From Evening Echo 22nd September 2021

White’s Cross have qualified for the quarter finals of the BCE Consulting Engineers Seandun Junior B Hurling Championship as they saw off the challenge of Bishopstown in their second round encounter.

With the elements in their favour in the opening half, White’s Cross scored all their goals on the opening 15 minutes while Bishopstown who played most of the second half with 14 players out-scored White’s Cross by five points to three.

Bishopstown were denied a late goal as three goal bound shots following a 65 rebounded off the White’s Cross defence with time almost up.

A pointed free by Brian Coffey and a point from play by Bert Lane gave Bishopstown a two-point advantage before David Hyde drilled home a goal for White’s Cross from the corner of the square.

David O’Brien levelled matters with a point following the puckout but Ronan Aherne scored two further goals to give White’s Cross a commanding lead by the first water break.

Wayward puckouts were proving very costly for Bishopstown in the second quarter as Aherne, Hyde and Seamus Reid each tagged on unanswered points.

Dave Breen and Coffey replied with points from play approaching the interval as White’s Cross held a half-time lead of 3 -04 to 0-06.

Bishopstown raised their game for the second half as O’Brien pointed a free withing two minutes of the restart before they lost Lane to a straight red card.

O’Brien pointed a further free and Cian O’Donoghue added a point from play for Bishopstown to reduce the deficit to four points at the second half water break. In the final quarter O’Brien traded points with Fiachra O’Connell. Coffey pointed a free for Bishopstown before Aherne responded with two points deep into stoppage time.

White’s Cross: Daniel Dunphy, Cormac O’Flynn, Derek O’Connor, Richie Sherlock, Cathal Quinlan, Martin Reid, Seamus Quinlan, Dan O’Sullivan, Max Philpott, Seamus Reid (0-01), Conor Docherty, Sean O’Neill (0-01), David Hyde (1 -01), Ronan Aherne (2-03),  Sean O’Donnell Subs  Sean O’Gorman for Seamus Quinlan (43) Fiachra O’Connell  (0-01) for Sean O’Donnell (HT) Fergal Reid for for Dan O’Sullivan (57)

Bishopstown E Joyce, P Kennedy, M O’Donoghue,  C Nolan, F O’Murchu, C O’Donoghue, C Breen, B Coffey, T O’Donovan, A McCarthy, B Lane, D Guinee, R McDonnell, D O’Brien, D Valentine Subs J Crowley for Breen, I Kielu for McCarthy,  S Curtin for Nolan (all H/T) B Whitley for Kennedy (45) B O’Connor for Guinee (60 mins)