Second success on trot for high-scoring Mellows

LIAM MELLOWS 5-16 SHAMROCKS 2-10

LIAM MELLOWS notched a second successive win in the Greenstar Under-20 hurling Division 4B championship when three second-half goals saw them ease over the finish line against Shamrocks in Wednesday’s tie at Coolgreany.

The Enniscorthy lads arrived at the sundrenched venue with a cobbled-together 15, but showed commendable enterprise in the first ten minutes, as Terry O’Connor’s bouncer goal gave them a slim 1-1 to 0-1 lead.

But then Eoin Cullen assumed centre-stage. The emerging sharpshooter proceeded to display almost perfect accuracy from dead-balls, and converted twelve of his 13 efforts at the posts from such means, while also chipping in with two well-taken goals to kill off any Shamrocks belief.

His first goal arrived on 16 minutes after some good build-up play from Liam Coleman, and Cullen may well have rattled the net again eight minutes later only for an outstanding reflex save from Ricky Murphy.

A couple of inspiring points from Brandon O’Connor and Ricky O’Leary kept Shamrocks interested, but by the time Coleman pointed to become only the second Mellows player apart from Cullen to score, they had stretched their advantage to 1-11 to 1-4 at half-time.

Seán Óg Stafford added his name to the scoresheet three minutes after the break when he found the roof of the net after Chris Callanan’s initial shot spun upwards and into his line of vision.

Callanan followed suit six minutes later when his rocket flew through a hole in the net and a goal was correctly given, while Cullen emphatically hammered home his second major at the end of the third quarter.

Anthony Giltrap did peg a consolation goal back for Shamrocks when he was quickest to react to the breaking ball by batting to the net amid a mini-melee on 47 minutes (4-14 to 2-6).

But the hosts finished with aplomb as Sam Cody win lie

Roche, ragh Kevin Joe (1-

Connors, O’Connor Darragh Ricky O’Connor

Cody rifled home their fifth goal to cap off a fine win against a Shamrocks side that refused to lie down.

Liam Mellows: Frank Kavanagh; David Byrne, Frank Roche, Mikey Fenlon; Dylan Goland, Ross Cody, Darragh Heffernan; Robbie Brooks, Liam Coleman (0-1);

Kevin Cleary, Eoin Cullen (2-12, 0-11 frees, 0-1 ‘65), Joe Barrett; Seán Óg Stafford (1-1), Chris Callanan 1-2), Sam Cody (1-0).

Shamrocks: Ricky Murphy; Rhys Dunne, Johnny Connors, Dylan Sullivan; Mick O’Brien, Brandon O’Connor (0-2), Kian Cowman; Peter O’Sullivan, Darragh Kirwan; Darren Martin, Seán O’Sullivan (0-1), Ricky O’Leary (0-5, 2 frees); Philip O’Brien (0-1), Terry O’Connor (1-1), Anthony Giltrap (1-0).

Referee: Paddy Brady (Ballygarrett).