C.B.S. crash out of Leinster contention to Kilcormac

BOTH SIDES finished with 13 men in the MW Hire Kilkenny Training Centre in Dunmore on Saturday as the quest of Wexford C.B.S. for a place in the Top Oil Leinster Senior hurling ‘C’ championship final was ended by Coláiste Naomh Cormac from Kilcormac in Offaly.

It was a disappointing display from the losers who didn’t live up to their promise, and that’s underlined by the fact that a Glen Murphy-Butler effort in the second minute was their sole point from play.

Team captain Richard Lawlor did race through for a well-taken goal in the 43rd minute to enhance prospects of a comeback, but the victors held firm despite being the first team to lose a player in a heated second-half featuring more than eight additional minutes.

Apart from wing-forward Tom Leahy from Kinnitty, the remainder of the Wexford C.B.S. opposition all play their club hurling with Kilcormac-Killoughey, and this familiarity shone through as they established a 1-7 to 0-6 interval lead and then pounced for a crucial second goal early in the new half.

Wexford C.B.S. will harbour deep regrets after conceding that opening major in the 23rd minute. Coláiste Naomh Cormac led by 0-5 to 0-3 when Cathal Kiely stood over a free that the defenders clearly expected to be tapped over the bar.

Instead he squared it to the unmarked Aaron Hannon whose powerful drive – aided by the absence of any pressure around him – rattled the net.

The sides had been level three times in the opening 13 minutes, with Michael Laffan converting two frees after that earlier Glen Murphy-Butler score from play had provided an immediate response to Kiely’s first placed ball.

Wexford C.B.S. didn’t lead at any stage, though, with their cause not helped when an injury to all-action midfielder Jason Gordon forced him to spend some recovery time out of the thick of things at full-forward.

The losers’ last three points before the break all came from frees, two more from Laffan plus one from Josh Shiel, but the inside forward trio of Lochlann Kavanagh (two), Eamon Bracken and Aaron Hannon had all chipped in with fine points for the midlanders.

It seemed like the wrong option to take when Coláiste Naomh Cormac’s Cathal Kiely went for goal from a free inside two minutes of the re-start, especially when it was initially batted clear.

However, a colleague eventually re-cycled the ball to Kiely and, although he didn’t get a clean connection on his delivery, it was grabbed by centre-forward Eoin Gleeson who turned and bore down on goal before batting to the net (2-7 to 0-6).

Lochlann Kavanagh quickly added his third point, and it seemed like the Offaly lads were content to concede points from frees rather than run the risk of goals as Michael Laffan hit three, with one in reply from Kiely, to leave a gap of six (2-9 to 0-9).

Hope was shortlived for Wexford C.B.S., but it arrived in the 43rd minute when Glen Murphy-Butler popped a handpass to captain Richard Lawlor who soloed through for a super goal.

And when Cathal Kiely received a second yellow card less than 60 seconds later, it looked like cool heads might get the Boker Boys into a winning position after all.

It needed someone to grab the game by the scruff of the neck, but unfortunately that wasn’t a C.B.S. player.

Instead the young man of the moment was the diminutive Lochlann Kavanagh, already with three points to his name, who was superb in the last quarter, grabbing four of the last five Kilcormac points, two from play, as well as setting up the other for Seán Buckley.

C.B.S. were initially outscored by 0-4 to 0-1 after Kiely’s dismissal, with the sole response from another Laffan free, and it had become 14 against 13 in the 51st minute after an off-theball incident resulted in second yellows for Darragh Carley and Charlie Bracken.

Centre-back Kyle Scallan was the last of the four players to be dismissed, and the chance for a consolation goal came and went deep into the eight added minutes when Glen Murphy-Butler fired a penalty over the bar after a foul on Josh Shiel.

On a positive note, all bar one player will be eligible again for next year’s move to the ‘B’ grade.

Wexford C.B.S.: Chris Ryan (St. Martin’s); Ben Hynes (Faythe Harriers), Joe Barrett (St. Martin’s), Seán Byrne (Faythe Harriers); Josh McMahon (Faythe Harriers), Kyle Scallan (Faythe Harriers), Darragh Carley (Glynn-Barntown); Jason Gordon (Faythe Harriers), Emmett Nolan (Faythe Harriers); Eoin Kavanagh (Faythe Harriers), Richard Lawlor (Faythe Harriers, capt., 1-0), Michael Laffan (Glynn-Barntown, 0-9 frees); Aaron Clancy (St. Martin’s), Josh Shiel (Faythe Harriers, 0-1 free), Glen Murphy-Butler (Faythe Harriers, 0-2, 1 pen.). Sub. - Oliver McMahon (Faythe Harriers) for Clancy (41).

Coláiste Naomh Cormac: Dan Gleeson; Charlie Bracken, Shane Mulrooney, Jimmy Kavanagh; Eoin Kilmartin, Cathal Kilmartin (capt.), Seán Kilmartin; Dan Murray, Cathal Kiely (0-4 frees); Seán Buckley (0-1), Eoin Gleeson (1-0), Tom Leahy; Lochlann Kavanagh (0-7, 2 frees), Aaron Hannon (1-1), Eamon Bracken (0-1).

Referee: Gavin Quilty (Kilkenny).