Monageer still unbeaten
MONAGEER-BOOLAVOGUE maintained their unbeaten run in Group B as they saw off a determined Blackwater side in this dogged encounter in round four of The Courtyard Ferns Intermediate hurling championship in Oylegate on Saturday.
Although they were ahead for most of the game, the group leaders were made earn their win with Blackwater doing everything they could in search of a vital second victory.
Indeed, the last puck of the ball was the only time that the eventual winners were assured of victory as Darren Byrne went in search of a late winning goal but his shot blazed wide much to Monageer-Boolavogue’s relief.
It was tit-for-tat in the opening quarter as both sides hit five apiece. Monageer-Boolavogue had five different scorers but Blackwater were a little reliant on Dean Wright who levelled matters with a point just before he plucked a huge delivery out of the sky and buried a shot to the net.
The eventual winners responded well however, and hit six before the break to take a two-point halftime lead.
Pádraig Flynn made it three immediately after the re-start just before Diarmuid Murphy was bottled up by a stubborn Monageer-Boolavogue defence when he had a glorious goal chance.
The same player made no mistake minutes later when he finished to the net with a stinging shot to make it level again.
Again, the men in red responded excellently, hitting the next three scores, with Diarmuid Fenlon in deadly accurate form.
It wasn’t until midway through the half that Blackwater would get their second score of the half, mainly due to a teak-tough Monageer-Boolavogue defence led by Tommy Breen who was mopping up at centre-back.
The seasiders kept plugging away admirably and after Wright and Darren Byrne got them to within two going into injury-time, the latter did everything right to create a goal chance but couldn’t keep his shot on target, leaving his side needing a win in their final game.
Monageer-Boolavogue: Seán Murphy; Graham O’Reilly, Chris Daly, Mick Sweeney; Niall O’Reilly, Tommy Breen, Ian Hawkins; Damien Fenlon (0-1), Larry Murphy (0-1); Cathal Walsh (0-1), Stephen Murphy (0-1), Pádraig Flynn (0-3); Diarmuid Fenlon (0-8, 6 frees), Matthew Dunne (0-3), Brian O’Loughlin (0-1 free). Subs. - Peter Mernagh for O’Loughlin, Mark Gahan for Walsh, Colm O’Loughlin for Flynn.
Blackwater: Peter O’Brien; Richard Blake, Darren Byrne (0-1), Anthony Roche; Kevin O’Brien, Brian Dooley, Denis O’Brien; James Dooley, Michael Lillis; Dean Whelan (0-1), Denis Carroll (0-1), Diarmuid Murphy (1-0); Dylan Dixon, Paul O’Leary (0-1), Dean Wright (1-7, 0-5 frees, 0-1 ’65). Subs. - Eoin O’Neill for Roche, Shane O’Leary for Dixon, Seánie Purcell for J. Dooley.
Referee: Brendan Martin (Ballyhogue).