Underdogs edge through
FIERY AND dramatic entertainment was served up on a breezy August evening as underdogs HWH-Bunclody won their local derby Greenstar Under-20 hurling Division 2 championship semi-final with Rathnure on Tuesday by the minimum margin.
Tempers boiled over a couple of times during an hour of always competitive hurling but referee John Carton kept the red card in his wallet, contenting himself with showing a couple of yellows to each side.
And in the end it was a case of ‘A Man Called Horse’ (anyone else remember the 1970 movie?), as Edward ‘Horse’ Dunbar decided the feisty fixture in favour of the visitors to Rathnure by knocking in a couple of second-half goals.
The black-and-amber started the brighter despite playing into the westerly wind, with points from James Tobin and Seán O’Connor to set their ball rolling.
However, Martin O’Connor broke the Bunclody duck after seven minutes of play and from there on they proved more than a match for the hillsiders.
With midfielder Eoin Kelly - who was immense throughout - landing the frees and young corner-forward Cathal Doyle also picking off scores, they gradually pulled ahead.
When target man Dunbar came deep to collect his first point of the evening, they moved two to the good and they were still one up at 0-7 to 0-6 at the break.
Rathnure levelled promptly on the resumption when Seán O’Connor teed up Rory Higgins with a neat back pass and the breeze appeared to be giving them a lift.
When Thomas Furlong gleefully accepted the goal-scoring chance set up for him by James Tobin, it appeared that a place in the final was theirs for the taking.
Instead, the crowd was treated to the sight of Horse galloping in from the left touchline to cancel out Furlong’s major by hitting the net behind Kyle Martin.
As the Rathnure scoring mysteriously slowed to a trickle, Dunbar struck again as Martin was caught in possession by the bustling full-forward.
The advantage extended to four points entering the closing ten minutes and, though Higgins collected his fourth and fifth scores of the evening, with the free-taking O’Connor and centre-half Cathal O’Connor also joining in, Bunclody just about held their nerve.
The victors - who will meet Hollow Rovers in the final in St. Patrick’s Park on Wednesday - had key men in Kelly and the older Dunbar but the lesser lights also shone when it counted.
For the losers, though the poor form affecting the club’s Senior side appeared to infect the Under-20s’ confidence, they had more than capable hurlers in the likes of Cathal O’Connor in defence and his brother Seán top of the right.
HWH-Bunclody: Brandon Kavanagh; Jamie Kavanagh, Josh Martin, Martin O’Connor (0-1); Tadhg Kelly, John Dunne, John McCormack; Eoin Kelly (0-5 frees); Jack Regan, Eddie Black, Lee Levingstone (0-1); Cathal Doyle (0-2), Edward Dunbar (2-2), Cathal Dunbar. Subs. - Stephen Kavanagh for Regan (45), Peadair Cowman for C. Dunbar (57).
Rathnure: Kyle Martin; Eoghan Byrne, Donal McGahan, Philip Redmond; Cameron O’Leary, Cathal O’Connor (0-1), Dylan Hogan; Michael Martin, Micheál O’Connor; Ben Ronan, Rory Higgins (0-4), Thomas Furlong (1-0); Seán O’Connor (0-7, 4 frees), James Tobin (0-1), Stephen Martin.
Referee: John Carton (Monageer-Boolavogue).