Corcoran hits fine hat-trick
Ballygarrett pip Gusserane
BALLYGARRETT GUSSERANE
AN EOIN Corcoran hat-trick nudged Ballygarrett over the line to an opening day victory against Gusserane in Group B of the Top Oil Intermediate ‘ A’ hurling championship.
In one of Saturday’s highest-scoring ties, Corcoran’s three majors proved vital as Gusserane almost staged an unlikely fight back in the final quarter of this tie in Oylegate.
Of Corcoran’s goals, the opener in the tenth minute was probably the pick of them. He controlled Harry Byrne’s sideline cut in the air before pulling hard past goalkeeper Micheál Ryan.
This score had Ballygarrett 1-4 to 0-3 ahead, with Cormac Moore, Colm Kennelly, Jack Hobbs and Byrne scoring earlier points.
Ballygarrett’s two goals separated the sides in an otherwise evenly poised first 30 minutes. Mark O’Neill scored the majority (five) of Gusserane’s scores, while Sam Wall, Adrian Redmond, Páraic Conway and Seán Ryan pitched in with singles.
Corcoran’s second created a sizeable gap to take into the break (2-9 to 0-9), catching this one in the air before finishing low past Ryan.
After the re-start, the first 15 minutes seemed to go entirely to plan for Ballygarrett. Hobbs pointed early before supplying Corcoran to complete his hat-trick in the 39th minute.
Another Hobbs minor, and Kennelly’s second of the afternoon, extended their lead to eight at the midway point of the second-half.
Yet, Gusserane found the energy to rally late on and realistically could have grabbed at least a share of the spoils. It started with two quickfire Ryan points and while O’Neill, John Roche and Gary O’Grady were also on target, Hobbs and Patrick Naughter just about kept Gusserane at arm’s length.
That was before Redmond finished into the left of the net to amplify the late pressure on the Ballygarrett defence.
With three points in it, O’Neill hit two more frees before both O’Neill himself and substitute Darragh Doyle saw shots at the posts unsuccessful in injury time.
Martin Armstrong eventually blew the full-time whistle to seal Ballygarrett’s opening day win in this clash between the team relegated from Intermediate, and the side promoted from Junior.
Ballygarrett: Shane Quinn; Eddie Redmond, Seamus Doyle, John Sinnott; Brian O’Connor, Darren Morris, Tom Sinnott; Cormac Moore (0-1), Colm Kennelly (0-2); Harry Byrne (02), Jack Hobbs (capt., 0-9, 6 frees), Jimmy Murphy; Eoin Corcoran (3-0), Patrick Naughter (0-1), Seán O’Brien. Subs. - Adam Fleming for O’Brien (55), Patrick Fleming for Byrne (62).
Gusserane: Micheál Ryan; Jack O’Connor, Kenneth Cahill (capt.), Paul Wall; Tommy Ryan, Gavin Sheehan, Liam Dillon; Adrian Redmond (1-3), Páraic Conway (0-1); Sam Wall (0-1), John Roche (0-1), Gary O’Grady (0-1); Seán Ryan (0-3), Mark O’Neill (0-10, 7 frees), Kevin O’Donohoe. Subs. - Darragh Doyle for S. Wall (31), Jack Burford for O’Connor (41), Eoghan Foran for Conway (53).
Referee: Martin Armstrong (Rapparees).