Gorey in command
Clinical performance secures title
GOREY C.S. HEYWOOD C.S. 4-10 1-5
CLINICAL AND composed from the start, Gorey Community School looked the part as they comfortably overcame Heywood Community School from Ballinakill to clinch the Top Oil South Leinster Schools Junior hurling ‘B’ championship title in a cold but sunny and dry Netwatch Carlow Training Centre in Fenagh on Friday.
The team, well prepared by Michael Morris and Rory McCarthy, had first use of the wind and utilised it to the full as they surged into a 3-6 to 0-3 interval lead.
And on the re-start they showed that the elements had little or nothing to do with that big advantage, as they were simply the better side all over the field.
Indeed, as if to underline that view, Gorey outscored their Laois rivals by 1-4 to 1-2 in the second period despite the increased pressure faced by their backs with the wind against them.
Heywood led just the once when Cian O’Shaughnessy pointed in the second minute, but goalscoring machine Caellum Travers-Devlin was about to pounce for the first time.
He was put in the clear by a lovely pass into open space from Joe Burke, and the number 14 calmly picked his spot in the far corner of the net with a low drive across Heywood netminder Robert Corkish.
The initial response was strong from Ballinakill as points from Fionán Mahony and free-taker Aaron Brennan brought them level.
However, they didn’t score again in the first-half from the sixth minute onwards, with Gorey really finding their feet to hit an unanswered 2-6 and occupy the driving seat.
Cian Molloy made it third time lucky from a placed ball after two earlier misses, and their second goal followed in the eleventh minute.
This time Travers-Devlin intercepted a defender’s handpass and raced into the exact same position as his first goal before hitting a carbon copy finish which put Gorey clear by 2-1 to 0-3.
The full-forward added a point via the crossbar from a Cathal Stokes delivery, while a further brace of Molloy frees were sandwiched by a score from lively wing-forward Joe Curtis.
There was more than a touch of good fortune about the third Gorey goal in the 22nd minute. Molloy won a Heywood puck-out in the middle third and re-directed it towards the posts, with a fumble by netminder Corkish ensuring the ball ended in the net (3-5 to 0-3).
The prolific Caellum Travers-Devlin widened the gap to twelve points by half-time, although Heywood didn’t help their cause with three late wides, the latter two from frees. In addition, Gorey wing-back Darragh Byrne did well to block an attempt on goal by Cathal O’Shaughnessy.
The loss of defender David Meleady to injury in the 27th minute forced a re-shuffle, with Jack Doran moving to corner-back and Joe Burke forming a new midfield partnership with Darragh Levingston.
Cian Molloy came out to the ’40 for the second-half, and an early Heywood threat from a long free was dealt with by Ben Morris at the expense of a ’65 which Michael Kelly knocked over.
The Laois side’s mentors sensed this might be the start of a recovery, but their hopes were dashed after Cathal O’Shaughnessy’s batted goal from a rightwing Kelly delivery in the 35th minute was correctly ruled out for a square infringement.
And if any lingering doubts remained regarding Gorey’s superiority, they were well and truly put to bed just over 60 seconds later when Caellum Travers-Devlin controlled a Kyle Moore centre with some excellent stickwork before lashing home his third goal (4-6 to 0-4).
Team captain Eamon Doran followed immediately with a fine solo point, while Moore joined the list of Gorey scorers in the 41st minute.
There was no threat to that big lead in a pedestrian last quarter, with Cian Molloy completing the winners’ tally from a brace of frees on either side of a Michael Kelly point at the other end.
Heywood did put a slightly better look on the scoreboard when Kelly sent a stinging shot to the roof of Aaron Hall’s net in the 57th minute, but Gorey nearly added a fifth goal before the end as substitute Pat Doyle made Robert Corkish work hard to keep out his first touch.
Gorey C.S.: Aaron Hall (Ballygarrett); Daragh Canavan (Naomh Eanna), Ben Morris (Ballinastragh Gaels), David Meleady (Buffers Alley); Darragh Byrne (St. Patrick’s), Eamon Doran (Craanford, capt., 0-1), Cathal Stokes (Naomh Eanna); Darragh Levingston (Naomh Eanna), Jack Doran (Naomh Eanna); Joe Curtis (Ballinastragh Gaels, 0-1), Joe Burke (Ballygarrett), Kyle Moore (Ballygarrett, 0-1); Cian Molloy (Naomh Eanna, 1-5, 0-5 frees), Caellum Travers-Devlin (Naomh Eanna, 3-2), Aodán Whitty (Craanford). Subs. - Caleb Byrne-Murphy (Ballinastragh Gaels) for Meleady, inj. (27), Martin O’Loughlin (Ballygarrett) for Curtis (46), Michael Cushe (Naomh Eanna) for Travers-Devlin, inj. (54), Alex Murphy (Liam Mellows) for Whitty (57), Pat Doyle (Craanford) for Moore (59), also Micheál Rowsome (St. Patrick’s), Jack Fleming (Craanford), Seán O’Hagan (Liam Mellows), Cian Browne (Naomh Eanna), Patrick D’Arcy (Ballinastragh Gaels), Jake Kinsella (Ballinastragh Gaels), Conor Gregan (Liam Mellows), Jack Fanning (Buffers Alley).
Heywood C.S.: Robert Corkish; Aaron O’Dea, Eamonn Fitzpatrick, James Whelan; Adam Broady, Daniel Brennan, Darren Phelan; Aaron Grady, Fionán Mahony (0-1); Fionn Holland, Eoin Simms, Aaron Brennan (0-1 free); Cathal O’Shaughnessy, Michael Kelly (1-2, 0-1 ’65), Cian O’Shaughnessy (01). Subs. - Aaron Walsh for A. Brennan (HT), Jamie Drury for Fitzpatrick (40).
Referee: John Hickey (Carlow).