Favourites on steady course
Cloughbawn beat ’Rocks
CLOUGHBAWN SHAMROCKS
FAVOURITES CLOUGHBAWN didn’t have matters their own way in the first-half in Bellefield on Saturday, but they pulled away quite comfortably in the third quarter to qualify for the last four of The Courtyard Ferns Intermediate hurling championship at the expense of District rivals Shamrocks.
Leading by 2-6 to 1-6 at the interval, the side relegated from the top flight last year effectively made the game safe by hitting 1-3 without reply in the opening nine minutes on the re-start.
They were never in serious danger from that point onwards, with the third goal killing off the Shamrocks challenge and leaving them with too much ground to make up against a better-balanced team.
Captain Barry Carton had extended Cloughbawn’s lead to four points before that key score arrived in the 33rd minute.
Midfielder Colm Kehoe made a powerful run through the heart of the Shamrocks defence and, although Jamie Dagg saved his shot, veteran M.J. Furlong was following up and swept the rebound to the net for a 3-7 to 1-6 lead.
It was certainly a day of mixed fortunes for Dagg who made some decent saves, but no doubt he will look back with regret on the two first-half goals that left Cloughbawn ahead by 2-6 to 1-6 at the break.
The first came in the twelfth minute when Johnny Cullen sent in a teasing ball from the left. Barry Carton swung at it in the air, and we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt that he got a slight touch to send it into Dagg’s net.
That goal wiped out a narrow Shamrocks lead and left them 1-2 to 0-3 in arrears and, although a Pa Weafer free made it a onepoint game again, Cloughbawn pounced for a very soft second goal in the 16th minute.
Bob Whitty was definitely trying for a point as he hung the ball in the air, but Dagg misread its flight and most onlookers were surprised to see umpire Fintan O’Reilly reaching for the green flag after it dropped into the net (2-2 to 0-4).
In fairness to Dagg, he twice denied Barry Carton goals with fine saves, the first from a 13th-minute pull, and the second when he darted off his line to bravely smother a shot early in the second quarter.
Paul Foley added a point before the town team bounced back, with a strong solo run by Brandon O’Connor leading to a well-taken Pa Weafer goal in the 19th minute.
Their gutsy display ensured that they only trailed by 2-6 to 1-6 at half-time, with Seán Wildes closing the first period scoring after opening it too with a sublime line ball from the left in the fourth minute.
Cloughbawn knew that more was needed to shake off the Enniscorthy men, and they did step it up considerably on the re-start as free-taker Harry Kehoe and Bob Whitty chipped in with points after that third goal.
Three points without reply from Pa Weafer (two frees) and Bob Jacob reduced the gap to 3-9 to 1-9, while Cloughbawn netminder Noel Carton did well to foil an attempt on goal by Jack Moorehouse during that brief productive spell for Shamrocks.
He later saved another shot from the same player, but the last twelve minutes were dominated by the victors as Barry Carton, M.J. Furlong, Harry Kehoe (two), Bob Whitty and substitute Colin Doyle fired over six points on the trot before a late Bob Jacob consolation for Shamrocks who were wearing the Blackwater jerseys.
Cloughbawn: Noel Carton; Gavin Murphy, Tomás Furlong, James Dempsey; Barry Kehoe, Conor Harrington, Johnny Cullen; Páidí Cullen (0-1), Colm Kehoe; Harry Kehoe (0-5, 2 frees), Alan Carton, Paul Foley (0-1); Bob Whitty (1-2), Barry Carton (capt., 1-4), M.J. Furlong (1-1). Subs. - Colin Doyle (0-1) for Foley (55), Joey Lawlor for T. Furlong, inj. (58).
Shamrocks: Jamie Dagg; George Jacob, John O’Connor, Barry Dobbs; Emmet Quirke, Anthony Wallace, Brandon O’Connor; Bob Jacob (03), Philip Freeman; Pa Weafer (1-3, 0-3 frees), Seán Wildes (0-3, 1 line ball), Podge Doyle; Harry Goff, Jack Moorehouse (0-1), Maurice Casey (capt.). Subs. - Jim Jacob for Goff (55), Lar McDonald for Weafer (55), Cyril Thorpe for Moorehouse (58).
Referee: Dan Crosby (Kilmore).
