Duffry mix the good with bad
St. Patrick’s are outpointed
DUFFRY ROVERS ST. PATRICK’S 0-21 0-13
QUITE HOW Duffry Rovers could get away with combining the disjointed with the forceful and still come away with an eight-point victory is hard to legislate for, but nonetheless they made it two wins from two outings in Group A of the Top Oil Intermediate ‘A’ hurling championship with a 0-21 to 0-13 win over St. Patrick’s at Monamolin on Saturday.
Both sides endured peaks and troughs in a peculiar game, with the Duffry amassing six wides by the ninth minute as St. Patrick’s tentatively built up an early lead.
Six of the nine points scored by the Camolin-based side in the opening half were of the deadball variety, while Aidan Byrne (twice), Gavin Watchorn and Robert Frayne all registered from play for Duffry Rovers as St. Patrick’s held a 0-9 to 0-6 advantage at half-time.
Niall O’Brien and Tynan Flynn extended that lead to five quickly after the re-start, but then Duffry Rovers utterly transformed themselves with a run of form far removed from their pedestrian first half-hour.
In fact, they hit nine points without reply to surge 0-15 to 0-11 to the good, with Byrne, Liam Pender, Frayne and Johnny Flynn-O’Connor all adding to five Cathal Clince frees.
They were helped during this period of dominance by St. Patrick’s tendency to give away sloppy frees, although 15 such scores from a cumulative tally of 34 suggests that both teams experienced problems in the disciplinary stakes.
Tomás Morris ended his side’s barren spell with a point on 48 minutes, though three more Duffry scores, including one from the rampant Byrne, saw the victors comfortably ahead down the home straight.
A determined Niall O’Brien fired over a half-goal chance at the expense of a point for St. Patrick’s near the end before the midfield partnership of Byrne and Clince (free) brought the overall total from that section of the pitch for the victors to an impressive 0-13 with a point apiece in injury time.
There was a John Doyle-shaped hole in that vital engine-room for St. Patrick’s, although both sides have plenty to work on if they have any designs of making a significant impact in the knockout phase.
Duffry Rovers: Stephen Watchorn; James Nolan, Craig Casey, Thomas Dunne; Seamus Doyle, Donie Doyle (capt.), Mattie O’Connor (0-1); Aidan Byrne (0-5), Cathal Clince (0-8 frees); Johnny Flynn-O’Connor (0-1), Liam Pender (0-1), Robert Frayne (0-3); Cian Fitzhenry (0-1 free), Joe Coleman, Gavin Watchorn (0-1).
St. Patrick’s: Stuart Quinn; Peter Roche, Richie Flood, Joe Cousins; Hughie Doyle (capt.), Michael O’Brien, James Cousins; Daryl Murphy, Tommy Dunne; Stephen Ryan (0-3, 1 free), Tynan Flynn (0-2), Paul McDonald; Niall O’Brien (0-2), Tomás Morris (0-6, 5 frees), Ashley Tully. Subs. - Andrew Doyle for McDonald (49), Tommy Morris for Tully (49).
Referee: Joe Kelly (Naomh Eanna).
FERNS ST. AIDAN’S OULART-BALLAGH