Martin’s motor to fine victory
Youthful team in top form
ST. MARTIN’S young outfit produced yet another excellent display as they fashioned out an eventual twelve-point victory over Glynn-Barntown in this Permanent TSB Junior hurling championship Group A game in Hollymount on Sunday.
The Piercestown men put the outcome very much beyond doubt inside the opening ten minutes, a spell in which they struck ten points, while restricting their opponents to 1-1.
Having taken such a commanding lead and controlling the game, they continued to play an excellent brand of open hurling, showing that they will be the side to beat.
Glynn-Barntown approached this game in a positive fashion with some neat attacking play, but the defence was unable to cope with the speed, skill and accuracy of the opposing attack, as they came under incessant pressure.
The accuracy of the eventual winners’ attack, both from distance and close in, proved the real difference between the sides.
The first-half saw St. Martin’s turn on the style. Within four minutes of the start they led by 0-4 to 0-1, after points from Donal Kelly, Seán Stafford (two frees) and Conor Coleman, while Shane Doyle managing a third-minute point in between for the opposition.
Glynn-Barntown received a real boost after just five minutes when, following an excellent buildup, corner-forward Jack Brazill blazed to the corner of the net for an equaliser.
But thereafter St. Martin’s assumed control, picking off points from a variety of angles and distances, with Seán Stafford, Conor Coleman, Jack Devereux and Kyle Firman all on target, leaving their side with a 0-12 to 1-1 interval lead, with Glynn-Barntown failing to score from the fifth minute onwards.
It was an unhappy first-half for Glynn-Barntown as they were totally outplayed.
They managed to show improvement on the resumption, with Aaron Kehoe picking off three pointed frees after Seán Stafford had extended his side’s lead, but they still trailed by 0-17 to 1-6 at the end of the third quarter.
The attacking approach of St. Martin’s continued for the remainder of the game, and it was only frantic defending from their opponents that denied them a goal.
Despite this, they were content to pick off their points, while at the opposite end their opponents struggled for scores and were reliant on the accurate free-taking of Aaron Kehoe.
St. Martin’s: Dylan Byrne; Jack Whelan, Philip Dempsey, Sam Audsley; Johnny Hamilton, Tony Kelly, Barry O’Connor (0-1); Ben Stafford (0-1), Adam Cantwell (0-1); Conor Coleman (0-4), Seán Stafford (0-12, 10 frees), Nicky Greene; Kyle Firman (0-1), Donal Kelly (0-1), Jack Devereux (0-2). Subs. - Zac Firman for Greene, Conor Devereux for K. Firman, Conor Kelly for Devereux, Ben Morris for D. Kelly, Shane Walsh for Cantwell.
Glynn-Barntown: Tommy Kehoe; Conor Graydon, P.J. Carley, Matthew Banville; Cormac Rowe, Shane Codd, David Roche; Shane Doyle (0-1), Pádraic Wafer; Cormac Cooney, J.J. Doyle, Aaron Kehoe (0-6, 4 frees, 1 ‘65); Ian Moran, Matthew Joyce (0-1), Jack Brazill (1-0). Sub. - Darragh Nolan for J.J. Doyle, inj.
Referee: Peter Shannon (Kilmore).