Cloughbawn to join holders in Co. final
Clash with Glynn-Barntown hard to call
UNDOUBTEDLY ONE of the biggest weekends in the local G.A.A. calendar, the hurling semi-finals are upon us with everything to play for in all grades.
With the way things have gone so far this year, there will likely be a few shocks and surprises thrown into the mix, just to spice things up further.
Wexford Park (2.30 p.m.) is the venue for Pettitt’s Senior hurling Champions Oulart-The Ballagh on Sunday as they attempt to move past another hurdle on the way to a successful defence of their crown.
What makes this a really intriguing tie is Ferns’ defensive record. Having conceded just one goal in six games to date, they are easily the most miserly of the four remaining teams when it comes to seeing their net ripple (Cloughbawn and Oulart -The Ballagh 8, Glynn-Barntown 6).
If the old saying goes that ‘goals win games’, then Ferns’ motto has to be ‘not conceding them keeps us in every match’. Of course, the goal Ferns did allow was against their semi-final opponents in the group stages, a game that ended in a six-point loss (1-22 to 1-16).
That’s the thing about Oulart-The Ballagh, they are happy to bury you under an avalanche of points and wait for the goal chances to present themselves. Look at the Gorey game in the quarters; fall behind, no panic, just keep plugging away and the scores will come.
Momentum is a beautiful thing and Ferns certainly have it. They weren’t expected to beat St. Mar- tin’s in the quarter-final but they are no mugs. They have rafts of experience in their team, guys who know how to eke out results in tight games, and they proved it in the last eight.
Will they have enough to trouble Oulart-The Ballagh? They shouldn’t on the face of it but it’s only three years since the sides met in a closely-contested county final. They won’t fear the Leinster champions but they will need to be at their best to be within a puck of the ball in injury time, like they were three weeks ago.
Overall Oulart-The Ballagh are expected to prevail by four or five points but don’t write off this Ferns side, as they have proven in both codes that they are a rugged, determined outfit that won’t allow easy passage.
Glynn-Barntown and Cloughbawn follow in the Park (4.15 p.m.). The Killurin-based side are still on course for the double and looking for their first final appearance in 13 years, losing that title decider to former kingpins Rathnure. One year earlier the Blackstairs boys beat Cloughbawn to the county title.
Now they both look to turn strong seasons into great, memorable ones. Glynn-Barntown beat Buffers Alley by a goal in the quarters but reports suggest that they were a little stronger than the narrow margin of victory.
They are the only remaining Group A team in the championship which suggests that, not only have they likely been playing slightly weaker opposition, but that their scoring total, which is the poorest of the four remaining sides, is weaker than it seems.
They do have a tendency to lean heavily on John Leacy’s frees and hope Gary Moore can pick up enough from play to get them over the line. The injury Leacy sustained in Sunday’s football win could therefore be a huge blow to them. However, like Ferns, their defence has been strong, and the importance of hanging around in games can’t be understated.
Cloughbawn are experts at it. Two of their games have been decided by a point, three have been decided by a goal, and only in their four-point success against Rathnure have they not finished within a puck of a ball of their opponents in this championship season.
They were previously flagged up as consistently registering between 15 and 19 scores a game and that continued in their quarter-final win over Rapparees. If they can match that again in the semi-final they have a fantastic chance of reaching the decider.
This will likely be their hardest task to date to keep that going. If they fall short, Glynn-Barntown have enough class and experience to find a way into the decider. This is a really tough match-up to call but Cloughbawn are chosen to just do enough to advance.
The weekend kicks off in cracking fashion too, with The Courtyard Ferns Intermediate hurling semi-finals taking place in Wexford Park on Saturday. Vying for favouritism are neighbours Crossabeg-Ballymurn and Oylegate-Glenbrien and they meet with a 1 p.m. throw-in.
It’s hardly surprising that the bookies are struggling to split these two.
The Wexford District side needed extra-time to see off Rathgarogue-Cushinstown in the last eight but are slowly picking up injuries to key players.
Oylegate-Glenbrien looked to be struggling against tough opponents in the Shamrocks until the Enniscorthy side lost the plot and went down to 13 men. They do look supremely fit but Saturday’s opponents only got stronger as their last eight clash progressed too.
