Doyle goal the difference
M’TOWN-C’RELL 1-14 FAYTHE HARRIERS 0-13
DIARMUID DOYLE struck the crucial blow, less than a minute into the second-half, as Marshalstown-Castledockrell got their Permanent TSB Junior hurling championship Group B campaign back on track in Monageer on Sunday.
The Enniscorthy District side led by a point at the break (0-8 to 0-7) having played with the helping breeze in the first-half. And when they badly needed a major fillip, it was the pacy Doyle who provided it.
It came from Colm Bennett’s long ball, as Doyle broke onto it but still had plenty to do.
There was more than one shout of ‘take your point’ from the sideline but Doyle had other ideas, as he worked his yard of space and drilled it high past Adam McDaid.
Initially, this started like a typical Junior hurling game. Faythe Harriers had four wides and a Glen Murphy-Butler point on the board in the first eight minutes, while Jack O’Leary, Cillian Gahan and Tomás Campbell all added scores as the half moved on.
Marshalstown-Castledockrell were always playing catch-up in that spell. They swatted six wides themselves but every time the Harriers moved clear, Eoin Bennett responded.
That ended with Diarmaid Doyle’s first point that gave them a 0-5 to 0-4 lead.
It was 0-8 to 0-6 after Frank Kelly tapped over from close range, but Murphy-Butler got his third of the period to leave the minimum between the sides at the interval.
After Doyle netted within a minute of the re-start, he raised a white flag to increase the gap to five (1-9 to 0-7).
Murphy-Butler was on target with two third quarter frees, but the Marshalstown-Castledockrell advantage swelled to a gamehigh six when Mick Morris got his name on the scoresheet in the 45th minute.
The Harriers did rally. After Murphy-Butler nabbed his sixth, David Gouldson notched a brace to leave a goal between the sides (1-12 to 0-12) heading into the last nine minutes.
Yet, they managed just one more point as another Eoin Bennett brace saw Marshalstown-Castledockrell over the finish line with four points to spare.
Marshalstown-Castledockrell: Mark Quigley; Ken Doyle, David O’Connor, Mick Hughes; Tomás Bennett, Colm Bennett, Johnny Frayne; Jack Quigley (capt.), Eoin Bennett (0-10, 8 frees); Barry Doyle, Mick Morris (0-1), Diarmuid Doyle (1-2); James Finn, Frank Kelly (0-1), Michael Kinsella. Subs. - Colm Quigley for F. Kelly (39), Joe Kelly for T. Bennett (60).
Faythe Harriers: Adam McDaid; Jake Clancy, Emmet Keeling, Cillian Lawlor; Dáire Reville, Ciarán Kirwan, Ross Lynch; Cillian Gahan (0-2), David Gouldson (0-2); Ryan Furlong, Shane Howard, Tomás Campbell (0-1); Conor Kehoe, Jack O’Leary (0-1), Glen Murphy-Butler (capt., 0-7, 4 frees, 1 ‘65). Subs. - Chris Glover for Furlong, inj. (33), Paddy Glover for Campbell (50).
Referee: Matty Kinnaird (Rapparees).