Whitty runs riot
Cloughbawn ace gets 3-12 from play
CLOUGHBAWN NA FIANNA 4-21 1-10 BOB WHITTY gave an exhibition of score-taking as Cloughbawn ran out emphatic winners in the Enniscorthy District Under-21 hurling Roinn 1 championship semi-final in St. Patrick’s Park on Tuesday.
The full-forward helped himself to a handsome haul of 3-14, with 3-12 coming from play, to propel his side to a comfortable victory.
Cloughbawn were 1-12 to 0-8 to the good at half-time, and with the carrot of a District final appearance against local rivals Rathnure up for grabs, they pushed on emphatically after the interval.
Cloughbawn were 0-5 to 0-4 ahead after ten minutes, with Bob Whitty accounting for four points for the men in white and green and Lee Keely getting their other score.
Diarmuid Doyle (two frees), James Kelly and Mark Brennan replied for the combination outfit of Marshalstown-Castledockrell and Davidstown-Courtnacuddy, but with twelve minutes on the clock Whitty bagged the opening goal when he raced on to a good pass from Jack Somers and confidently found the back of the net.
The goal added an extra pep to the Cloughbawn step and they increased their advantage to seven points by half-time, with Whitty continuing to find the range and Shane Greene and Robert Kinsella also chipping in with points.
Diarmuid Doyle kept the scoreboard ticking over for Na Fianna by doing the needful from placed balls, but Cloughbawn again went close to raising a green flag when David Casserly saw his shot saved by Darragh Kehoe.
Na Fianna needed a bright start to the second-half, and they almost had just that when Colm Quigley got a sight of goal, but goalkeeper Seán Keating did well to block the effort.
Cloughbawn heeded the warning and they went on a scoring spurt of 1-3 in five minutes to put the contest to bed.
Two points from industrious midfielder Robert Kinsella sandwiched a Bob Whitty score, and Whitty notched his second goal on 37 minutes when the ball broke kindly for him and he rifled it to the net. Whitty was at it again a minute later when he bundled the ball over the line after his initial effort had been stopped by goalkeeper Darragh Kehoe.
David Casserly ensured Whitty didn’t have a monopoly in the goal-scoring stakes by firing home a three-pointer on 46 minutes, while Mark Kehoe did likewise for Na Fianna when he blazed a free to the back of the net.
It was fitting that Bob Whitty should complete the scoring as he majestically stroked over a long-range point with two minutes remaining to cap a wonderful individual display.
Cloughbawn: Seán Keating; Aaron Byrne, Corey Bolger, James Dempsey; Gareth Murphy, Connal Flood (0-1 free), Shane Flood; Billy Whelan, Robert Kinsella (0-3); Lee Keely (0-1), Shane Greene (0-1), Daniel Dempsey; David Casserly (1-0), Bob Whitty (3-14, 0-2 frees), Jack Somers (0-1).
Na Fianna: Darragh Kehoe; Danny Delaney, Darragh Cooper, David Brennan; Mark Morris, Adam Harte, Donal O’Shea; Mark Kehoe (1-0 free), Mark Murphy; Diarmuid Doyle (0-7 frees), Mark Kehoe, Barry Doyle; Mark Brennan (0-2), Colm Quigley, James Kelly (0-1). Subs. - Brian Ormonde for Quigley, James Farrell for D. Brennan, Michael Kehoe for M. Brennan, Michael Kinsella for Murphy, Peadar Roche for Doyle.
Referee: John Carton (Monageer-Boolavogue).