Laurence Burke and John A Mulcahy were quite content with how their charges had been playing throughout the 2011 league campaign. The league table showed them in third place, having lost only one game (and drawn another). Equally pleasing would be the fact that their side had inflicted defeats upon the two sides ahead of them in the league, St. Finbarrs and Lough Rovers, the only defeat either had tasted.
However Lar and John A know only too well that league performances don’t always translate into championship success, as this side has been always very competitive in their league campaigns in other seasons, but have tasted defeat in their opening rounds of this straight knock-out championship in 2010 and 2009. The fact that it was the league leaders they were facing, and going into the clash short injured key-men Jonathan Kenneally and Martin Kelleher, made this tie all the more daunting.
Seven minutes into the game their fears must have been put-to-bed as they found their side leading on a most unlikely scoreline of 3-0 to 0-1! Each of the full-forward line of Damien Murphy, Alfie McEvoy and Conor Kelleher had rattled the Barrs net, and when midfielder Cormac Manning, ghosted in for a fourth after 17 minutes this game looked over as a contest. While it seemed the Cross had no problems but the ball under the bar, the opposite was true when it came to putting it over. At half time one point was all that was converted of many efforts. However at the opposite end the Barrs were not much more successful when it came to point scoring as the Cross led at the break 4-1 to 1-2.
The second thirty minutes were equivalent to the latter quarter of the first half for the Cross, as their forward sextet found it impossible to kick any more scores. Manning did kick a point but the Cross took on an increasingly defensive tactic, and decided to hold onto what they had. The Barrs could not break down the White’s Cross rear-guard as Don O Regan, Padraig Murnane, Richie Sherlock and Colm Keane repelled their attacks time and again. White’s Cross won out on the end by 4-2 to 1-7. Lar and John A will be hoping that the great performance by their side will continue a lot longer than 7 minutes next day out!
Team: Don O Regan, Richie Sherlock, Padraig Murnane, George Osborne, Derek O Connor, Brian Humphreys, Colm Keane, Cormac Manning (1-1), Kevin Fennessy, Barry Harnedy, Michael Osborne, Seamus Glynn, Damien Murphy (1-0), Alfie McEvoy (c) (1-0), Conor Kelleher (1-1, 0-1 free). Subs used: Darragh Keane for Murphy (48 mins), Barry Murphy for Osborne (48 mins), Ian Lee for Kelleher (inj 55 mins), Jonathan Scanlon for C Keane (inj 60 mins).