Horeswood’s first success
Alley overcome with ease
HORESWOOD BUFFERS ALLEY
HORESWOOD GOT their first win on the board in Group A of the Permanent TSB Junior hurling championship in emphatic fashion when sweeping aside the challenge of Buffers Alley in Hollymount on Sunday.
Not everything looked rosy for the New Ross District men when the sides were deadlocked at six points apiece after 17 minutes, as they were playing with the aid of a strong breeze in the first-half.
However, they eventually found their groove to build up a 1-11 to 0-6 advantage by the interval and played some clever, composed hurling against the elements in the second-half to put Buffers Alley to the sword.
Horeswood may have looked sluggish in the opening quarter, but Declan Murphy was certainly the exception to that rule as he accounted for all six of their points in the early stages.
Owen Dempsey replied with a hat-trick of points for the north county outfit, with Keith Burke (two) and John Furlong also finding the range.
Aidan O’Brien’s charges needed a big finish to the half and they produced when it mattered, scoring 1-5 without reply to give themselves an eight-point buffer at the break.
Danny Byrne, Dylan Whitty, Declan Murphy, Michael O’Hanlon (free) and Seán Nolan all split the posts, with the irrepressible Murphy bursting through the defence and planting the ball in the back of the net in injury time to rub salt into the Buffers Alley wounds.
Horeswood had the green flag waving again inside two minutes of the re-start, when Seán Stafford gathered a long delivery from Barry Hearn and fired a shot past goalkeeper Tony Doran.
Moments later Conor Kenny pulled a point back for Buffers Alley but the wind was well and truly taken out of their sails on 39 minutes when Declan Murphy ran forward with menace and picked out Seán Nolan, who arrowed a shot to the corner of the net (3-11 to 0-7).
There was no way back for Buffers Alley, although Keith Burke did bag a late consolation goal when his free squirmed its way through a sea of bodies on the Horeswood line.
Things went from bad to worse for the Alley when Walter Gahan was shown a red card late on and Horeswood wrapped up a handsome victory with points from Leigh O’Brien and substitute Ivan Kehoe.
Horeswood: Michael O’Hanlon (0-1 free); Eamonn O’Sullivan, Shane O’Hanlon, Gavin Murphy; Mossy Kent, Barry Hearn, David Murphy; Danny Byrne (0-1), David Larkin; Seán Stafford (1-1), Leigh O’Brien (0-1), Declan Murphy (1-9, 0-4 frees); Dylan Whitty (0-1), Eoin Murphy, Seán Nolan (1-2). Subs. - Ivan Kehoe (0-1) for E. Murphy, Damien Hearn for Kent.
Buffers Alley: Tony Doran; Matty Cardiff, Alan Doyle, Colm Og Doran; Paudie Kinsella, Paudie Reidy, Conor Kenny (0-1); Aaron Redmond, James Foley (0-1); Walter Gahan, Domhnall McArdle, Owen Dempsey (0-4, 2 frees); Jim Hughes, Keith Burke (1-2, 1-0 free), John Furlong (0-1). Subs. - Thomas Dempsey for Kenny, Eoin Whelan for Hughes.
Referee: Paddy Brady (Ballygarrett).