Fine finish too much for Rocks
GAA Crossabeg-Ballymurn win
CROSSABEG-BALLYMURN’S fine finish gave them the win in their opening fixture of the Joyces Expert Intermediate ‘A’ football championship Group B against the Shamrocks at Bree.
A match which appeared evenly poised with 52 minutes played ended with the victors eight points clear of their Enniscorthy-based rivals as they ran in an emphatic 1-5 without reply.
The Shamrocks were the first to score against the pre-match favourites, were in the lead at halftime, and they were very much in contention until they mysteriously folded in the closing stages.
The proceedings started with a neat point kicked left-footed by John O’Connor for the ‘Rocks, though they spent much of the first quarter on the back foot.
If Crossabeg-Ballymurn’s early industry had been matched by accuracy and more incisive shooting, then they would have been well settled in the driving seat.
Instead danger signs were flashing for them at the other end of the pitch whenever their opponents broke out, and John O’Connor had one decent shout for a penalty turned down before James Carty earned one.
Colin Sheehan made no mistake with the set-piece, helping his team on their way to a 1-5 to 0-7 interval lead, prompting Crossabeg-Ballymurn to adjourn to the dressing-room for a lengthy re-think.
When they finally emerged for the re-start, they quickly set about re-asserting dominance, with Ronan Devereux stabbing over an equaliser before influential midfielder Pádraig Foley landed a delicious long-range point.
However, as the match developed a sour undercurrent of off-the-ball messing, Shamrocks remained stubbornly in the hunt, given hope by the midfield guile of Seán Wildes and the shooting boots of John Kavanagh.
When Kavanagh stroked over his fourth point, they were back on terms only to be blown away by five minutes of Crossabeg-Ballymurn excellence.
During this spell, all thought of an upset was blown away as a free from busy-beaver Andy Butler was followed by a goal set up by Robert Byrne and finished by Oran Maddock, with more points to follow from Bill Eviston, Cian Lambert and Butler.
As a result the game was well finished as a contest before referee Kevin Kehoe blew the full-time whistle after an unseemly mass shemozzle in the eighth minute of added time.
Crossabeg-Ballymurn: Ben Turner; Conor Gormley, Oisín Foley, Conor Barlow; Eoin O’Connor, Ronan Devereux (0-2), Martin Redmond; Paddy Devereux, Pádraig Foley (0-3); Davy Kehoe, Conor Devereux (0-1), Conor Shovlin (0-1); Oran Maddock (1-0), Bill Eviston (0-1), Andy Butler (0-8, 4 frees). Subs. - Cian Lambert (0-1) for O’Connor (30), Robert Byrne for Kehoe (43), Eoin Kinlough for R. Devereux (60).
Shamrocks: John Thorpe; Rees Dunne, Alan Freeman, Shane Larkin; Podge Doyle, Brandon O’Connor, John Kavanagh; Seán Wildes, James Carty (0-1); Colin Sheehan (1-0 pen.), John O’Connor (0-4, 1 free), Ronan Gahan; Barry Dobbs, Robert Moorehouse (0-3), Alan Dobbs (0-1). Subs. - Anthony Wallace for Dunne (30), Darren Martin for Kavanagh (37).
Referee: Kevin Kehoe (Our Lady’s Island).