Senior Hurling Championship: Bride Rovers 0-12 Midleton 1-11

Our senior hurling championship for 2004 came to an end in Ballynoe on Saturday evening, 3rd July. We were defeated by Midleton on a 1-11 to 0-12 score-line after a very close game. Defeat is always disappointing -  especially by a narrow margin, but our lads can be very proud of their efforts. For the last 18 months they’ve given the whole parish a might lift. Of course they’re shattered by this defeat but as our anthem says:

“How oft this great team by long odds got defeated,
But still their hearts were not dimmed in the fray”

Saturday evening’s game was a really tight affair. The magnificent surface in Ballynoe was conducive to top class hurling but two very close marking defences ensured that this was never going to be a high-scoring contest. ‘Tis seldom a team can win a senior hurling championship game by scoring just 1-3 from play, but that’s just what Midleton did – they hit 8 points from frees.

Barry Johnson’s impeccable striking from placed balls helped us to lead by double scores 0-6 to 0-3 after twenty minutes. Midleton however, took the initiative before the short whistle with a point and then a Ger Manley goal. This put them 1-4 to 0-6 ahead and they had shot 8 wides in the first half.

We had the perfect re-start with fabulous points from Terry Broderick, Barry Murphy and Barry Johnson to put us two in front. Midleton came onto the game more strongly after this and went a point ahead. In the 45th  minute Barry Johnson levelled the scores again. Midleton then went into a two point lead and in the last 6 minutes we fought might and main to get scores but just couldn’t raise any further flags. We had several attacks but all were cleared by the Midleton defence. The final whistle went and for the first time since July 2002 we were out of the hurling championship.

Great credit is due to all the panel, Anthony, Liam and Georgie and especially Jack Russell. Jack had taken us from the ranks of Intermediate to Senior for the first time in our club’s history. 

Team and Scorers:
D Fitzgerald, J Murphy, B Walsh, P Barry, Barry Murphy (0-1), Brian Murphy (0-1), P Walsh, P Murphy, B Johnson (0-5), D Ryan (0-2), J O’Driscoll, P O’Driscoll, R Cahill (0-2), S Ryan, T Broderick (0-1).
Subs: C O’Keeffe, B McHugh.

There was a huge following in Ballynoe and I’d say we outnumbered the Midleton fans by 2 to 1. I wouldn’t have expected anything else as this team is the best side ever produced by our club in its 76 year history. Lads of course everyone is sad at this defeat but we are all still so proud, so very proud of each and every one of you.

We’re still in the Abernethy Cup against Sarsfields in a replay of the semi final and in the Co. Senior hurling league with Castlelyons, Killeagh and Newtown to play and the Munster S.H.L. with Ballyduff (Co Kerry), and Eire Og (Co Clare) to play, so there’s plenty hurling to be done yet this season. We also have the Junior Football Championship and we should give this a right go again this year.
Everything was put in perspective for me later on Saturday night at the school reunion in Bartlemy when a man said to me that 3 years ago if someone told him that Bride Rovers would be a senior hurling team, he’d have said they’d want their head examined!