Hurlers flying high after four wins from four

WICKLOW ROSCOMMON 0-14 0-12

WICKLOW HURLERS are the only unbeaten team in Division 3B, heading the league table with eight points from four starts.

However, their home win over Roscommon last Sunday was not a ‘scenic journey to success’ like the previous week in Donegal; rather it was achieved by digging deep and refusing to buckle.

Wicklow’s task of countering the westerner’s resolve and gutsy per-formance was not helped by the fact that many of the players were showing the effects of having played in energy-sapping Leinster League matches with their clubs just 24 hours earlier.

And the home side had to contend with two quality sharp-shooters in the Roscommon team, wing forward David Dolan and midfielder Michael Kelly who ensured that Wicklow were chasing the game for a lot of time with their quality scores, mostly from placed balls.

But if Dolan and Kelly were piling on the points for Roscommon, they were still no match for Wicklow’s centre-forward Jonathan O’Neill, playing with a fractured thumb he picked up against Donegal, who again finished up as top scorer for his team and for the game with a smashing ten points.

Wicklow took a half-time lead of 0-6 to 0-5 into the dressing rooms but Roscommon would lead by 0-11 to 0-9 at the end of the third quarter.

Jonathan O’Neill pulled another point back for Wicklow from a free on 55 minutes, Kevin Connelly immediately extended the Roscommon lead back to two. And so, the battle for supremacy raged. As two more frees sailed radar like over the Roscommon bar, Jonathan O’Neill brought Wicklow level with their opponents on 58 minutes and he restored the home side to the lead (0-13 to 0-12) on 62 minutes with a great point from a line ball to the left of goal.

Casey O’Brien introduced fresh legs to his attack. Roscommon refused to surrender. Don Hyland ensured that the visitors needed a goal to win as he landed a point for Wicklow with three minutes remaining.

Roscommon stormed the Wicklow ramparts in the dying moments and won a 20-metre free. Wing-back Shane Curley tried to blast to the net, but Graham Keogh blocked the shot with his body.

Then John Coyne’s follow-up whizzed past the wrong side of the post. Wicklow breathed a sigh of relief as the final whistle sounded.

They are now just one victory away from being sure of a place in the division final.