Holland sends Rochestown surging into quarter-finals
'One group is considerably stronger than the other in Round 1'
St Francis College, Rochestown topped Group C as James Holland's goal gave them a 1-8 to 0-6 win over CBS HS Clonmel at Mourneabbey.
Clonmel had already qualified for the quarter-finals but needed a win to secure top spot, while Rochestown knew a slip-up could allow St Fachtna's to overtake them.
Holland's goal helped the to lead 1-5 to 0-4 at half-time, though, and they were always in control, with Shane Kingston, Ciaran Cormack and sub Kevin O'Donovan among the points.
That result meant that the other game in the group was ultimately meaningless, St Fachtna's beating West Limerick Colleges 3-11 to 2-6.
Patrick Bohane's goal helped Fachtna's lead 1-5 to 0-3 at half-time, but Jack O'Donoghue and Keith Shanahan netted for West Limerick in the second half to keep them in touch. Stephen Leonard's goal kept Skibb to stay ahead and Tom Bushe rounded off the win.
IS Killorglin came from seven points down early in the second half to overcome Coláiste Críost Rí in the three-team Group D, which Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne had already won.
Netted
When Shane Hannigan netted for Críost Rí soon after the restart, the Cork city school led by 2-5 to 0-4, with Conor Dennehy having goaled in the first half.
However, Killorglin managed to score three goals in quick succession, from Kieran Brosnan, Patrick Daly and Calum Teahan. Ian O'Callaghan did net a penalty for Criost Ri but Daly got three late points for Killorglin to send them through.
Clonakilty CC topped Group A as they beat Tralee CBS 4-7 to 1-9 at Clondrohid. Goals in the first 10 minutes from Ross Mannix and David Lowney helped Clon to lead 2-4 to 0-5 at half-time, and Mannix got two more in the closing stages.
Tralee also qualify, however, as DLS Macroom beat Coláiste Choilm by 0-10 to 0-9 to extinguish the Ballincollig school's hopes of progressing.
Coláiste Choilm led by 0-8 to 0-5 with nine minutes left but four Joe Ryan points and one from Alan Quinn turned it round.
In Group B, Mike Foley got the goal as St Brendan's finished the group stages as the only side apart from Corca Dhuibhne to have a 100pc record, beating Coláiste na Sceilge 1-14 to 2-6.
Foley's strike early in the second half was crucial as the sides had been level, 0-7 to 1-4, at half-time. David Clifford, Ronan Buckley and Liam Kearney featured among the Killarney school's point-scorers.
In the other game in that group, between the two already-eliminated sides, St Flannan's beat Mercy Mounthawk of Tralee by 3-8 to 1-13.
