Martin’s finish well
ST. MARTIN’S FAYTHE HARRIERS 3-19 1-17
FREE-TAKING was the dominant factor in Taghmon on Saturday when a late Jack O’Connor goal was required before St. Martin’s finally buried the challenge of 14-man Faythe Harriers in Group A of the Pettitt’s Senior hurling championship.
It was a seventh successive win for the Piercestown and Murrintown men over their near neighbours, with the town team last tasting victory in this particular match-up in a first round knockout replay in 1998.
St. Martin’s gained revenge in the ’99 semi-final and also prevailed in ’05 (quarter-final), ’07, ’09, ’17 and ’18, and they were deserving winners here too, even though they had to work a good deal harder than in the previous weekend’s rout against St. Anne’s.
The game had an explosive start, with Joe Coleman setting up Mikey Coleman for a goal after just 16 seconds, only for the Harriers to respond exactly half a minute later when good play around midfield by Fiach Ó Crualaoich led to Conall Clancy striking high to the roof of the net.
Incredibly, the entire Harriers tally thereafter was recorded by Lee Chin, who had a strike rate of 15 from 16 frees and also added two from play for good measure.
With play stopped repeatedly for even minimal physical contact, St. Martin’s had ample chances from the placed ball too, and Joe Coleman converted eleven from twelve while adding one more wide from a ’65.
That positive response to the St. Martin’s goal filled the Harriers with confidence, and they went toe-to-toe with the favourites for the rest of the opening half and only trailed by 1-10 to 1-8 at the break.
When goalscorer Coleman departed with a calf injury in the 17th minute, St. Martin’s had the considerable luxury of being able to introduce Rory O’Connor off the bench, and he went on to contribute 1-3 from play.
The game featured 36 frees in total, with the entire second-half Harriers tally of nine points coming from Chin placed balls.
He struck his brace from play in the 17th and 24th minutes, whereas St. Martin’s had a better spread and picked off points before the break from Jack and Rory O’Connor (two apiece) along with Joe Coleman’s large haul.
Chin made it a one-point game on the re-start, only for Rory O’Connor to solo in from the left and beat fellow D.C.U. student James Henebery with an astute finish to the far corner in the 33rd minute (2-10 to 1-9).
There was an unfortunate eight-minute delay shortly after when Harriers captain Richie Kehoe sustained a serious knee injury, and this stalwart campaigner is wished a speedy recovery.
When the action resumed, the Harriers narrowed the gap to two points on a total of four separate occasions thanks to Chin’s free-taking, with St. Martin’s unable to shake them off despite responses from Joe Coleman (two from play) and Rory O’Connor.
However, with the score standing at 2-14 to 1-14, Harriers defender Colm Heffernan was dismissed for a wild swipe in possession which caught Harry O’Connor, and from that point on St. Martin’s looked more comfortable.
The goal that made sure of the win arrived in the fifth of nine added minutes when a long delivery by Daithí Waters shot up off the hurl of netminder James Henebery, with Jack O’Connor plucking the ball from under his nose before finishing to the net from close range.
St. Martin’s: Luke White; Willie Devereux (capt.), Paudie Kelly, Eoin O’Leary; Daithí Waters, Joe O’Connor, Patrick O’Connor; Mark Maloney, Michael Codd; Darren Codd, Jack O’Connor (1-2), Jake Firman; Ciarán Lyng (0-1), Joe Coleman (0-13, 11 frees), Mikey Coleman (1-0). Subs. - Rory O’Connor (1-3) for M. Coleman, inj. (17), Aaron Maddock for D. Codd (35), Conor Firman for P. O’Connor (48), Harry O’Connor for J. Firman (48), Ben Maddock for M. Codd, inj. (60+2).
Faythe Harriers: James Henebery; Cormac Byrne, Brendan Mulligan, Alex Lynch; Colm Heffernan, Richie Kehoe (capt.), Seán Banville; Lee Chin (0-17, 15 frees), Fiach Ó Crualaoich; Jim Berry, Michael Hanrahan, Conall Ó Crualaoich; Conall Clancy (1-0), John Bridges, Eoin Roche. Subs. - Dean Walsh for Kehoe, inj. (45), Danny Walsh for Banville (60+5).
Referee: Justin Heffernan (Blackwater).