Adamstown on song in derby
Cushinstown rock bottom
ADAMSTOWN OUTSCORED a competitive Rathgarogue-Cushinstown in their Group B encounter in O’Kennedy Park on Saturday to edge closer to The Courtyard Ferns Intermediate hurling championship quarter-finals.
Goals in either half gave them a consistent control of the game and meant that Ollie Bolger’s late kicked major for the losers made little influence to the outcome.
They say the perfect time to score a goal is just before the interval, and that is exactly what Adamstown’s Liam Stafford did when raising the game’s first green flag as he fired past Colin Whelan.
Prior to this both sides had traded scores with little goal threat. Tony French hit five of the nine first-half minors for the eventual victors while Daire Bolger out-did French’s tally by one, pointing six times before the break.
With a goal separating the sides at the interval (1-9 to 0-9), it was anyone’s game as they emerged for the second period.
It was briefly a one-point game after two Matthew Cody frees and a Jason Dunne single were answered by just one Johnny Connors point, but Adamstown kicked on.
Paddy Whitty and John French got in on the act before the critical second goal.
Tony French added to his impressive points tally with a well-taken major from the penalty spot.
Two Lorcan French points put seven between the teams (2-16 to 0-15) with ten minutes to go as time for a Rathgarogue-Cushinstown revival was running out.
There were tiny embers of hope when Dunne’s pass found Bolger and he kicked below the advancing Paul Delaney but it all seemed too little, too late.
Tony French added another trio of minors to settle the nerves while Rathgarogue-Cushinstown could only manage two more scores, with Daire Bolger and Bernard Furlong on target.
Whitty pointed the final score of the night as Adamstown ran out six-point winners.
The victors will qualify for the knockout stages if they can get something out of their final game with Crossabeg-Ballymurn, but Rathgarogue-Cushinstown are condemned to a relegation final regardless of how they fare.
Adamstown: Paul Delaney; John Whelan, P.J. Carroll, Brendan Furlong; Michael Furlong (0-1), Shane O’Gorman (0-1), James Breen; Johnny Connors (0-1), Lorcan French (capt., 0-2); Tony French (1-10, 0-6 frees), Liam Stafford (1-1), Seán Barden; Harry Cosgrave, Paddy Whitty (0-3), Paudie Barden (0-1). Subs. - John French (0-1) for Cosgrave (31), Barry Power for P. Barden (55).
Rathgarogue-Cushinstown: Colin Whelan (0-1); Ricky McGrath, Bryan Cody, Peadar Cody; Paddy Murphy, Matthew Cody (0-2 frees), Peter Aspel; Brian O’Neill (0-1), Eoin Porter; Robert Murphy (capt., 0-2), Daniel Martin Carroll, Tadhg Cody; Jason Dunne (0-1), Bernard Furlong (0-1), Daire Bolger (0-10, 7 frees). Subs. - Ollie Bolger (10) for Murphy (39), Francis O’Brien for McGrath (42), Colm Murphy for Porter (49), Aaron Ryan for T. Cody (58).
Referee: Seán Whelan (St. Martin’s).