Co. hurling champions all march on to semis
Comprehensive shield success as Ross lads outplayed
MONAGEER-BOOLAVOGUE 3-15 GERALDINE O’HANRAHANS 0-7
PRODUCING A fine display, Monageer-Boolavogue eventually cruised to a comprehensive victory over Geraldine O’Hanrahans in this Wexford People Under-17 hurling Roinn 2 shield final in Oylegate.
The eventual winners only trailed in this game in the opening minute when Andy Cash pointed the opposition in front from a free.
However, once Ronan O’Leary sped through the defence to shoot his side’s opening goal after 15 minutes, the Monageer-Boolavogue boys never looked back, having shot into a morale-boosting 1-3 to 0-2 lead.
Andy Cash’s pointed frees kept the New Ross side in touch as they trailed by 1-4 to 0-4 after 20 minutes, but Darren Kelly shot his team’s second goal, while also tagging on a further three points in a golden spell for the impressive attacker, to send Monageer-Boolavogue in with an interval lead of 2-9 to 0-5.
The New Ross town side were offered brief hope on the resumption when they did most of the attacking through the first ten minutes.
Within two minutes of the re-start, Andy Cash broke through the centre of defence to fire to the net, but the referee called back play and awarded a 20-metre free, which Cash shot low but it was saved and eventually cleared to safety.
When Cash pointed a ’65 one minute later, they followed with another promising attack, but the winners’ goalkeeper, Patrick Redmond, brought off a great reflex save from Tony Murphy whose shot seemed destined for the net.
Despite the pressure through this ten-minute spell, all they had to show for it was one point, but had any of their goal efforts came to fruition it would have given them that much-needed boost.
Following this spell in defence, Monageer-Boolavogue began to get their game back together, with substitute Eoin Gahan firing over an excellent 43rd-minute point, his side’s opening score of the second-half.
While Cash responded with a pointed free, the New Ross lads were unable to fashion that vital goal which led to a struggle for the final quarter.
Twelve minutes from the end, substitute Gahan created space to the right of goal before firing high past ’keeper Ryan Gardiner into the opposite corner of the net.
That gave his side 3-11 to 0-8 lead to take into the closing stages which they dominated as Darren Kelly tagged on further points before being called ashore as the eventual winners began to utilise their bench.
Once they hit the front, Monageer-Boolavogue never looked back, and but for that opening ten-minute spell on the resumption, they controlled most of the game with Ronan O’Leary and Darren Kelly particularly outstanding in the attack.
Monageer-Boolavogue: Patrick Redmond; Rúairí Leacy, Ryan Farrell, Jack Doran; Jack Redmond, Noel Rowsome, Fionn Walshe; Conor Dolan (0-1), Eoin Dolan; James Mernagh (0-1), Ronan O’Leary (1-3), Darren Kelly (1-8, 0-4 frees); Matthew Figgis (0-1), Dylan Brady, Peter Gahan. Subs. - Eoin Gahan (1-1) for Brady, Alan O’Neill for E. Dolan, Ryan Collier for Kelly, T.J. Breen for Leacy, also Johnny O’Brien, Joe Donnelly, James Don- nelly, James De Lacey, Ian Rigley, Joe Ivory.
Geraldine O’Hanrahans: Ryan Gardiner; Liam Walsh, Kyle McGrath, Adam Walsh; Dean Murphy, Paddy Somers, Adam Fenlon; Tony Murphy, Craig McDonald; Josh Kehoe, Cody Purcell, Killian Murphy (0-1); Andy Cash (0-6, 5 frees, 1 ’65), Christian Burrell, Jake Canning. Subs. - Adam Molloy for Somers, Ryan Bolger for Burrell.
Referee: Mick Lanigan (Shelmaliers).