Anne’s had to work hard
Busy start to county football championships
IF LIFE was normal right now, we’d be head, neck and heels into the early rounds of the local county championships.
Alas, that’s not the case but, by way of some small compensation, our look back to what was making the news five years ago will focus on an extremely busy first round of football played over the weekend of April 10 to 12, 2015.
Holders St. Anne’s made a winning start to Group A of the Senior championship in Innovate Wexford Park, but it was far from plain sailing as they conceded an early goal to Joey Wadding of St. Fintan’s before recovering to triumph by 0-9 to 1-3. Midfielder David Fogarty led the way with three points from play.
Fethard had it a good deal easier versus Sarsfields in New Ross, winning by 1-9 to 1-2 with full-forward John Tubritt accounting for 1-2. It was 1-8 to 0-1 entering the last ten minutes, with a late penalty goal from Rhys Clarke taking the bare look off the Sarsfields side of the scoreboard.
If that was one-sided, it was nothing compared to the 4-12 to 0-3 demolition by Shelmaliers over Adamstown in Bree, with Michael Furlong getting the losers’ only point from play.
Current soccer professional Kevin O’Connor contributed six points, five from frees, for the winners, with the goals coming from Eoghan Nolan, Páraic O’Leary, Stephen Banville and Glen Malone.
The Group B games were considerably tighter, especially in Innovate Wexford Park where Gusserane pipped St. Martin’s by a point (1-12 to 1-11).
An injury time winner from lively forward Seán ‘Mini’ Ryan decided the outcome, after Páraic Conway and the prolific Ciarán Lyng (who finished with a superb 1-9) had exchanged goals beforehand.
Intermediate holders St. James’ pushed neighbours Horeswood all the way before going down by 1-14 to 1-11 in New Ross, fighting back somewhat after a Dale Flynn goal left them 1-9 to 0-5 in arrears.
Emmet Dunning was an early arrival off the bench for the Ramsgrange men after Darragh Lyons received a black card, and he certainly made a big impact with 1-3 to his credit.
Starlights pulled off the surprise result in Camolin, seeing off Castletown by 2-7 to 1-6 after hitting an impressive 1-5 without reply from the 38th minute onwards.
The winning goal arrived when a Ricky Fox ’45 was caught by Castletown’s Richard Farrell, but Alan Tobin pounced and forced the ball out of his hands and into the net.
In Intermediate football, a 2-1 haul from Robert Dempsey guided Glynn-Barntown to a hard-earned 2-9 to 0-13 win over Ballyhogue, while Conor Moore netted twice as Kilmore edged out Clongeen in Taghmon (2-9 to 1-10).
The battle of the St. Mary’s, held in Rathangan, saw Rosslare in command against Maudlintown (0-15 to 1-6), with veteran David Murphy running the show from midfield, while Lee Devereux scored an impressive seven points from play.
Matty Forde did the very same, and added another three from frees for an overall haul of ten points, as Kilanerin began the quest to make a quick return to Senior ranks with an 0-18 to 2-6 success against Bannow-Ballymitty in Bellefield.
Darren Kehoe top-scored with 2-7 in HWH-Bunclody’s big 3-13 to 0-10 win over Craanford in St. Patrick’s Park, and Ryan Nolan led the way with five points as Ferns St. Aidan’s accounted for Taghmon-Camross in Bree (1-11 to 0-9).
Moving to Intermediate ‘A’, Duffry Rovers and Crossabeg-Ballymurn destroyed Geraldine O’Hanrahans and Marshalstown-Castledockrell respectively, by 4-13 to 0-6 and 3-17 to 0-6.
IT WAS too close for comfort in Innovate Wexford Park on April 11, 2015, when the Wexford Minor hurlers hit a brace of last-gasp points to finally shake off the strong Laois challenge by 2-13 to 0-17 in this Electric Ireland Leinster championship first round encounter.
In actual fact, the home side didn’t lead at any stage until with 47 seconds left in normal time when Ian Carty caught an opposition puck-out and lofted it between the posts for his third point of the second-half.
That pushed Wexford into a 2-12 to 0-17 lead, and Ciarán O’Connor converted a free after an overcarrying call against a Laois defender for the insurance point.
The home side knew they were in for one hell of a contest from early on in this clash as they were hit with a whirlwind of scores as the midlanders utilised first-half wind advantage to the full.
Both wing-backs and a corner-back were among the Laois marksmen from play, and some of their finishing was very impressive.
Luckily for Wexford, the opportunism of Stephen O’Gorman kept them in touch as he goaled twice against the run of play when they were being outsmarted in most areas of the field.
Naomh Eanna and Kilrush also had it easy, defeating Davidstown-Courtnacuddy (5-13 to 0-5) and Kilanerin’s second string (1-13 to 0-3).
However, Réalt na Mara needed two Jack Hobbs goals to just about account for St. Joseph’s (2-9 to 1-10), while it was even tighter in St. Patrick’s Park when Michael O’Brien’s late goal led to a 2-5 to 0-10 success for St. Patrick’s over Cloughbawn.
Starlights took the Junior derby spoils, beating Shamrocks by 1-11 to 2-5, while Shelmaliers had no trouble against Clonard (4-17 to 2-7). A late Chris Daly goal led to Monageer-Boolavogue pipping Buffers Alley by 2-7 to 2-5, while Blackwater breezed past Castletown on a 3-17 to 0-6 scoreline.
A last-minute Jamie Crean goal sealed a smash-and-grab 2-7 to 1-8 victory for Glynn-Barntown over Tara Rocks, while Rathgarogue-Cushinstown had plenty to spare in their tie with Volunteers (4-12 to 0-5).
It made the half-time deficit of 0-16 to 2-4 somewhat more manageable, and thankfully the opposition – who were prepared by former All Star midfielder Pat Critchley – could only add a solitary point to their tally after the break.
Two quickfire efforts from Ian Carty, created by handpasses by Joe O’Connor and goalscorer O’Gorman, brought the sides level in the 45th minute (2-10 to 0-16).
If anyone expected Wexford to push on with a degree of comfort they were in for a rude awakening as Mark Kavanagh restored the Laois lead with that sole point after the break.
Just three more scores were recorded in the 14 minutes that remained, and thankfully all of them came from the hosts, courtesy of Dwyer, Carty and O’Connor.
Wexford: Oisín Foley; Seán Barden, Brian Quigley, Conor Firman; Ciarán Kirwan, Aaron Maddock (capt.), Rowan White; Ciarán O’Connor (0-4 frees), Ian Carty (0-3); Joe O’Connor (0-1), Jack Pettit (R.I.P.), Stephen O’Gorman (2-0); Bob Whitty, Mikie Dwyer (0-3), Seamus Casey (0-1). Subs. - Darren Codd (0-1) for Whitty (27), David Clarke for Barden (41), Connal Flood for Pettit (57), Damien Reck for Casey (59), Murtha Doyle for O’Gorman (60+2).