before the daily rioting began in the afternoon!) was an eye opener in many ways. A tour of the city took us to the Bogside and as we stood near 'Free Derry Corner' one of our boys nearly came a cropper when a bottle dropped from high up in the Rossville Flats crashed on the footpath beside us! There was no delay in getting the boys back in the bus after that! That evening we travelled to Ardboe on the shores of Lough Neagh for a third game while on Sunday we got our first taste of northern style football when we attended the first round of the County senior championship where Lavey had a 'hardfought' victory in a game not for the faint hearted! Many of the young players we met up with on the weekend went on to play on the great Derry team of the 90s and of course won the All Ireland Club Football Championship with Lavey. Many of our group went on to star with the Rovers in the late eighties and nineties and some are still active players!

Leaving behind our new found friends we headed home on the Monday. A problem with the railway line delayed our arrival into Connolly, leaving us with very little time to make the afternoon train to Cork from Heuston. No time to get a bus so with Fr. Troy in front and me taking up the rear we jogged along the quays to Heuston. What a sight we must have been, twenty warriors loaded down with bags and hurleys, being led along at a cracking pace by a middle aged cleric and one very out-of-breath teacher trying to keep up with them! One Jackeen, slightly the worse for wear, tried to halt our progress with the inquiry “What's up Father. What's yer hurry?” When he was brusquely told to step aside or we might miss our train, he muttered, “That's a nice way for a priest to talk!” We just made our train in time and, fortified by a box of Bounty Bars passed in the window by Michael Wyley as the train pulled out of the station, headed back to Cork.
Team: Shane Flynn, Noel Murray, Ger Murray, Eric Nugent, Ray Nugent, Ian Paul, Denis Crotty, Kevin Walsh, Billy Walsh, Sean Walsh, Anthony Coffey-Walsh, Keith Manning, Ronan Walsh, Dominic Sloane, Tom Smiddy, Michael Wyley, Mark Archer Paul Scannell, Philip Mullane and Declan O’Regan.

Russell Rovers 2-13 Castlelyons 2-2

Our Minor B hurlers began their league campaign with a convincing win over Castlelyons in Shanagarry last Thursday evening. Lining out without first-choice players Barry O’Keeffe, Anthony Walsh and JamesWalsh, we then lost the services of centre-forward James Ahern with a hand injury after only 15 minutes but we still had too much fire-power over our opponents. A mainly cross-field wind slightly favoured Castlelyons in the opening half which made scoring a little tricky for both sides until players got used to it. We conceded a soft goal in the 10th minute but then went on to limit the visitors to just two points for the remainder of the half while points by Daniel Moynihan (3), Kevin O’Brien (1), Kieran McCarthy (1), Kevin Tattan (1) and a goal by James Furlong put us 1-6 to 1-2 ahead at the break.
We took complete control of the game on the resumption and managed to keep the opposition scoreless until five minutes from the end when they goaled from a well-taken 20 metre free while we added 1-7 to our tally, courtesy of an early goal by Kieran McCarthy with James Furlong providing the pass and points by Daniel Moynihan (3),Brian Hartnett (2) and two beauties from long-range frees by Alan Cott.
Tadgh Crowley and particularly Alan Cott lorded it in defence, midfield pair Moynihan and Tattan seemed to cover the entire field while Brian Hartnett and Kevin O’Brien showed blistering pace in attack where Furlong was a constant threat on the edge of the square.
Team: Andrew Hartnett; John Cronin, Tadgh Crowley, Paul Lane; John Burke, Alan Cott, Aidan Beausang; Kevin Tattan, Daniel Moynihan; Kieran McCarthy, James Ahern, Brian Hartnett; Eoin McGrath, James Furlong, Kevin O’Brien.
Subs: David Whelehan and Michael Kenneally (both used). Referee Niall Barrett handled the game well.

