Peter’s depart race
Underdogs undone by Hogan goals
KILKENNY C.B.S. ST. PETER’S
ST. PETER’S College bowed out of the Top Oil Leinster Schools Senior ‘A’ hurling championship with a quarter-final defeat against Kilkenny C.B.S. in Bunclody on Wednesday.
The Summerhill school were lively underdogs coming into the contest against a side which beat St. Kieran’s to claim the league title before the Christmas break. However, goals in either half from the stick of Luke Hogan proved to be too big a hurdle to overcome.
St. Peter’s were without Blackwater stand-out Jake Nobbs but did welcome Conall Clancy and Ross Banville back into the side after the duo missed the second round clash with Kieran’s three weeks earlier.
Yet, this game followed a similar pattern to that tie, as St. Peter’s worked their tails off in the first-half and looked a match for their Kilkenny opponents, but they came out flat in the second period and were never able to recover.
On the face of it, the numbers don’t look terrible, as 14 points is reasonable at this level, not enough to beat an elite team but it’s a competitive number against a side filled with quality.
However, you can’t win games of this magnitude with a 25-minute scoring hiatus. Having tied the match in the 24th minute (0-8 to 1-5), St. Peter’s didn’t register again until Ross Banville pointed a free eleven minutes from full-time with his side eight behind.
To their credit, the Wexford boys battled hard and were able to tack on five more scores in the time remaining but, apart from a Conall Ó Crualaoich shot from a tight angle that Brian Minogue saved in the 58th minute, they rarely looked like finding that critically important major.
Earlier, the first 15 minutes of the tie were a little strange. Referee David Hughes wanted to control the game more than it needed to be, meaning a succession of frees and a lot of stopping and starting.
St. Peter’s had six scoreable dead-balls in the first eleven minutes. Ross Banville pulled the first wide and Patrick O’Connor took four of them successfully but missed one. It was enough to give their side a 0-4 to 0-1 advantage.
Dynamic in the half-forward line, Kilkenny C.B.S. cut the deficit to one with points from Jamie Ryan and Jake O’Dwyer.
Possibly feeling that he had been whistle-happy early on, referee Hughes eased off as the second quarter started.
This proved particularly unfortunate for St. Peter’s who weren’t awarded a free out when Feidhlim Roche was shoved in the back in the build up to Hogan’s scrappy opening goal in the 17th minute.
Still, the flow of the game seemed to suit the boys in white and green as they found their best spell of the game. Both midfielders hit the target, O’Connor registered from play, and Banville opened his account as their side moved level after 24 minutes.
St. Peter’s were dealt a crushing blow when O’Connor was forced off injured in that spell. While nobody would say it at the time, it was probably the moment that this game turned in favour of C.B.S.
The Kilkenny boys took a 1-6 to 0-8 lead at the break and moved six points ahead when Hogan cut in from the left wing in the 41st minute and planted a sensational shot into the top right corner of David Pettit’s net.
It was 2-10 to 0-8 when O’Dwyer scored his seventh and final point with 14 minutes left. Banville broke the scoring hiatus 25 minutes after his first point had eased St. Peter’s level for the final time in the first-half.
Both Conalls, Clancy and Ó Crualaoich, registered late points, Banville picked off a pair of deadballs, and Ben Stafford flighted one over from distance.
Late on Feidhlim Roche picked up his second yellow card as Kilkenny C.B.S. advanced to the last four and a meeting with Coláiste Eoin (Stillorgan) with seven points to spare.
St. Peter’s: David Pettit (Our Lady’s Island); Feidhlim Roche (Blackwater), Sam Audsley (St. Martin’s), Ryan Furlong (Faythe Harriers); Aaron Doyle (Shelmaliers), Ben Stafford (St. Martin’s, 0-1), Conor Mahoney (Glynn-Barntown); Jack Fortune (Crossabeg-Ballymurn, 0-1), Cillian Gahan (Faythe Harriers, 0-1); Peter Rowley (Oylegate-Glenbrien), Ross Banville (Shelmaliers, capt., 0-4 frees), Patrick O’Connor (Blackwater, 0-5, 4 frees), Conall Clancy (Faythe Harriers, 0-1), Zac Firman (St. Martin’s), Conall Ó Crualaoich (Faythe Harriers, 0-1). Subs. - David Codd (St. Martin’s) for O’Connor, inj. (22), Conor Kelly (St. Martin’s) for Firman (34), Billy Dunne (Oulart-The Ballagh) for Doyle (40), Tomás Murphy (Blackwater) for Fortune (40), Dylan O’Neill (Shelmaliers) for Rowley (49), Rowley for Kelly, temp. (54-55).
Kilkenny C.B.S.: Brian Minogue; Jack Kearns, Barry Lawlor, Aran Murphy; James Dwyer, Oisín Murphy, Tomás Dunne; Shane Staunton (0-1), Niall Higgins; Jake O’Dwyer (0-7, 6 frees), Jamie Ryan (0-2), Luke Hogan (capt., 2-1); Jason Devereux, Oisín Morrissey, Liam Moore (0-1). Subs. - Zac Bay Hammond for Higgins (40), Billy Drennan (0-3 frees) for O’Dwyer (50), Gearóid Dunne for Morrissey (50), Odhran Lawlor for Devereux (60+1), Dan Dowling for Dwyer (60+1).
Referee: David Hughes (Carlow).
WITH THE WEXFORD Senior footballers heading to London to take on Ciarán Deely’s team in round three of the league next Sunday, a G.A.A. gathering will take place on the eve of the game.
The Clayton Hotel in Chiswick is the venue for the event on Saturday, with proceedings set to commence at 7 p.m.
There will be a panel discussion featuring special guests Matthew O’Hanlon, Davy Fitzgerald, Adrian Fenlon, Brian Malone, and the aforementioned Deely who, of course, represented Horeswood and Wexford with distinction on the playing fields before making a name for himself in the coaching world.
Supporters intending to travel may avail of the special rate offered to Wexford fans of £119 per room per night for up to two people sharing, with bed and breakfast included.
To book, contact the Clayton Hotel Chiswick reservations team directly on 0044 208 9965200 or by e-mailing reservations. chiswick@claytonhotels.com and quoting Wexford Supporters or Block ID - 7224227.
Tickets for the event on the Saturday night itself are available from Innovate Wexford Park, the Clayton Hotel Chiswick, and on the door on the night for €40/£40.
THE TOWNLAND of Gurteen in Inch, north Wexford, hosted the Motor Enthusiasts’ Club Jenkins Cup sporting trial on Sunday. Fergil Gregory scored his second win of the season, beating fellow Wicklowman Morgan Evans by two marks for the chief accolade.
Evans was a grade winner along with Alan Watkins, James Ralph and David Pain, while the top five overall was completed by Enda Byrne, Watkins and Joe McCann.