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Uibh Laoire Triumphs Over Bantry Blues in McCarthy Insurance PIFC
Uibh Laoire 3-18
Bantry Blues 2-12
Óg Jones inspires Uibh Laoire as Bantry stare at drop fight
Uibh Laoire are safely through to the knock-out stages of the McCarthy Insurance PIFC, and they did it with a statement win in Ballingeary on Saturday afternoon. Last year’s runners-up cut loose, Bantry Blues were left clinging to their championship status.
Two games, two wins. Having already accounted for Glanmire, Uibh Laoire now eye a possible semi-final place if they can finish the group with another victory. Bantry, beaten by Rockchapel in their opener, remain pointless and are now staring straight at the relegation play-offs.
At the heart of it all stood Cork forward Chris Óg Jones. He ran the show. He finished with 1-8, led the line with real authority and never eased off. His brother Ian and the lively Cathal Vaughan backed him up, constantly stretching a Bantry defence that never really got to grips with them.
Bantry’s task was made harder before a ball was kicked. Cork man Dara Sheedy missed out through injury, and his absence was felt in a game that crackled from the very first attack.
It took just 40 seconds for the net to bulge. Billy Sheehan forced a save from Joe Creedon, but Arthur Coakley pounced on the rebound and slammed home. Moments later, Jack Sheedy – brother of the injured Dara – swung over a point and Uibh Laoire were suddenly 1-1 to 0-0 down before they’d drawn breath.
They responded like a seasoned side. With three minutes gone, Sean O’Leary sliced open the Bantry rearguard and slipped in Ian Jones, who buried Uibh Laoire’s first goal. Points from Chris Óg and Vaughan followed, and by the fifth minute it was 1-2 apiece. Chaos, but controlled chaos from Uibh Laoire.
They smelled weakness. A minute later, Sam Pickering carved through and teed up Chris Óg for a second Uibh Laoire goal. Bantry hit back through Sheedy, only for Pickering to strike a two-pointer at the other end to keep the favourites in the ascendancy.
The scoreboard barely paused. Kevin Casey and Ruairí Deane clipped over for Bantry to make it 2-4 to 1-5 after 15 minutes. Two more from the unerring Chris Óg pushed Uibh Laoire clear again, but Sheehan and Coakley dragged Bantry back into it.
Then came a twist. With 24 minutes played, Mark Óg O’Sullivan surged forward, exchanged a neat one-two with Sean O’Leary and drilled in Bantry’s second goal. Suddenly Bantry were in front, 2-7 to 2-6. Briefly, the momentum turned.
Chris Óg levelled. Ian Jones nudged Uibh Laoire ahead again. But the half ended on Bantry’s terms, Coakley clipping over with the last kick to send the sides in locked at 2-8 each after a breathless opening period.
The restart belonged to Uibh Laoire. J Sweeney pointed to edge them back in front, and then Pickering struck again with his second two-pointer, a dagger that stretched the gap and shifted the tone of the contest.
Bantry refused to fold. Coakley and Conor Cronin hit back to keep them in touch, and on 37 minutes Uibh Laoire led 2-12 to 2-10. The game still hung in the balance.
Then it broke.
Two minutes later, Vaughan drove at goal and unleashed a shot that deflected in off a Bantry defender. It was Uibh Laoire’s third green flag, pushing them 3-12 to 2-10 ahead, and from that moment the hill for Bantry became a mountain.
They still carved out chances. Coakley went agonisingly close, twice. Arthur’s opportunity was the clearer, but both his and Kevin Coakley’s efforts flashed narrowly wide. Those misses drained belief as much as they spared Creedon.
Uibh Laoire, ruthless now, tightened the screw. Two more points from the relentless Chris Óg stretched the lead. Arthur Coakley and Paddy Cronin did respond for Bantry, but they were trading jabs against a side landing haymakers.
Ian Jones made it 3-16 to 2-12, before the man of the hour had the final say. Fittingly, Chris Óg Jones stroked over the last two points of the game to seal a 3-18 to 2-12 victory and book Uibh Laoire’s passage to the knock-out rounds.
They march on with momentum and a forward line humming with confidence. Bantry, still without a point, now face a very different question: can they summon enough fight to avoid the drop?