Russell Rovers 2-15 Carrignavar 3-12

This high-scoring and entertaining Division 1 hurling league tie played in Shanagarry last Sunday week ended all square but will be viewed by our team management as a point dropped rather than a point gained. With only two minutes of normal time remaining, we held a 5 points lead and looked assured of collecting both points on offer. But we seemed to lose our concentration in those dying minutes and let Carrignavar in for two points followed by a goal almost on the stroke of full-time after we lost possession at the other end of the field. Hopefully, lessons will be learned from this disappointing end to the game.
In the opening half we played into the teeth of a strong wind blowing into the road-end goal and went 1-2 down after ten minutes. Then Joe Walsh began a scoring spree with three points from frees, one from play and a goal in the 21st minute from an excellent delivery by Kevin Tattan across the edge of the square from away out in the corner. Tadgh Crowley added a good point to put the bare minimum between the sides but then calamity befell us two minutes before the break when we put the ball into our own net to leave us trailing by 2-7 to 1-5. We took full advantage of the strong wind in the second half and with our defence putting up the shutters, particularly John Paul Ivers, Anthony Archer and Mattie Fitzgerald, we began to pile on the scores. A nice point by Barry Fitzgerald was followed by a smashing goal from Seamus Kearney when he latched on to a well-taken sideline cut by Daniel Moynihan. That score along with two long-range points by Moynihan and Barry O’Keeffe, another pair by John Ahern and two sublime sideline cuts over the bar by Joe Walsh were as good as one could wish to see at any level. Walsh added three further points from frees to take his personal tally to 1-9 before Carrignavar stung us with 1-2 in the final couple of minutes
Team: Paudie Higgins; Anthony Archer, Eoin Ivers, Patrick Crowley; Matthew Fitzgerald, John Paul Ivers, Barry O’Keeffe; Seamus Kearney, Daniel Moynihan; John Ahern, Joe Walsh, Barry Fitzgerald; Kevin Tattan, Ian Smiddy, Tadgh Crowley.
Subs: David Morrissey, Chris Scanlon, Alan Cott, James Ahern, Martin O’Donoghue, Tom O’Brien.

Russell Rovers 2-8 Castlemartyr 2-16

Our Junior B hurlers opened their Division 3 league programme with a well-contested game against Castlemartyr played in Shanagarry on Tuesday, 8th April. The losing margin of 8 points does not reflect our performance and there is no doubt that had our full panel of players been made available to the selectors, the score-line would have been quite different. We were level pegging at half-time, 1-7 to 0-10, and ten minutes into the second half we were still in the game but the lack of match practice and fitness began to take its toll on some players, in addition to being a man down for the last 15 minutes. Nevertheless, there were some good individual performances from Vince Walsh, Alan Cott, Barry Fitzgerald (0-4) and Pa Daly who bagged 2-2 while Dave Morrissey (0-1), Tom O’Brien (0-1) Patrick Crowley and Michael Cremin also tried hard. Well done to Donie Fitzgerald and Pa Morrissey for getting a full second string team out on a Tuesday night

Team: Chris Scanlon; Billy O’Sullivan, Vincent Walsh, Patrick Crowley; Alan Cott, Michael Mannion, Michael Cremin; Barry Fitzgerald, Jonathan Walsh; David Higgins, David Morrissey, Tom O’Brien; Pa Daly, Luke Cullinane, Martin O’Donoghue.
Sub: Donal Fitzgerald.

