Newmarket footballers exited the Premier Intermediate Football Championship after a titanic battle against Bantry Blues.

Newmarket started the game brightly and led 0-2 to 0-00 after ten minutes with Daniel Culloty and Conor O’Keeffe on target from place balls. However momentum began to swing in Bantry’s favour and they registered 1-4 without reply to led 1-4 to 0-2 after 19 minutes. Gavin Forde managed to stop the rot with a fine effort. Bantry dominated the middle of the field in the first half and registered a further 5 points without response to led 1-9 to 0-3 points at the break.
Newmarket looked like a different team in the second half to the one that had finished the first. Culloty, O’Keeffe and Barry O’Connor who raised a green flag dragged Newmarket back in the game. After 40 minutes the sides were now level on a score line of 1-09 each. Bantry managed to regain the lead by scoring the next two points. Aidan Browne responded for Newmarket before Bantry again pulled two clear. Daniel Culloty kicked a great score and followed with a free in the 60th minute to ensure the sides finished level and headed for extra time on a score line of 1-12 each.

Bantry Blues scored the first point after a minute in the first period. A crucial incident occurred after two minutes in extra time when Kevin O’Sullivan was controversially sent off after he received a black card following a yellow he received in the opening 60 minutes. Bantry seized the intiative and scored two more points. Tony O’Keeffe replied for Newmarket which meant Bantry leaded by two entering after the first period of extra time. Both team only managed a solitary point in extra time which was enough to for Bantry to win. The final score line read Newmarket 1-14 Bantry 1-16

The Newmarket team and scorers…

Daniel Culloty (0-06), Barry O’Connor (1-01), Conor O’Keeffe (0-03), John Ryan (0-01), Gavin Forde (0-01), Aidan Browne(0-01), Tony O’Keeffe (0-01)

David Quinlan
Jack Guiney		Brian O’Riordan		John Ryan
Gavin Forde		Bart Daly		Aidan Browne
	Alan Ryan		T. J. Brosnan
Donal Hannon		Daniel Culloty		Kevin O'Sullivan
Conor O'Keeffe		Tony O'Keeffe		Barry O'Connor
Subs: Darren O’Keeffe, Tim Murphy