Carnew crack the Rocks to seal spot in Junior B final

CARNEW EMMETS ARKLOW ROCKS

THE Junior B hurling championship semi-final saw Carnew Emmets and Arklow Rocks rnew old rivalries when the sides met at Ballinakill on Friday evening last.

In years gone by both sides always produced hard-fought games but on this occasion the Wexford border side showed what talent they have at their disposal with a nice blend of youth and experience and they inflicted a 19-point defeat on the Rocks to qualify for the county final and no matter the opposition they will prove to be a stern test.

The opening half proved to be keenly contested game with the sides level on four occasions.

With the aid of a slight breeze the Arklow men held a slender lead of 1-08 to 0-10 with the only goal of the half being scored by veteran Gerry Byrne.

Dual player PJ Mulhall opened the scoring with a point from play after four minutes.

This brought a quick response from the Arklow men when their best player on the day, Jason Redmond, pointed a free to bring the sides level after both sides missed scoring chances.

Cormac Whitmore and John Kavanagh exchanged a point each to see the teams level once more at two points each.

The Carnew men hit a golden patch then when they laid siege in the Rocks half of the field which resulted in three points being scored.

Wing forward Ian Clancy showed what a class act he is when he landed two points, one from a free, while Jody Byrne also got his name on the score sheet with a long-range effort to give the eventual winners a three-point cushion at 0-05 to 0-02 and they should have much further ahead as the Carnew men wasted five scoring chances in a row.

A typical Arklow rally that was started in their own defence saw a long delivery from Philip Byrne which saw Gery Byrne flick the ball past goalkeeper Patrick Doyle while impressive Cormac Whitmore scored a point to edge the seasiders ahead by 1-03 to 0-05.

Carnew went in search of a equaliser and after three attempts, corner-forward Jody Byrne brought the sides level.

The Rocks reacted quickly with ace freetaker Jason Redmond showing his ability when he pointed three frees and one 65 while Jody Byrne continued to cause havoc in the Rocks defence as he scored a point to reduce the deficit which left the Rocks leading by 1-07 to 0-07 after 20 minutes.

No doubt Carnew were stunned to have fallen behind because they certainly upped the tempo again which saw them finish the stronger of the half when they added a point each from Seanie Kinsella (65), John Kavanagh, and veteran Gary Doran.

It was only fitting that Jason Redmond should close the first half scoring with a point from a free and when referee Jimmy Kelly blew the half-time whistle it was the Arklow Rocks who were ahead by a single point at 1-08 to 0-10.

The talk around the ground at half-time was could the Arklow Rocks continue to keep up the challenge to their opponents as they turned over to play against a stiff breeze.

But it was Carnew who were first out of the traps after the break with Seanie Kinsella scoring a point while his midfield partner PJ Mulhall followed up with another.

A rare Arklow Rocks attack saw veteran Danny Curran wide of the posts.

Carnew continued to keep the pressure on as they began to take control in most sectors of the field as they went on to record four more points through Seanie Kinsella, substitute Jonathan Smith, PJ Mulhall and Ian Clancy which saw Carnew leading by 0-16 to 1-08 which left the Rocks with an uphill struggle ahead.

The game soon faded as a contest with Carnew taking complete control as they went through the motions of completing the game which left the spectators present with little to cheer about.

Carnew added 1-11 which included a goal from substitute Jonathan Smith while the Carnew manager emptied the bench which proved what a strong panel they have at their disposal.

Scorers - Carnew Emmets: Jonathan Smith 1-01, Sean Kinsella 0-07 (3f), Ian Clancy 0-05 (3f), Jody Byrne 0-04, Gary Doran 0-03, PJ Mulhall 0-03, John Kavanagh 0-02, Joe Hughes 0-01, Richard O’Hara 0-01.

Arklow Rocks: Gerry Byrne 1-00, Jason Redmond 0-06, Cormac Whitmore 0-02.

Carnew Emmets: Patrick Doyle; Enda Foley, Tomas Colllins, Michael Osborne; Richard O’Hara, Paul Nolan, Dara Foley; Sean Kinsella, PJ Mulhall; Ian Clancy, Gary Doran, Joe Hughes; Patrick Nolan, John Kavanagh Jody Byrne. Subs: Jonathan Smith for P Nolan, Patrick Doyle for G Doran, Stephen Murphy for S Kinnsella, Patrick Doyle for P Nolan, Jimmy Ryan for J Kavanagh.

Rocks: Keith Barnes; Chris Kavanagh, Sean Pierce, Philip Byrne; Keith Long, Kevin Reilly, Paul O’Leary; Cormac Whitmore, Jason Redmond; Daniel Long, John Foxton, Danny Curran; Brian O’Leary, Gerry Byrne, Paddy Kinsella. Sub: Derek Black for J Redmond. Ref: Jimmy Kelly