A wonderful taster of what is to come

THERE are no guarantees that Sligo’s Senior hurlers will score 26 times in each of their games this year. Who knows if this team’s new talisman, Gerard O’Kelly-Lynch, will notch scores for fun in Sligo’s next game, just as he did against Armagh when he accurately registered 1-11.

Sligo will face better teams than Armagh, particularly in the Christy Ring Cup, and maybe teams not as good as Armagh, especially in upcoming rounds of Division 3A of the Allianz Hurling League.

Whatever the variables are in the weeks to come and how much of this Sligo can or can’t control, last Saturday’s win over Armagh was a powerfully encouraging portent. Last year’s Division 3B champions needed to set down a marker and they did just that.

Armagh will argue that the second-half penalty that they missed was the turning point.

But Armagh’s intentions of turning up and getting the job done without fuss was in jeopardy long before Sligo goalkeeper Stephen Fleming brilliantly saved Fionntan Donnelly’s spot-kick attempt.

Just as Keith Raymond inherited Paul Severs’ mantle, the Raymond-shaped void has been filled by Gerard O’Kelly-Lynch. With just one county team to play for now, the one-time dual star is Sligo’s go-to guy for frees, winning them and converting them, just as Severs and Raymond were.

At different junctures in the respective careers of Severs and Raymond they had good players around them. O’Kelly-Lynch is surrounded by a good team. While he topped the scorers’ charts at Markievicz

Park, he was in the queue for Sligo’s Player of the Match prize. James Weir, Kevin Banks, the McHugh brothers, Gerard’s younger brother Tony, Niall Feehily, Thomas Cawley and Conor Hannify were among a lengthy list of prominent performers for the home side.

Teenager Thomas Cawley, name-checked by manager Padraig Mannion in his post-match musings, deserves special mention.

Scorer of the winning point in last year’s Sligo Senior Hurling Championship final, Cawley looked at ease, confident and skilful on his Senior intercounty debut.

There is a long way to go if Sligo are to win a national hurling title for the fourth year in succession.

Still, there is the promise that the team can be even stronger when Andrew Kilcullen, Finnian Cawley and Kevin Gilmartin return from injury. Already the signs are there that this could be another progressive year for Sligo hurling.

RESULTS

Played on Saturday, May 22

Allianz Hurling League Division 3B

ROUND TWO: Sligo 2-24, Armagh 1-18

FIXTURES

Allianz Hurling League Division 3B

Saturday, May 29 ROUND THREE: Sligo v Longford (Markievicz Park, 3pm) Saturday, June 12 ROUND FOUR: Tyrone v Sligo (Healy Park, Omagh, 2pm) Saturday, June 19

ROUND FIVE: Monaghan v Sligo (Grattan Park, Inniskeen, 2pm)