Ballymurn up and running
C’BEG-B’MURN 3-13 DUFFRY ROVERS 0-6
CROSSABEG-BALLYMURN grabbed their first win of the Amber Springs/Ashdown Park Hotels Intermediate football championship with a confident display over Duffry Rovers in this one-sided Group B tie in St. Patrick’s Park on Friday.
The 2017 Intermediate ‘A’ champions were by far the better side in this gloomy encounter, with some key performances from a number of players, but none more so than Paddy Devereux who put in a stellar display at midfield.
The ball seemed to be glued to the talented performer whose aerial prowess and ability to burst forward went a long way towards giving his side the edge over a struggling Duffry Rovers.
And, with Sam Kelly and Pádraig Foley ever-dangerous in the forward division, Crossabeg-Ballymurn could well pose problems for other teams further down the line.
The eventual winners meant business right from the start as they kicked four early points before their opponents got a look-in, with Cormac O’Rourke adding to points from Devereux, Kelly and Foley.
The Duffry just didn’t seem to be coping as well with the greasy conditions but were off the mark thanks to two tidy kicks from Stephen Watchorn.
What followed turned out to be a crucial period. Firstly, Paddy Devereux stormed forward for a well-taken point, before his side’s tactic of dropping balls on top of Pádraig Foley eventually paid off, as the inter-county hurler fisted a high delivery to the net midway through the half.
Niall Beggan’s minor in reply did little for the Duffry’s hopes as Jack Fortune, Sam Kelly and Devereux concluded the scoring in the opening half to give their side a hefty eight-point lead.
If Duffry Rovers were to have any hope of troubling their opponents, they needed a good start to the new half and, cruelly for them, it was Crossabeg-Ballymurn who were quickest off the mark, putting any hopes of a comeback to bed with an Andy Butler goal within a minute of the re-start.
This was really the final nail in the coffin and the game became a matter of seeing out the allotted time, with the eventual winners running up a 15-point lead.
O’Rourke traded scores with Cian Fitzhenry before Niall Beggan did so with Sam Kelly on two occasions, with the latter now putting in a consummate display at centre-forward.
Further points from Kelly and Mark Byrne were added to by a late goal from substitute Conor Gormley to torture Duffry Rovers who have now shipped two losses, with Crossabeg-Ballymurn making it one win from two.
Crossabeg-Ballymurn: Ben Turner; Martin Redmond, Oisín Foley, Seamus Carroll; Jack Fortune (0-1), Bill Eviston, Conor Devereux; Paddy Devereux (0-3), Davy Kehoe; Cian Lambert, Sam Kelly (0-5, 2 frees), Cormac O’Rourke (0-2); Andy Butler (1-0), Pádraig Foley (1-1), Mark O’Connor. Subs. - Mark Byrne (0-1) for O’Connor (48), Matty Sludds for Butler (52), Conor Gormley (1-0) for Carroll (55).
Duffry Rovers: Bobby Larkin; Jamie Roban, Thomas Dunne, Liam Pender; John Dunne, Conor Jordan, Craig Casey; Ted O’Brien, Tim Bowler; Glenn Rafter, Johnny Flynn-O’Connor, Robert Frayne; Niall Beggan (0-3, 2 frees), Stephen Watchorn (0-2, 1 free), Cian Fitzhenry (0-1). Subs. - Alan Doyle for Watchorn (HT), Seamus Doyle for Rafter (40), Colm Redmond for T. Dunne (52).
Referee: Brendan Martin (Ballyhogue).