A MASS brawl midway through the opening half of the showpiece clash between three in a row seeking Dr Crokes and Tralee rivals Austin Stacks, played in Tralee yesterday, marred the prospects of a classic encounter as Crokes cruised to a 1-13 to 0-8 win.

The trouble flared when Cooper was ambushed going through by a number of Stacks defenders, and when the referee appeared slow to blow for the free, players from both sides got involved in a major punch up with fights breaking out all over the pitch. Then in the 25th minute, with Stacks leading 0-6 to 0-5, former Kerry midfielder William Kirby was shown a second yellow and Stacks with 14 had no chance in the second half, against the wind and a fired up Cooper.

The 2007 champions Feale Rangers, despite the presence of Kerry stars Paul Galvin and Anthony Maher and 1-8 from Conor Cox made their exit, when Dingle just managed to hang on to reach the last four, on a 2-12 to 1-13 scoreline. Rathmore boss Liam Kearns caused a stir when he dropped former Kerry star Tom OSullivan (apparently for not training) and though OSullivan made an early entry following an injury to Colm Kelly, he was powerless to prevent Mike Frank Russell and Rangers reaching the semis on a 3-13 to 2-4 scoreline.

St Kieran’s proved too strong for a young Kenmare side, winning 1-21 to 2-12. Stunned fans at the Fitzgerald Stadium watched as former Kerry player and holder of two All-Ireland medals Paul O’Connor walked off the pitch with 10 minutes to go after a dispute with the referee.