ROUND-UP Defeat in Tony Forristal final
GAA Wexford defeated by Cork
WHILE WEXFORD had a wonderful weekend, finishing runners-up to Cork in the Tony Forristal Under-14 hurling Cup in Waterford, in the end it was a tournament tinged with disappointment as the Slaneysiders believe they didn’t do themselves justice in the decider.
James Sheil’s side made the short trip to St. Saviour’s G.A.A. ground for the group games on Saturday. Wexford started slowly in their opening game against Tipperary but in no time they were turning on the style, winning by 3-14 to 0-9.
There were superb performances all over the field, with Donal Porter, David Codd, Cian Molloy, Josh Sheil, A.J. Redmond and Paddy Whitty all outstanding for the Slaneysiders. Next up was a game against neighbours and hosts Waterford.
This was a much tighter contest. Wexford flew into a three-point lead and still led by 0-8 to 0-6 at the interval. However, things looked to be slipping away when the home county took their first lead with five minutes remaining.
Yet Wexford have a strong set of players and they levelled minutes later. John O’Toole looked to have won it for his team, only to see a goal incorrectly ruled out, but Josh Sheil did seal victory with an injury time score.
Two wins gave Wexford second place in the group and a spot opposite Galway in the semi-finals. They fell behind to an early goal before screeching into a 2-11 to 1-0 lead at the interval. The second-half was a procession, and it finished 4-12 to 3-2.
There was no fear for Wexford going to face defending champions Cork in the final, having beaten them in blitz tournaments already this season. However, the Slaneysiders never reached their potential.
It was 2-3 to 0-1 at the break and while Wexford battled away, the Leesiders eventually won by 4-7 to 0-4 to leave the purple and gold boys shattered and bitterly disappointed.
Wexford have struggled in the Sonny Walsh Cup in recent years but the second string did themselves proud with close-run losses to Limerick (1-6 to 1-5) and Galway (1-9 to 0-9) in their games at Walsh Park. Reports suggest they didn’t really get the rub of the green with some refereeing decisions too, which would have made a huge difference.
All in all it was a great day of action with management absolutely delighted with the 48 lads who made the journey to Waterford to compete and do their county proud. Their development is the most important thing and that’s been achieved with a great effort from everyone involved this year.
The Wexford side which faced Cork in the final: Neil Ennis; Dylan Whelan, Donal Porter, David Codd; Chris Lawless, Cian Molloy, Kyle Scallan; John O’Toole, Jack Kirwan; Richie Lawlor, Josh Sheil, Cian Browne; Paddy Whitty, Charlie Tector, A.J. Redmond. Subs. (rolling) - Joe Kelly, Eoin Kavanagh, Dylan O’Neill, Josh Walsh, David Cantwell, Liam Cassin, Keelan Foley, Owen Lennon.