HWH-BUNCLODY R’GAROGUE-C’TOWN 0-17 1-12
THE EXCELLENT free-taking of midfielder Billy Kelly was one of the few things that went fully according to plan for HWH-Bunclody in St. Patrick’s Park, Enniscorthy, on Saturday, and it was enough to get them over the line as they survived a spirited challenge from unfancied Rathgarogue-Cushinstown in this quarter-final clash in The Courtyard Ferns Intermediate hurling championship.
With a strike rate of eleven points from twelve attempts, it was a successful afternoon for the accurate number nine who kept his team ticking over when others were finding the going tough around him.
Rathgarogue-Cushinstown had claimed the fourth and final qualifying spot in their group with a last round victory against St. James’, and they showed they were in the last eight entirely on merit by holding their wind-aided rivals to a hard-earned 0-9 to 0-5 interval lead.
The biggest margin in that opening half was five points after Eoin Kelly made it 7-2 from an Eddie Black handpass in the 18th minute, but the New Ross District side responded very well as veteran free-taker Ollie Bolger brought his tally to four points with a brace of scores prior to their sole point from play before the break.
That arrived in the 27th minute, and it could have been a goal as captain Brian O’Neill fired high and over the bar from a good position after a Bernard Furlong delivery.
The HWH-Bunclody mentors had moved Aidan Nolan to full-forward at a very early stage, but he didn’t get a look in as a result of strong swarm defending from the Codys and the McGraths who gathered in numbers around him.
And it was only after moving to the right wing near half-time that the county player finally got some freedom, setting up Cathal Doyle for a point with a crossfield pass before earning a free that Billy Kelly converted for his fifth score.
Nolan partnered Kelly at midfield for the second-half, and this duo got through a lot of work along with centre-back Seán Kenny as HWH-Bunclody improved somewhat.
Eoin Kelly and the lively Jason Dunne swapped points on the re-start before a similar exchange between free-takers Billy Kelly and Ollie Bolger.
Five points divided the sides at the start of the final quarter when Colm Farrell held Bolger as they battled to win a Brian O’Neill delivery, and Daniel Martin Carroll stepped up to slam the penalty into the top left corner of Arthur O’Neill’s net (0-13 to 1-8).
It made for an enjoyable conclusion to the game and, to HWH-Bunclody’s credit, they ensured the gap was never below two points thereafter despite Rathgarogue-Cushinstown’s best efforts.
Indeed, Eoin Kelly caught the puck-out after that goal and was fouled, with Billy Kelly applying the finishing touch as he had done all afternoon.
A Bernard Furlong point drew yet another response from the winners’ top scorer, and when Brian O’Neill read the break from a puck-out for the second time after the interval and split the posts, that man Kelly had the answer from another free (0-16 to 1-10).
Ollie Bolger and Kelly exchanged points again, with the latter score coming after Peter Atkinson ran out of room close to the endline when it looked like a clinching goal was on the cards.
A Matthew Cody point in the 59th minute reduced the gap to two once more, and Rathgarogue-Cushinstown were not without hope even at that late stage.
Unfortunately, the same player sent a long-range free wide with their last real scoring chance, and Atkinson nearly forced the ball over the goal-line at the other end in added time before Bryan Cody and netminder Nicky Sinnott combined to keep him out.
The win made it six from six for HWH-Bunclody, but trainer Kevin Kennedy and his fellow mentors no doubt would agree that they won’t get to the county final with a similar-type display.
HWH-Bunclody: Arthur O’Neill; Conor Crean, Colm Farrell (capt.), David Reck; Matty Byrne, Seán Kenny, John Dunne; Martin O’Connor, Billy Kelly (0-11 frees); Jason Cowman, Aidan Nolan, Eddie Black (0-2); Cathal Doyle (0-1), Peter Atkinson (0-1), Eoin Kelly (0-2). Subs. - Kevin Dunne for J. Dunne (HT), Tadhg Kelly for Doyle (50).
Rathgarogue-Cushinstown: Nicky Sinnott; Peadar Cody, Bryan Cody, Ricky McGrath; Jason Dunne (0-1), Eoin Porter, Paudie McGrath; Matthew Cody (0-1), Brian O’Neill (capt., 0-3); Tadhg Cody, Daniel Martin Carroll (1-0 pen.), Bernard Furlong (0-1); Christopher Kent, Ollie Bolger (0-6 frees), Daire Bolger. Subs. - Paddy Murphy for Carroll, temp. (26-30), Murphy for D. Bolger (50).
Referee: James Owens (Askamore).