Russell Rovers 2-6 Carrigtwohill 1-7

Two goals inside as many minutes settled the issue midway through the second half and assured Rovers of the points in this Junior Football Division 2 League tie played at Shanagarry last Saturday evening. After the visitors had the better of the opening exchanges and went into an early two point lead, Rovers settled into the game with points from Daniel Moynihan ( 3 ), Tadgh Crowley and Barry Fitzgerald had us three points in front by the 23rd minute. Carrig pegged one back which was cancelled out by a point from Kevin Tattan and the visitors reduced our lead to two with a point on the stroke of half time. Three points on the trot without reply from Rovers saw them go back into the lead, but not for long, as a fine effort from Anthony Archer ended in the net. This was followed a minute later by our second goal from James Furlong to give us a 5 point cushion which was to last till just before the end of the game when Carrig breached our defence for a goal just at the final whistle.
Graham Archer played well in goal while sub keeper Mike Mannion brought off a fantastic penalty save in the second half. Eoin Ivers dominated the square area and Padraig Higgins, Seamus Kearney and John Ahern were the pick of the outfield players with Barry Fitzgerald and David Morrissey also working hard over the hour.
Team: Graham Archer, Pa Crowley, Eoin Ivers, Tom O'Brien, Joseph Walsh, Seamus Kearney, John Ahern, Padraig Higgins, John Paul Ivers, Barry Fitzgerald, Ian Smiddy
Daniel Moynihan, David Morrissey, Tadgh Crowley, Kevin Tattan. Subs: Martin O’Donoghue, Alan Cott, James Furlong, James Ahern, Mike Mannion, Michael Cremin, Anthony Archer, James Ahern.

Russell Rovers 0-11 Killeagh 0-8

Our junior hurlers opened their Division 1 league campaign with a hard-earned win over Killeagh, played in dreadful weather conditions in Shanagarry on Easter Monday.
Facing the driving wind and rain into the road-end goals, our defence sextet, particularly the half-line, circled the wagons and kept Killeagh scoreless until the 14th minute while we raced into a 4 points lead, courtesy of Joe Walsh (2), Kevin Hartnett and Kevin Tattan. With Seamus Kearney and Kevin Hartnett working hard at midfield, it was tit for tat for the remainder of the half with John Ahern and Joe Walsh adding further points to put us 0-6 to 0-3 ahead at the break. A feature of the first half from a Rovers point of view was the performance of young Barry O’Keeffe who showed he has the hurling and strength to mix it at junior level.
With the spoils being shared equally in the second period, 5 points apiece, it was notable that both teams appeared to play better against the elements than with them. Aided by the wind, we began to pump in too many high balls which made it difficult for our full-forward trio to win clean possession. Joe Walsh took his tally to 7 points which was an excellent return considering the conditions while the best score of the game came from the stick of John Ahern from away out on the wing. A few of Walsh’s points came from frees which were won by others but nevertheless a bigger contribution on the scoreboard is required from other players. Paudie Higgins gave his usual masterful display at fullback with good support from Anthony Archer and Patrick Crowley. Mattie Fitzgerald and John Paul Ivers showed good early season form and Barry Fitzgerald put in a high work-rate in what is probably his best position at wing-forward.
Team: Eoin Ivers, Anthony Archer, Paudie Higgins, Patrick Crowley; Mattie Fitzgerald, John Paul Ivers, Barry O’Keeffe; Kevin Hartnett, Seamus Kearney; John Ahern, Joe Walsh, Barry Fitzgerald; Kevin Tattan, Ian Smiddy, Daniel Moynihan.
Subs: Brendan Kearney, Alan Cott, Tadgh Crowley, Michael Cremin, James Ahern, Chris Scanlon, Tom O’Brien, Martin O’Donoghue.

