'Twenty good minutes in the second half won us the game' says CBC selector Ken O'Halloran
To The Trench, Tackle Looking Jack John Rory Cork Cbc, Baptist Hanly,
CBC were happy to stamp their ticket for January hurling as 10 points from Eoghan O'Shea maintained their perfect Harty Cup start and secured a bye to the quarter-finals.
The Ballinhassig marksman arrowed over six from play but his side had to battle all the way against previously unbeaten John The Baptist CS.
Goals in either half from Michael Brosnan and Cillian Murray proved the vital scores for the Group 1 table-toppers.
“For 20 minutes of the second half, it was some of the toughest, hardest, and best hurling we’ve played in the group so far. It was just about enough in the end,” said CBC selector Ken O’Halloran.
“I don’t know is it the same in other counties but we’ve a lot of fellas with club activity recently, even up to this week. Last night, there was under-21 games. There’s going to be under-21 games in football at the weekend.
“In fairness to some of our lads, they’re playing three championship games a week at the moment with junior and all that.
“It allows us a bit of breathing space to get the lads to finish off whatever club is left, rest, and then build it back up again for a quarter-final.”
The Hospital school were left with a nervous wait to determine their progression but once it became clear Scoil na Tríonóide Naofa, Doon, weren’t going to put 20 points on Rice College, Ennis, their preliminary quarter-final berth was safe.
The teams went score-for-score for the first eight points with four different players registering for John The Baptist (Diarmaid Hurley, Michael Hanly, Cian McNamara, and Hugh Flanagan) and three for Christians (two O'Shea frees, Michael Quill, and Ross Buckley).
John The Baptist got on top of the Christians puck-outs and threaded four points in a row, with Griffin McCaffrey scoring one and setting up two more.
The midfielder almost got in for a goal too when left unmarked in the opposition half but Keith Flood saved his batted effort.
The difference was that when Christians' chance came, they left with the three-pointer. Murray's strike was blocked by Shane Treacy but Brosnan was on hand to rifle home the rebound; 0-8 to 1-4.
Good points from joint-captain Ben Mayer and O'Shea (0-2, 1 free) pushed them back ahead before Flood bailed out his teammates with a sharp double save from Hurley and Hanly.
John The Baptist looked likely to lead into the break after three in a row from Declan Heavey (free), Rory Hanly, and Flanagan but O'Shea closed with a fine brace to leave the sides level, 1-10 to 0-13, at half-time.
John The Baptist had an impressive nine different scorers in the first half and they continued to look dangerous on the resumption.
Half-time substitute Evan Martin had a shot on goal blocked and although Andy Hourigan nudged Christians ahead, the Limerick school had the next three from Jamie O'Shea, Hurley, and Charlie Cronin.
The game turned on Murray's 38th-minute scramble to the net after Jack Hegarty's rocket was saved by Tiernan Ryan. That made it 2-11 to 0-16 and Christians tagged on the next three points from Eoghan O'Shea (0-2, 1 free) and Brosnan to open a four-point gap.
John The Baptist hit back with Cronin and Jamie O'Shea's third points of the day but Eoghan O'Shea responded before substitute Sam O'Driscoll split the posts with his first touch.
Another Hospital rally led by McCaffrey and Flanagan (free) was rebuffed with Denis Riordan, O'Shea, and Jack Trench extending the difference to five.
John The Baptist kept plugging away with three Flanagan frees to set up a tense finish. A Flanagan hook created a stoppage-time goal chance for Conor Shanahan but Flood stood tall to maintain his clean sheet and CBC's victory.
E O'Shea (0-10, 4 frees); M Brosnan (1-1); C Murray (1-0); A Hourigan (0-2); D Riordan, R Buckley, B Mayer, M Quill, J Trench, S O'Driscoll (0-1 each).
H Flanagan (0-7, 4 frees, 1 65); J O'Shea, D Hurley, C Cronin (0-3 each); D Heavey (2 frees), G McCaffrey (0-2 each); R Hanly, C McNamara, M Hanly (0-1 each).
K Flood (Ballygarvan); J Huggins (Sarsfields, j-capt), D Riordan (Kilworth), D Kingston (Mallow); C Connolly (Glen Rovers), R Higgins (Sarsfields), R Buckley (Whitechurch); J Hegarty (Ballinora), A Hourigan (Mallow); M Quill (Blackrock), E O'Shea (Ballinhassig), B Mayer (Ballinora, j-capt); J Trench (Ballinora), C Murray (Bishopstown), M Brosnan (Glen Rovers).
S O'Driscoll (Aghada) for Murray (49), C Lawton (Midleton) for Quill (54).
T Ryan (Garryspillane); N McNamara (Pallasgreen), S Treacy (Staker Wallace), A Gleeson (Hospital-Herbertstown); S O'Dea (Hospital-Herbertstown), D Heavey (Garryspillane), R Hanly (Ballybricken-Bohermore); G McCaffrey (Hospital-Herbertstown), C McNamara (Hospital-Herbertstown); C Cronin (Bruff), H Flanagan (Garryspillane, capt), D Hurley (Hospital-Herbertstown); S Ryan (Ballybricken-Bohermore), M Hanly (Ballybricken-Bohermore), J O'Shea (Garryspillane).
E Martin (Caherline) for S Ryan (h-t), K Hennessy (Hospital-Herbertstown) for Gleeson (52), C Shanahan (Bruff) for M Hanly (54), P Hennessy (Bruff) for N McNamara (58, inj).
D Hickey (Millstreet).