Counsel earn spot in semis
Porter, and the gap was widened to four by the tenth minute after Jamie Myler (free) split the posts before Richard Hennessy collected the kick-out and returned it over the bar with interest.
Mullingar were enjoying lots of possession but weren’t as equipped with finishers up front, although they did get off the mark in the twelfth minute through Tom Molloy.
The scorer then set up Conán O’Hara to make it 0-4 to 0-2, but Counsel were the superior side for the remainder of the half despite the long-term absence of influential midfielder Andy Walsh.
Jamie Myler sold a lovely dummy before firing over sweetly in the 20th minute, and points followed from Porter (free), Myler and Seán Nolan before Mullingar defender Ciarán Nolan pulled one back.
Nolan and Myler widened the gap to seven on the re-start, and Counsel were motoring along quite comfortably during the third quarter as a T.J. Cox point for the Westmeath side was cancelled by another Porter free.
Perhaps they needed that Mullingar goal to give them a jolt though, and it arrived in the 44th minute.
It came out of nothing, with Tom Molloy pumping in a high ball which was gathered by Conán O’Hara who twisted and turned before kicking to the net (0-11 to 1-4).
When T.J. Cox added a point it was clear that Counsel’s work wasn’t fully done just yet. The more casual approach before that goal was quickly replaced with an all-out determined effort, with the victors outscoring their rivals by a decisive 2-2 to 0-1 from the 53rd minute onwards.
Incidentally, Counsel claimed four of the game’s seven marks, two from Darragh Lyons in the firsthalf and two from Gavin Sheehan after the interval.
Their next opponents, Moate Community College, have been installed as favourites by many of the other schools in north Leinster, and they have added Galway’s Anthony Cunningham to their backroom team as a measure of their intent.
Still, the prospect of a first all-Wexford final since 1996 is a live one, with St. Peter’s set to meet Wicklow Schools on the other side of the draw in St. Patrick’s Park on Wednesday. THE Coláiste Bhride (Carnew) Senior hurling side, backboned by nine starters from Wexford clubs, were thwarted in their bid for South Leinster ‘C’ hurling success by a decent Pres De La Salle Bagenalstown side and some very uncertain officiating on Thursday at the C.O.E. in Ferns.
On a bitterly cold January day, Ballyfad’s Donnchadh McDonald, Seán Bardon and Seán Forde, Craanford’s Jack Keogh, Eoin Doyle, Jim Kenny (captain) and Paddy Doyle, and Liam Mellows’ Robbie Brooks and Chris Callanan, took to the field with their Wicklow colleagues in a side which fancied its chances of success. Askamore’s Jim Sharry and Craanford’s Alex Kelly were introduced during the game.
However, a bad start for the border school wasn’t helped by uncertainty over scores from Wexford referee Aidan Foley who was somewhat weakened by the absence of independent umpires, with four students manning the uprights for this fixture.
The Carlow students took a 0-5 to 0-2 lead into the break and 20 minutes into the second-half there was confusion over the scoreline when the referee said it was 0-7 to 0-4, but the Coláiste Bhride management and players were adamant that it was 0-7 to 0-5.
The referee, after checking his notes, changed the official score to 0-7 to 0-5 in favour of the Pres De La Salle side.
A goal from Dean Grandy brought the Carnew school right back into this battle and when the full-time whistle sounded, with many people having a 1-5 to 0-8 score, the referee informed the Coláiste Bhride contingent that they had won and major celebrations duly unfolded on the field of play.
However, the Bagenalstown side suggested strongly that it was a draw and after consideration extra-time was declared.
It was a close first-half of extra-time with the Bagenalstown side edging into a lead at 0-10 to 1-6 and, try as they might, the Carnew students just couldn’t hold their rivals in the second period as they marched on to a 0-13 to 1-8 victory, leaving the Coláiste Bhride side irate at what might have been at the end of normal time.