O’Connor bags four goals in two minutes

September 1981

Oulart’s burly full-forward Brendan O’Connor created some kind of record in Bellefield on Saturday evening as his side beat Duffry Rovers by 6-9 to 0-6 in their County Senior Hurling Championship quarter-final replay. He struck four goals in the space of two minutes just after the second half started, in what must the fastest ‘double brace’ ever scored on a hurling field anywhere.

It had been all to play for at half time, when Oulart/The Ballagh led by just 1-5 to 0-5 after a dour first half where there was more hacking than hurling, but O’Connor’s four-goal salvo decided the game almost as soon as the second period of play commenced.

It was tough on the Duffry, whose spirited challenge over an hour and a half up to that point (including the drawn game in Bellefield the previous Sunday) then fell apart. In the end they simply hadn’t the strength in depth to overcome being short so many players because of Oulart’s ‘hatchet men’ tactics in that drawn match.

The Rovers had to line out for the reply minus regular stalwarts Jim Cooper, Tom Kavanagh, Tom Dreelan, Donal O’Connor and John Fitzhenry because of injuries picked up in that draw match, while in the first half of Saturday evening’s replay, they also lost Aidan Kavanangh and James O’Connor to further injuries.

‘Walking wounded’ Donal O’Connor came on for James at half time but his injury meant he wasn’t up to the speed of the game and Brendan O’Connor exploited this to the full with his four goals, while he followed up with a number of points too.

The Duffry just gave up the ghost and Oulart breezed through to the semi-finals, where they will meet the Faythe Harriers.