Strong second-half sends hurlers into league final
SECOND-HALF dominance put the Wexford Senior hurlers firmly on course to a 4-18 to 1-12 win over Antrim in their final Allianz League Division 2 group game in Wexford Park on April 18, 2010.
The outcome ensured a place in the final against Clare, with the team hoping to go one better than the loss at the same stage to Offaly twelve months earlier.
The outcome was settled within ten minutes of the second-half against the northerners, as a scoring burst of 1-4 without reply left Wexford in firm command.
Antrim didn’t register again until the 60th minute, and by that stage Colm Bonnar’s charges were in cruise control.
The hosts made a bright start, with their opening goal arriving in the tenth minute when a delivery by Peter Atkinson was helped to the net by Rory Jacob for a 1-5 to 0-2 lead.
However, Neil McManus hammered a free past Noel Carton and Antrim drew level, with their good spell continuing as they tacked on some points to go in at the break 1-9 to 1-6 clear.
Wexford needed to respond fast, and they did so with some aplomb as the half-back line of Richie Kehoe, Ciarán Kenny and Malachy Travers stepped up to the mark.
They were level within a minute as Peter Atkinson finished to the net when Antrim netminder Chris O’Connell had trouble in dealing with a probing ball from Diarmuid Lyng.
And when Atkinson powered home once more from a tight angle, leaving Wexford well in the clear by 3-12 to 1-9 after 52 minutes, home supporters could finally afford to relax.
Rory Jacob added the fourth goal, and there was a healthy winning margin of 15 points by the finish.
Wexford: Noel Carton; Laurence Prendergast, Keith Rossiter, Eoin Doyle; Richie Kehoe, Ciarán Kenny, Malachy Travers; Mark Molloy, Colm Farrell; Andrew Shore, Eoin Quigley (St. Martin’s), Diarmuid Lyng; Rory Jacob, Stephen Banville, Peter Atkinson. Subs. - Tomás Waters for Quigley (43), Michael Jacob for Banville (54), Harry Kehoe for Molloy (56), Pat Kenny for Shore (61), Eoin Quigley (Rapparees) for Kehoe (64).