Under-20 football semi abandoned as result of injury
CASTLETOWN DUNBRODY GAELS 2-10 2-5
ABANDONED AFTER 43 MINS. ENSURING AN injured player received the best possible care and attention was correctly deemed more important than football in Horeswood on Saturday when the Greenstar Under-20 Division 2 championship semi-final between Dunbrody Gaels and Castletown was abandoned by referee David Jenkins after 13 minutes of second-half action.
The visitors were leading by five points when St. James’ teenager Owen Whitty, a county Minor hurler earlier this year, was on the receiving end of a high tackle as he made tracks for goal, resulting in a heavy fall.
There was immediate concern for his well-being, and thankfully an ambulance arrived promptly from New Ross, just 20 minutes after the incident.
The player was assessed and tended to for a further 20 minutes before being removed to hospital, and he is wished a speedy recovery.
Prior to the game being abandoned, a straight red card was shown to Castletown defender Ross Cody, along with a yellow to Dunbrody’s Danny Byrne for his reaction to the challenge on Whitty.
The north county side were shaping up as the more likely winners before the action drew to a halt, even though they hadn’t played in the competition since July 11.
Eleven of the 16 players used on Saturday had featured in last December’s Under-21 Premier ‘B’ final loss to Starlights, and they had trained diligently since their Senior and Junior teams exited at the quarter- and semi-final stages respectively.
This togetherness showed in their slick attacking play in particular, and they were full value for an interval lead of 1-7 to 1-2.
The margin hadn’t changed by the time of the premature ending, and there was concern for the watching Horeswood supporters too when Jamie Myler, a star forward on their Intermediate team, was forced off after 26 minutes through injury.
His right hamstring was well strapped, but a tightness meant that he hobbled to the sideline which wasn’t a good sign with the Leinster semi-final away to Shamrocks (Offaly) down for decision next Saturday.
Myler looked fine in the early stages, replying to an opening point from the impressive Robbie Brooks with a brace at the other end, the second from play.
However, Dunbrody Gaels didn’t score again for 21 minutes, and in that period Castletown drove on as midfielders Rory Heffernan and Liam Coleman laid a solid platform which gave their attack the chance to shine.
Their opening goal was a classy seventh-minute high finish by Robbie Brooks across the body of netminder Aaron Mythen after a one-two with Coleman, and they were never headed thereafter (1-1 to 0-2).
Darragh Brooks then came into his own, reeling off the next five points including two frees, while Robbie was only denied a second goal by a superb Mythen save at the start of the second quarter.
Dunbrody needed a lifeline, and it arrived in the 26th minute when Tommy Walsh shot low and left-footed to the net from an Owen Whitty pass (1-6 to 1-2).
Frankie Kavanagh kicked the last point of the half to leave Castletown clear by five, and the sides shared the first four scores on the re-start.
Jamie Doyle split the posts twice for the leaders, with Tommy Walsh and Seán Nolan responding, but the gap stretched to eight points in the 38th minute when a Robbie Brooks delivery broke off Frankie Kavanagh into the path of Shane Halpin who rolled the ball to the net (2-9 to 1-4).
The response from Dunbrody was immediate, with substitute James Walsh getting on the end of a long ball from the right and guiding it home from close range.
Shane Halpin and Seán Nolan (free) went on to swap points before Owen Whitty sustained his unfortunate injury.
With Horeswood in action next Saturday, the earliest possible date for the re-fixture will be the weekend of December 1-2.
However, the victors from this game would have been waiting a while to learn their final opponents one way or the other.
The last quarter-final between Kilanerin and Munna Abbáin won’t be played until December 1-2 at the earliest, because the same teams are due to meet first in the replayed Under-20 Division 3 hurling decider this coming weekend.
Forth and Bargy Gaels await the outcome of that football tie, with their semi-final likely to go ahead on the week ending December 9, followed by the final seven or eight days later.
In Division 1, HWH-Bunclody will meet either St. Martin’s or Sarsfields in the final.
Castletown: Seán Harte; Michael Fenlon, Killian Pierce, Eoin Cullen; Cian Bealin, Frank Roche (capt.), Ross Cody; Rory Heffernan, Liam Coleman; Oisín Condren, Robbie Brooks (1-1), Jamie Doyle (0-2); Darragh Brooks (0-5, 2 frees), Frankie Kavanagh (0-1), Shane Halpin (1-1). Sub. - Martin Doyle for Bealin (37).
Dunbrody Gaels: Aaron Mythen; Nigel Dunne-Sheriff, Eamonn O’Sullivan, Dean Roberts; Cathal Mernagh, Darragh Lyons, David Murphy; Danny Byrne, James Fitzgerald; Seán Nolan (capt., 0-2, 1 free), Tommy Walsh (11), Owen Whitty; Jack Kehoe, Jamie Myler (0-2, 1 free), Dylan Whitty. Subs. - Barry Walsh-Howlin for Myler, inj. (26), James Walsh (1-0) for D. Whitty (HT), John Chapman for O. Whitty, inj. (43).
Referee: David Jenkins (Gusserane).