REDS END ON HIGH
Monageer lads on way to last eight
MONAGEER-BOOLAVOGUE all but assured themselves of a quarter-final place in the Wexford People Minor hurling Roinn 1 championship with victory in Ferns on Tuesday.
With the game deadlocked at 1-10 apiece, and just two minutes of normal time remaining, the visitors finished with four points in a row to move to four wins from their first five Group A games.
The Monageer-Boolavogue sprint to success came at the end of a high-octane battle between two evenly-matched sides.
For 58 minutes they sparred, often cancelling each other out as star names matched up against influential performers.
Easy shots were a no-no in this tie. That’s the main explanation for the 32 combined wides (18 for Monageer-Boolavogue) thrown in with the 26 scores.
Nothing came easily but that’s to be expected between two clubs who both have the potential to go on a run to the title.
Despite two early Eoin Murphy points, Monageer-Boolavogue opened up a lead at the end of the first quarter (1-3 to 0-3).
The difference between the sides at that point was David Mernagh’s classy low finish after good build-up work by Diarmuid Fenlon and Cathal Walsh.
However, their next score came when Páuric Walsh pointed in the fifth minute of added-time, by which time Ferns had done enough to earn parity at the break courtesy of four Chris Turner points and another fine long-range score from Eoin Murphy (0-7 to 1-4).
The hosts took their second lead following a Turner free two minutes after the interval, but four raised white flags in a row, with Fenlon (two), Lee McHale and Cathal Walsh on target, saw the momentum change momentarily.
Just a minute after he added his sixth point, Chris Turner collected from Jeff Tobin’s handpass and fired a deflected shot past Art Sinnott to again give Ferns the lead.
Just three points were scored between the 41st and 59th minutes but Fenlon’s brace drew his side level (1-10 each).
Colm McGannon, one of eight of this side in the Monageer-Boolavogue Under-21 team which beat Duffry Rovers in the Enniscorthy District Roinn 1 championship the previous week, picked up his second yellow card with five minutes remaining.
However, the blow galvanised the visitors who took the lead when Noel Rowsome nailed a booming effort and rubber-stamped the win with points from Fenlon (two) and Páuric Walsh in added-time.
Monageer-Boolavogue: Art Sinnott; Michael Gahan, Shay Gahan, Seán O’Leary; Noel Rowsome (0-1), Robert Donnelly, John McWey; Ian Hawkins, Colm McGannon; Ciarán Rochford, Diarmuid Fenlon (0-9, 6 frees), Páuric Walsh (0-2); Lee McHale (0-1), Cathal Walsh (0-1), David Mernagh (1-0). Subs. - Aaron Breslin for McWey (31), also Daire Walsh, Matthew Rochford, Seán Luch, Ciarán Roche, Carl Rowsome, Mark Kearns.
Ferns St. Aidan’s: Conor Jordan; John Power, Patrick O’Hagan, Seán Fortune; Willie Bolger, Conor Scallan, Shane Stafford; Eoin Murphy (0-3, 1 free), Brian O’Neill; Rory Scallan, Niall Murphy, Jeff Tobin; Jordan Ryan, Chris Turner (1-7, 0-6 frees), Stephen Warren. Subs. - Eoghan Murphy for Ryan (58), Michael O’Brien for Stafford (60+2), also Kevin Stfford, Jack Ryan, Liam Murphy.
Referee: Seán O’Brien (Naomh Eanna).