Doheny strike earns replay
Adamstown and Crossabeg-Ballymurn to meet again
CROSSABEG-B’MURN 0-11 ADAMSTOWN 0-11
THIS WAS all about pride as two teams battled for glory, but a superb Vinny Doheny point salvaged a dramatic draw for Adamstown as they reeled in Crossabeg-Ballymurn in this excellent Permanent TSB Junior ‘B’ hurling championship final in Oylegate on Sunday.
Both sides deserve huge credit for the hurling served up in front of a fine attendance, with the result going right down to the wire. While both teams enjoyed period of supremacy, perhaps a draw was a fair result in the end as the contestants deserved a second opportunity to decide the eventual destination of the title.
Understandably, the game may not have had the fine-tuned hurling of other grades, but it more than compensated for that by way of effort and sheer commitment as both sides wanted the title so much that it enthralled the attendance.
So in the space of 24 hours, Crossabeg-Ballymurn figured in two draws, with their Intermediate hurlers having been held by Monageer-Boolavogue on Saturday.
And while they were within sight of victory on this occasion, they eventually buckled under the late Adamstown surge that saw Doheny pick off a superb levelling 60-metre point despite the strong pressure applied by two defenders.
The Wexford District side opened the scoring inside 30 seconds of the start through a fine run and point from Martin Redmond, while at the end of the opening quarter the sides were level (0-3 each).
Doheny along with two Johnny Connors pointed frees responded for the opposition, while Eoghan Kehoe and James White were on target for Crossabeg-Ballymurn.
With the sides continuing to trade points, an Eoghan Kehoe pointed free saw Crossabeg-Ballymurn lead by 0-6 to 0-5 at the interval.
Within minutes of the re-start a Martin Redmond pointed free extended his side’s lead, but Adamstown responded with points through Connors (free) and Doheny to tie the sides at 0-7 each after 38 minutes.
By the end of the third quarter Adamstown led by 0-10 to 0-8, as Shane Bradley, James Delaney from a long-range free, along with a Connors placed ball put them in the driving seat.
Crossabeg-Ballymurn needed a score as the initiative seemed to be slipping away from them, and netminder Noel Scallan and Eoghan Kehoe (both frees) stepped up to the challenge to level the sides.
Four minutes from the end a Kehoe 60-metre free had his team in front. It was backs to the wall as they defended that lead through the closing minutes, and they looked like holding out until Doheny brought the final to a replay with that superb late point.
Crossabeg-Ballymurn: Noel Scallan (0-1 free); Daithí Redmond (joint capt.), David Scallan, Michael Doyle (joint capt.); Conor Barlow, Declan Byrne, Robert Byrne; Martin Redmond (0-2), Cormac O’Rourke; Eoghan Kehoe (0-7, 6 frees), Paul Larrissy, James White (0-1); Mark Campbell, James Grannell, Josh Whitehead. Subs. - Seán Kehoe for Whitehead, Shane Conroy for White, also Evan Kinlough, Emmett Kehoe, Lorcan Cummins, Shane Whelan, Eoin O’Connor, Michael Eviston.
Adamstown: Paul Cooper; James Furlong, Colm Boland (capt.), J.P. Furlong; Michael Doran, Michael Curtis, Mosie Delaney; James Delaney (0-1 free), Paudge Wickham; Tomás Harrington, Vinny Doheny (0-3), Shane Bradley (0-1); Andrew French, Johnny Connors (0-6, 5 frees), Tomás French. Sub. - Stephen English for French, also Liam McDonald, Pat Delaney, Andrew French, Mark Dunphy, Eoin Furlong, Michael Foley, Rory Foran, Donal Cosgrave, Thomas Furlong, Paudge Kavanagh, Eddie Connors, Ollie Furlong, Patrick Roche, Laurence Roche.
Referee: Pádraig Byrne (Tara Rocks).