First half strikes from Michael Kiely and Sean Whelan Barrett sent Abbeyside-Ballinacourty through to the last four of the Waterford SFC with a comfortable 2-15 to 0-8 win over Clashmore/Kinsalebeg in the Fraher Field sunshine. Patrick Hurney rolled back the years with nine points (four from play) while Willie Beresford also shone with three from play.
Two minutes in, Michael Kiely won the ball off Sam Fitzgerald and Courty capitalised. Kiely traded passes with Patrick Hurney before he billowed the roof of the net. Two goals in two games for the county hurler. Conor McCarthy nearly netted a second but Clashmore goalkeeper Jim Scanlan deflected the ball away for a 45.
Clashmore lost Cillian O'Keeffe and Paul O'Connor to injury during the first quarter. O'Connor had kicked their first point in the sixth minute. Josh Fitzgerald and Tadhg De Burca (free) narrowed the gap to two.
Four Patrick Hurney points (two frees) and two brilliant Willie Beresford efforts moved Courty five ahead entering injury time. On 34 minutes, Hurney forced a turnover and Courty counter attacked. David Montgomery fed Sean Whelan Barrett who rounded Scanlan and fired to the empty net. That green flag made it 2-7 to 0-5 at the break.
Brian O'Halloran, Declan Allen and Cian Ryan landed fine scores in the third quarter for Clashmore but seven points was as close as they got. Willie Beresford curled over his third from play while Patrick Hurney added five more to his tally.