All in all this is setup to be a ding-dong battle. Crossabeg-Ballymurn are given the nod by the tightest of margins but it would be no surprise to see the result going the other way.
Two clubs which had massively different routes to the last four are Craanford and Adamstown. Having seen all four quarter-finals, Ballygarrett looked the best team in the knockout stages until collapsing in their game with the ‘Ford.
The victors deserve the credit for that turnaround, as it simply didn’t look possible with 15 minutes to go. There is absolutely no reason why they can’t put in a similarly gritty performance and make the decider.
Adamstown’s quarter-final with Monageer-Boolavogue was a really tough game to watch. Neither team played particularly well. The New Ross District men looked to be suffering a little hangover from their football tribulations and maybe they needed a game to get it out of their system.
Despite their underlying talent, it’s hard to pick a team that looked that inhibited to win next time out. Craanford are selected to keep their dream alive for another week by grinding down an Adamstown side which better be ready for a battle. TOM Doyle Supplies SFC semi-finals: Glynn-Barntown 2-12, St. Martin’s 0-9; Gusserane 0-9, Castletown 0-6.
Ashdown Park/Amber Springs Hotels IFC semi-finals: Taghmon-Camross 0-7, Ferns St. Aidan’s 0-7; Bannow-Ballymitty 2-5, Ballyhogue 0-11.
Joyces Expert IAFC semi-finals: Duffry Rovers 3-9, Craanford 1-4; Cloughbawn 0-12, Crossabeg-Ballymurn 2-6.
Enniscorthy Farm Systems JFC semi-finals: Monageer-Boolavogue 1-6, Rathgarogue-Cushinstown 1-5; Shamrocks 1-2, Oylegate-Glenbrien 1-2 (abandoned due to weather conditions).
Enniscorthy Farm Systems JAFC semi-finals: St. Martin’s 3-8, Gusserane 0-5; HWH-Bunclody 5-18, St. Anne’s 1-3.
Enniscorthy Farm Systems JBFC semi-final: Crossabeg-Ballymurn 3-4, Fethard 1-10.
Top Oil Leinster Schools Junior ‘A’ hurling (Fr. Cosgrave Cup): St. Kieran’s (Kilkenny) 2-28, St. Peter’s (Wexford) 0-11.
SAT. OCT. 1 AT INNOVATE WEXFORD PARK: The Courtyard Ferns IHC semi-final, Oylegate-Glenbrien v. Crossabeg-Ballymurn, 1 p.m. (Gearóid McGrath).
2.45 p.m. - The Courtyard Ferns IHC semi-final, Adamstown v. Craan- ford (Dan Crosby).
AT NEW ROSS: Top Oil IAHC semi-final, St. James’ v. Duffry Rovers, 1 p.m. (Barry Redmond).
2.30 p.m. - Top Oil IAHC semi-final, Taghmon-Camross v. Fethard (Pat Kehoe)..
AT BELLEFIELD: JAHC semi-final, Monageer-Boolavogue v. Kilmore, 1 p.m. (Eddie O’Sullivan).
2.30 p.m. - JAHC semi-final, Cloughbawn v. Glynn-Barntown (Pádraig Byrne).
AT HOLLYMOUNT: Lidl Leinster ladies’ football Senior club championship, Shelmalier v. Sarsfields (Laois), 2.30 p.m.
SUN. OCT. 2 AT TAGHMON: JHC semi-final, Shelmaliers v. Rapparees, 12 noon (John Tobin).
1.30 p.m. - JHC semi-final, Gusserane v. Bannow-Ballymitty (David O’Leary).
AT INNOVATE WEXFORD PARK: Pettitt’s SHC semi-final, Oulart-The Ballagh v. Ferns St. Aidan’s, 2.30 p.m. (Niall McDonald).
4.15 p.m. - Pettitt’s SHC semi-final, Glynn-Barntown v. Cloughbawn (John Carton).
AT TAGOAT: Wexford District JBHC final, St. Anne’s v. Blackwater, 11 a.m. (James Flood).
AT FETHARD: Lidl Leinster ladies’ football Junior club championship, Fethard St. Mogue’s v. Carrickedmond (Longford), time TBA.