Kavanagh shines for Carnew
John leads charge in Junior B victory over Bray
CARNEW EMMETS BRAY EMMETS 0-14 1-05
CARNEW EMMETS produced a strong display under lights in Ballinakill last Friday night to see off the Bray Emmets challenge and claim the Junior B hurling championship honours for 2017.
Key to the win for the Wexford border men were the performances of several players. Diarmuid Doran at full-back was a rock for the majority of the evening with the tenacious pair of Enda Foley and Mikey Osborne in the corner. Thomas Collins at centre-half back was his usual steady self while Daire Foley and Paul Nolan enjoyed a very positive evening at midfield.
But it was the half-forward line who excelled for Carnew. A workmanlike showing from John Walshe complimented the attacking prowess of John Kavanagh and Jody Byrne with the pair amassing nine points between them on the night.
Inside, Garry Doran had a right old battle with Jim Doyle on the edge of the square while Ian Clancy and Joe Hughes soldiered hard all night. The bench was also a big help for the eventual victors, with Jonathan Smyth and Cormac ‘Mop’ Doyle making appearances and scoring points at key moments.
Bray’s Jackie Napier was on hand to present the cup at the end of the battle and before handing it over to Carnew captain Diarmuid Doran he lamented the fact that the game wasn’t played in daylight. This was a very valid point and the addition of a fence around the pitch would also have been a major plus in terms of showing the competition a bit more respect.
Nevertheless, a small gather- ing of supporters gathered on the well-lit pitch in Ballinakill for what turned out to be an interesting affair for the most part.
The exchanges were tight and keenly contested in the opening quarter with the sides level at 0-02 apiece after 15. Carnew’s John Kavanagh and midfielder Daire Foley grabbing the scores for their side while Bray’s Willie Robinson popped over two frees for the Bray men.
Kavanagh and Ian Clancy pushed Carnew out to a 0-04 to 0-02 lead but Bray received a major boost after 20 minutes when a long ball from Michael Walsh wasn’t dealt with by the Carnew full-back line and full-forward Brian Duggan was on hand to lash home to the back of the net.
Five battling minutes passed before Carnew got their next score, that from Jody Byrne on the run, to level matters once again. Carnew finished the half strong with excellent points from John Kavanagh and substitute Jonathan Smyth.
A Jody Byrne effort after the restart was answered by a pointed free from Bray’s Willie Robinson but Carnew produced a fine scoring spurt where they harvested three vital points in a matter of minutes from the hurls of Jody Byrne, Ian Clancy and John Kavanagh to make it 0-11 to 1-03 after eight minutes of the second half.
Two pointed frees closed out the Bray scoring by the 17th minute on either side of a Jody Byrne free and the loss of Conor O’Doherty to a second yellow card.
Carnew pushed on with a fine point from substitute Cormac ‘Mop’ Doyle who showed nimble feet and dainty hands to gather and sweep a breaking ball over the bar while the last score of the game came from the impressive Jody Byrne to seal victory for the Carnew men. Bray were reduced to 13 at the death when Jim Doyle received a red card arising out of an incident on the sideline. Carnew’s Mikey Osborne picked up a yellow from the same incident from referee Paul Porter.
It was an unfortunate end to a decent battle but it didn’t take from the celebrations as Diarmuid Doran accepted the Junior B cup for 2017 under the night sky in Ballinakill.
Carnew Emmets: Patrick Doyle; Enda Foley, Diarmuid Doran, Mickey Osborne; Richard O’Hara, Thomas Collins, Wayne Brennan; Daire Foley, Paul Nolan; John Walshe, John Kavanagh, Jody Byrne; Ian Clancy, Garry Doran, Joe Hughes. Subs: Jonathan Smyth for W Brennan, Cormac Doyle for J Smyth, John Joe Myers for G Doran, Patrick Nolan for JJ Myers (inj).
Bray Emmets: Barry Cowan; Danny Eglington, Jim Doyle, Martin Ryan; Cillian Molloy, Michael Walsh, Shane Anders; Colin Salmon, Conor O’Doherty; Luke O’Reilly, Willie Robinson, Con Benville; John Ward, Brian Duggan, Eoin Duffy. Subs: Enda Molloy for E Duffy, Alan Sweeney for M Ryan, Robert Mason for J Ward.
Referee: Paul Porter (Avoca)