When Ned Heskin led out the Bride Rovers Intermediate team to play Blarney in the Intermediate championship at Riverstown on Sunday May 2nd. 1937 few in the large crowd could have anticipated that 66 years would elapse before the teams would meet again in a similar fixture ,ach sin sceil eile!

The weather was fine enough on Sunday in the lead up to the game and despite the heavy rain overnight the Felix Sarsfield Memorial pitch was in perfect condition. Before the match we suffered a severe setback when Pat Walsh had to cry off and he was replaced in the team by Mike Hogan. We played down to the main road in the first half, against a stiffish breeze. We had a tonic start with a first minute point from Terry Broderick. Despite the Blarney keeper’s huge puck-outs our defence, especially the half-back line of James & Barry Murphy & Brendan Walsh were well in control early on. Two pointed frees from Barry Hazlewood in the fourth and sixth minutes gave us a great lead against the strengthening wind. We suffered a further set back at this stage when Mike Hogan was forced to leave the field with a leg injury and was replaced by Barry Johnson. A Blarney point from a free opened their account in the eight minute but Barry pointed a 65 four minutes later to leave it 0-4 to 0-1. Jerome O'Driscoll had a great goal chance saved and cleared. The ball came upfield and in a twinkling Blarney had a goal to level the scores. With their tails up Blarney went a point ahead but Jerome tied up the scores in the twentieth minute,0-5 to 1-2. We missed a number of good chances after that. By now rain was falling which made conditions difficult for hurling. Both sides had two further points before the break, our white flags coming from Barry Hazelwood,one from play and one from a free just on the stroke of half time to leave it level at the short whistle. 

Despite the fact that we had played against the breeze we really should have had a lead of three or four points. Blarney had very little possession but were still level so they were the happier team at the interval.

We had a tonic start to the second half with Terry Broderick pointing to restore our lead in the first minute. With the assistance of the breeze we now piled on the pressure but a succession of wides left Blarney off the hook. There was no further score until the 14th minute when Barry Hazlewood put over a free after Sean Ryan was brought down. Six minutes later a similar score gave us a three point lead 0-10 to 1-4. A great point from Padraig Murphy edged us four ahead. Then in the 24th minute Blarney got a point – their first score of the half. We missed several opportunities to go further ahead. Then with just three minutes left Blarney got a goal, against the run of play and the scores were level at 0-11 to 2-5. From a position of control we were now just hanging on. Barry restored our lead by pointing a free from a very acute angle and with the time almost up Barry put us two points ahead. 

We were now in injury time. From the puck out Blarney attacked and got the ball down near our goal. The backs defeated strongly but to our amazement the ref awarded Blarney a 21 metre free slightly to the left of the goal. In Davy Fitzgerald and Damien Fitzhenry style, the Blarney ‘keeper Byrne made the long journey the length of the field. With his team two points behind he had to go for a goal. He did but thankfully his bullet-like shot was saved and the final whistle sounded much to our relief.

We could have won easily and yet we could have been beaten by the last puck of the game. Well done lads on a determined, gritty display of honest to goodness hurling. We know that we will have to improve a lot but at least now we will have time to train.

When the sides last met in Riverstown 66 years ago the Blarney side led by 2-0 to 0-4 at half time and won easily in the end by 6-2 to 1-4. The Rovers team that day was Tom Heskin, Ned Heskin Capt., Michael Cranitch, Con Collins, Dave Hogan, Bill Murphy, Tommy Collins, Jimmy Ryan, Mossy Collins, Patie Collins, Ml O’Brien, Jim Murphy, Jimmy O’Brien, Joe Healy Jack Barry.