Sludds hat-trick crucial
A SEVEN-MINUTE Kevin Sludds hat-trick helped Crossabeg-Ballymurn ease clear to claim the All-County Hurling League Division 6 title in St. Patrick’s Park on Friday.
Craanford picked off some nice scores and were fully deserving of their 0-5 to 0-3 lead with 22 minutes on the clock. Yet, once Sludds cracked his opening major past Andrew Tighe to give the Wexford District men their first lead of the tie, there was no looking back.
The beauty of Sludds’ treble lies in the fact that none of them were easy, soft goals. The first was an absolute rocket from way out in the left corner after a superb run and feed by Glen Murphy.
Just seconds later the Crossabeg-Ballymurn hot-shot cut inside from Liam Kehoe’s pass and, with plenty to do, drove another rasping finish into the top corner from just outside the ’20.
To emphasise the fact that his arsenal didn’t just contain power-finishes, Sludds then deftly glanced Dylan Ring’s line ball to the net from the edge of the square.
That third major game Crossabeg-Ballymurn a 3-3 to 0-7 interval lead. Craanford had raced into an early advantage courtesy of points by Martin Doyle, Gary Keating and Cian O’Toole. However, their opponents came back to level at 0-3 apiece.
A quick take and finish by Ger Lyons helped Craanford move two points ahead again, but their advantage disappeared amidst the Sludds super-show. Indeed, it could have been worse, as he had the ball in the net again three minutes after the re-start but it was adjudged to have gone wide before he cut back and finished.
The Wexford District side maintained their five-point interval lead until Sludds noched a pair of points back-to-back in the 41st minute. Craanford, who didn’t score in the third quarter, pegged two points back through Keating and Mick Sinnott.
At this point, trailing by 3-5 to 0-9, the Gorey District side needed to find the net but a period of pressure came to nothing as their opponents defended admirably. Luke Redmond’s 56th-minute point broke a resolute Craanford, and points from Liam Kehoe and Colm Jackman followed in injury-time as Crossabeg-Ballymurn took the league title.
Crossabeg-Ballymurn: Noel Scallan; Daithí Redmond (joint capt.), Paul Larrissy, David Scallan; Michael Eviston, Paul Roche, Michael Doyle; Robert Byrne, Martin Redmond; Darragh Cummins, Liam Kehoe (joint capt., 0-2 frees), Glen Murphy (0-1); Dylan Ring, Emmett Kehoe, Kevin Sludds (3-3). Subs. - Luke Redmond (0-1) for E. Kehoe (44), Shane Conroy for Murphy (53), Eoin O’Connor for Doyle (55), Colm Jackman (0-1) for Cummins (60), Stephen Dempsey for Redmond (60), also Shane O’Rourke, David Kehoe, Mark Campbell, Conor Barlow, Shane Whelan, James Grannell, James Kehoe.
Craanford: Andrew Tighe; Joe Sinnott, Jack Kenny, Pat Lancaster; Michael Lancaster, Peter Shortle, Ger Lyons (0-2); Gary Keating (capt., 0-2 frees), Pat Kenny; John Lancaster, Calvin O’Toole (0-1), Mick Sinnott (0-1); Bob Flynn, Martin Doyle (0-1), Cian O’Toole (0-2). Subs. - Seán Byrne for Sinnott (31), Thomas Furlong for P. Kenny (53), Martin Kenny for Flynn (59), also Seán Lyons, Hugh Kenny, Mick Shortle, Mike Morrissey, William Doyle, James Byrne, Brendan Fox, Peter Kavanagh.
Referee: Jack Stafford (Clongeen).