Bride Rovers 2-9 Russell Rovers 0-2

This U-21B football championship semi-final tie, played in Ahavine last Saturday, will not linger in the memory for too long and will go down as one of our worst championship defeats for quite some time. After a good win over Cloyne the previous Saturday when we could muster only one sub, we travelled to Ahavine knowing that two of our top players were out through injury, plus two other absentees, so there was always the risk of not being able to field a full team and that is how it transpired. We had 13 players initially before Sean Walsh togged out to make it 14. To make matters worse, we found ourselves playing against a strong wind in the opening half and while we were only 3 points in arrears after 20 minutes, the flood-gates then began to open. The half-time score was 2-6 to 0-1 with our point coming from Vincent Walsh. We had the benefit of the wind after the break but the game was really over as a contest. One of our injured players, Daniel Moynihan, had to make a brief appearance at the start of the second half to comply with the rule and was replaced a few minutes later by late arrival John Paul Walsh. However, we were back to 14 men soon afterwards when Patrick Crowley was very harshly dismissed on a second yellow card for what can only be described as an extremely innocuous offence compared to many unpunished hefty challenges during the course of the game. We limited Bride Rovers to just 3 points in the second period while we could only manage a single point from a free by Luke Cullinane.
None of the players who lined out can be blamed for our exit from this competition. They gave it their all, particularly Kevin Tattan, Anthony Walsh, the Crowleys and Aherns, etc. In other circumstances the result might have been different.

Team: Graham Archer; James Walsh, Patrick Crowley, James Ahern; Anthony Walsh, Tadgh Crowley, Barry O’Keeffe; John Burke, Vincent Walsh; Kevin Tattan, James Furlong John Ahern, Sean Walsh, Luke Cullinane, Daniel Moynihan.
Sub: John Paul Walsh for Daniel Moynihan.

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Russell Rovers U-21’s triumph over neighbours Cloyne

Russell Rovers 2-9 Cloyne 2-5

The old adage that it’s never over until the fat lady sings was never more true than in Cloyne last Saturday evening when our U-21 footballers snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. We trailed the home side for most of the game until Anthony Walsh fired over a magnificent lead point two minutes from the end of normal time and then the drama began to unfold. With time running out Luke Cullinane was clearly dragged
to the ground but no free was given. Cloyne cleared their lines, broke down field and were awarded a penalty at the other end. As the ball nestled in the back of our net from the resultant spotter, it looked like curtains for Rovers but the fat lady had yet to sing and what a sweet song it turned out to be. We won the kick-out and set up one more attack. The ball broke to James Furlong who neatly volleyed it into the corner of the Cloyne net to restore our one point advantage. Less than one minute later Luke Cullinane repeated the dose in similar fashion to give us a well-merited victory over our fellow parishioners for the second year in succession.
The game was spoiled somewhat by a cross-field wind but even allowing for same, both sides were guilty of wayward shooting at the far goals. Three Daniel Moynihan points from frees and one from play by Mikie Walsh kept us in touch in the first half. Luke Cullinane was unlucky not to goal midway in this half when he rattled the Cloyne bar from a Kevin Tattan cross. At the other end a speculative lob in the 19th minute appeared to be going over for a point but suddenly dipped under the crossbar to deceive keeper Graham Archer. Cloyne deservedly led at the break by 1-5 to 0-4.
It could have been game, set and match four minutes into the second half when Graham Archer brought off an outstanding save to deny Cloyne what seemed like a certain goal, having earlier made some fine saves in the opening period. Following that scare we settled down and began to whittle away at Cloyne’s lead with points from Moynihan (free), Vincent Walsh, John Ahern and two beauties from Anthony Walsh while we kept Cloyne scoreless until that penalty in the 30th minute. There were some fine performances from this young Rovers side, most notably from Patrick and Tadgh Crowley in the pivotal defensive positions and Alan Cott and Barry O’Keeffe on the wings. Mikie Walsh and John Ahern broke even at midfield while Daniel Moynihan, Anthony Walsh and Kevin Tattan combined well in the forwards along with the hard-working James Furlong on the forty.
Apart from the foul on Luke Cullinane near the end, referee James Bermingham handled the game well.

Team: Graham Archer; Chris Scanlon, Patrick Crowley, Vincent Walsh; Alan Cott, Tadgh Crowley, Barry O’Keeffe; Mikie Walsh, John Ahern; Anthony Walsh, James Furlong, Daniel Moynihan; Kevin Tattan, Luke Cullinane, James Ahern.
Sub: James Walsh.