Boker boys shine
Nine-goal haul seals provincial title
WEXFORD C.B.S. 9-8 CISTERCIAN (RCREA) 5-4
THE INAUGURAL Top Oil Leinster Schools first year hurling Division 3 trophy is on its way to Wexford C.B.S. after a hugely entertaining final with Cistercian (Roscrea) on Wednesday.
The Boker boys might have been a little nervous with the 13-a-side rules imposed by their opponents’ lack of numbers, but they didn’t show it on the astro in Heywood Community School, Ballinakill, Co. Laois, as they produced a polished display to take the cup.
They started to show the immense amount of work going on in the school to improve their players in the early stages.
In fact, barely 30 seconds had elapsed when Andrew Moran whipped a stunning pull on a bouncing ball and arrowed it past Colm Cunningham.
Cistercian took a couple of minutes to hit back in kind through their brightest star, James Conroy, and they then took the lead in controversial fashion, netting on the counter-attack through Richard Whelan moments after Cian Doyle went down when racing at goal at the other end.
Trailing by 2-0 to 1-1, C.B.S. completely took control.
Doyle grabbed his first goal and followed it with a couple of neat points.
Adam Murphy drilled home a lovely major, Quinlin Kelly pulled home, and Moran registered his second with a cool finish.
When Doyle brought his tally to 1-4 by the break, Wexford C.B.S. were in a commanding 5-5 to 2-1 lead. Liam Donohoe finished low to the goal shortly after the re-start as the status quo looked set to continue.
However, Roscrea made a fight of it in the third quarter. James Conroy netted twice more to compete a hat-trick and Robert Roe hit the net to pull their side within six points with 16 minutes to play (6-5 to 5-2).
Donohoe popped over a point, and it was followed quickly by a booming score into the wind by Fionn O’Callaghan.
The scoring burst continued when Tadhg Hayes whipped on a breaking ball and pulled to the net, and it was that goal that put the result beyond doubt.
Substitute Conor Mackey proved that his side were better equipped for the 13-a-side game when he scored a classy major with five minutes left.
It was fitting that captain Cian Doyle wrapped up his side’s scoring with his second goal, completing an excellent individual and team performance.
Wexford C.B.S.: William Lin (St. Mary’s, Rosslare); Fionn O’Callaghan (Glynn-Barntown, 0-2), Danny Howlin (St. Mary’s, Rosslare); Rian Salmon (Blackwater), Tadhg Brohan (St. Mary’s, Rosslare), Oisín Meyler (Our Lady’s Island); Tadhg Hayes (St. Mary’s, Rosslare, 1-0), Cian Doyle (Shelmaliers, capt., 2-4, 0-2 frees, 0-1 ‘65); Adam Murphy (Shelmaliers, 1-0), Jack Kennedy (Faythe Harriers), Andrew Moran (St. Anne’s, 2-0); Liam Donohoe (Glynn-Barntown, 1-2), Quinlin Kelly (St. Fintan’s, 1-0). Subs. - Conor Mackey (Glynn-Barntown, 1-0) for Kelly (49), Dylan Moran (St. Anne’s) for Kennedy (54), Calum McDonald (Glynn-Barntown) for Doyle (56), Harry Quirke (St. Martin’s) for Howlin (57), Darragh Sinnott (St. Anne’s) for Donohoe (59), Stephen McDonald (Kilmore) for Hayes (60), also Alex Breen (Glynn-Barntown), Danny Browne (St. Anne’s), Luke Cullen (Shelmaliers), Conor Dempsey (St. Martin’s), Rory Flannery (St. Anne’s), Eoin McMahon (St. Anne’s), Evan Murphy (Faythe Harriers), Eoin Walsh (Glynn-Barntown), Moustafa Weis (unattached).
Cistercian Roscrea: Colm Cunningham; Kian Fallon, Max Flynn; Kyle Hanamy, Fabian Fleetwood, Alex Moloney; Charlie O’Sullivan, Conor Frawley (0-4, 3 frees); Bill Cleere, Richard Whelan (1-0), Michael O’Sullivan; James Conroy (3-0), Robert Roe (1-0). Sub. - Caleb Kennedy for Fallon (60).
Referee: Ronan Devaney (Laois).
DUFFRY ROVERS Camogie Club have a very special day just around the corner, as they are set to celebrate their 40th anniversary with an informal gathering of some of the club’s great players in Ballindaggin’s Holy Grail on March 31.
Plans are yet to be completed but suffice to say a special night is in the offing, with many of the leading players through the club’s history expected to come together to celebrate a sense of local pride and achievement.
Some of the triumphs that will be remembered are the winning of the Junior and Intermediate county titles in the ‘80s, and doing the same with the next generation two decades on. The closest the club has come to a Senior final was a semi appearance in 2008.
There will also be special attention paid to the club’s founding members, the first team and their inter-county players which have included Deirdre Codd, her mother Ruth Hatton, Rose Byrne (mother of Liam Ryan), and Tina Fitzhenry.