Bunclody blitzed
Johnstown run riot in Junior ‘B’ final
THERE WAS disappointment for F.C.J. (Bunclody) on Thursday as they came up short in their bid to claim the Top Oil South Leinster Post Primary Schools Junior ‘B’ hurling championship title in the Eire Og grounds, Carlow.
There will be no excuses offered by the Wexford school after this defeat, as they simply came up against a Scoil Mhuire side which boasted hard-working, talented hurlers all over the field.
An example of their superiority is shown by the scoring tally. Every starting forward registered at least two scores for the Johnstown school, with both midfielders also getting on the scoresheet in an impressive display.
Things might have been a little closer had Bunclody played with the stiff breeze in the opening half. Gusting straight down the field, Scoil Mhuire made the most of it and their opponents looked completely demoralised at the interval when they trailed by 4-11 to 0-1.
With the wind at their backs, F.C.J. showed in patches what they could accomplish. They had runs of four and three points in a row in the second-half, and had they got those before the break and started to build confidence, they may well have kept the score closer.
As it was, Scoil Mhuire did the basics really well and quickly built a lead. It was 0-1 each after Ciarán Regan pointed a free, but Johnstown rattled off 4-10 to end the half with John Doheny, Michael Monaghan, Darragh Queally and Jim O’Connor all netting.
Regan scored the first point of the second-half but Queally was on target again as Scoil Mhuire moved 5-14 to 0-2 up. Free-taker Regan added a third but Evan Kelly-Landers responded with another major.
As the final quarter started, Bunclody got a bit of a run going. Regan registered twice more while Tiernan Fitzhenry and Tommy Lampaert-Atkinson also flighted over nice points (6-14 to 0-7).
O’Connor added two more Johnstown goals and Declan Kileen majored seconds after entering the fray.
To their credit, Bunclody battled right to the final whistle and scored the final three points. Callum Fischer, who came closest to netting for his side, as well as Jake Moorhead and Regan, tapped over late points to push their school into double digits.
F.C.J. (Bunclody): Derry Mahon (HWH-Bunclody); Barry Murphy (Ferns St. Aidan’s), Fionn McCaffrey (Burren Rangers), Conor O’Toole (Ferns St. Aidan’s); Páraic Hayden (Askamore), Lorcan Doyle (Burren Rangers), Barry O’Toole (Ferns St. Aidan’s); Ciarán Regan (HWH-Bunclody, capt., 0-6, 3 frees), Brian Stafford (Ferns St. Aidan’s); Tommy Lampaert-Atkinson (HWH-Bunclody, 0-1), Jake Moorhead (Askamore, 0-1), Oisín Ó Ceallaigh (HWH-Bunclody); Tiernan Fitzhenry (Duffry Rovers, 0-1), Callum Fischer (Burren Rangers, 0-1), Eoin McDonnell (HWH-Bunclody). Subs. (unused) - Evan Murphy (Ferns St. Aidan’s), Alan Murphy (St. Patrick’s), George Warren (Ferns St. Aidan’s), Tomás Kirwan (Askamore), Conor Sinnott (Duffry Rovers), Ian Blake (Duffry Rovers), Brian Murphy (St. Patrick’s), Aaron Smith (Duffry Rovers), Adam Somers (Marshalstown-Castledockrell), William Kenny (Askamore), Ben Martin (HWH-Bunclody), Evan O’Connor (Duffry Rovers), David Kinsella (Marshalstown-Castledockrell), Cathal O’Gorman (Duffry Rovers), Gavin Roban (Duffry Rovers), Evan Williamson (Davidstown-Courtnacuddy), Ciarán Doyle (Duffry Rovers), Darragh Farrell (HWH-Bunclody), James Doyle (St. Patrick’s), Ciarán Whiting (HWH-Bunclody), James Kinsella (Ferns St. Aidan’s), David Bolger (Ferns St. Aidan’s).
Scoil Mhuire (Johnstown): Robert Gleeson; Tomás Sharkey, Jack Grace, Tiernach Doheny; Mark McCarthy, Mark Donnelly (capt.), Cody Comerford; James Duggan (0-1), Oisín Cleary (0-2); John Doheny (1-6, 0-2 frees), Conor Delaney (0-3), Michael Monaghan (1-1); Darragh Queally (2-0), Jim O’Connor (3-0), Evan Kelly-Landers (1-2). Subs. - Ben Dunphy for McCarthy (36), William Cahill for Cleary (46), Pádraig O’Grady for Comerford (51), Declan Kileen (1-0) for O’Connor (55).
Referee: Pat Moran (Laois).