Good win for Counsel
AN IMPRESSIVE 2-11 from the inside forwards was too hot for St. Peter’s to handle as Good Counsel wrapped up the Top Oil Leinster Post Primary Schools Junior ‘A’ hurling shield in Taghmon recently.
The New Ross school registered all 2-15 of their scores from play and that damning statistic, tied in with the super scoring of the inside forwards, suggests that maybe their opponents were a little too conservative in the tackle.
Yet, Good Counsel have a set of classy operators. With nine Wexford and six Kilkenny lads in their starting 15, the Super Blues boast a great blend of talent. They restricted St. Peter’s to just three points from play and simply excelled all over the park in this very impressive show.
Seán O’Connor, who ended with seven points for his school, started the proceedings with the only scores of the opening quarter as Good Counsel built a 0-4 to nil lead after the first 15 minutes.
Garbhan McCormack forced Ben Walsh into a smart save and was involved again a short time later, along with David Pettit, as Ross Banville opened the Summerhill boys’ account.
It proved only momentary respite though as Jason Byrne’s point was followed by a clinical finish to the net by A.J. Redmond from an acute angle on the right of goal after some hesitancy in the St. Peter’s defence.
O’Connor put his side 1-6 to 0-1 ahead but two late Banville dead balls did give his school some life going in at the break when they trailed by six.
Hopes were further raised by scores from McCormack and Banville within two minutes of the resumption (1-6 to 0-5), but it proved to be merely a false dawn as Jason Byrne pounced, after great work at right half-back by Seán Phelan, to net again for the New Ross boys.
Pádraig Dempsey’s point was countered by Banville, while Conall Ó Crualaoich also got on the scoresheet for St. Peter’s.
However, the final quarter was nothing more than a procession of scores as Seán O’Connor, Jamie Sheehan, Jason Byrne and Micheál O’Connor shared some lovely points between them on the way to wrapping up the shield.
Good Counsel: Ben Walsh; Richard Aylward, Jack Kehoe, Cameron O’Leary; Seán Phelan, Pádraig Bailey, Seán Cosgrave; Pádraig Dempsey (0-1), Micheál O’Connor (0-2); Mark Kehoe, Jamie Sheehan (0-1), Dylan Morrissey; Seán O’Connor (0-7), A.J. Redmond (1-0), Jason Byrne (1-4). Subs. - Rónán Moore for Kehoe (52), James Elliott for Dempsey (52), Donal Porter for Aylward, inj. (53), Bill Dempsey for S. O’Connor (55), Darragh Roche for Sheehan (58).
St. Peter’s: Jack Waters; Ryan Furlong, Sam Audsley, Cillian Gahan; Peter Rowley, Billy Dunne, Aaron Cullen; Josh O’Connor, Shane Walsh; Garbhan McCormack (01), Ross Banville (0-6, 3 frees, 1 ‘65), Conall Ó Crualaoich (0-1); Conall Clancy, David Pettit, Patrick O’Connor. Subs. - Conor Devereux for P. O’Connor (31), Tomás Murphy for McCormack (38), Barry Ryan for J. O’Connor (41), Conor J. Ryan for Walsh (44), Conor Stafford for Furlong (49), Zac Firman for Cullen (50).
Referee: Pat Moran (Laois).