Foley saves the day
Late goal secures draw for Rapps
ST MARTIN’S 2-15 RAPPAREES 1-18
A GOAL with the last puck of the game from Rapparees midfielder Kevin Foley meant the spoils were shared in the Pettitts’s Senior Hurling Championship Group A on Saturday evening.
In a game which was close throughout, it looked like St. Martins had done just enough until Foley’s last-gasp strike earned a draw for the Enniscorthy men.
The early exchanges were a sign of things to come as the sides were tied at four points apiece at the midpoint in the first half with Liam Ryan and Ben Maddock getting the pick of the scores. The Rapparees had the advantage of a swirling breeze but were guilty of hitting a couple of wides early on.
St. Martin’s, for their part were more clinical and Ciaran Lyng was proving a real handful at full-forward and his brace put St. Martin’s into a three-point lead after twenty minutes.
The remainder of the half was nip and tuck with the Rapparees squandering a couple of decent goal chances and as the whistle blew St. Martin’s were ahead 0-10 to 0-7.
Rapparees began the second half brightly and ‘Mossy’ Mahon very nearly gave them a dream start but his pulled effort went narrowly wide of the goal.
He was making no mistakes from placed balls though, and his accuracy meant that the sides were level coming into the final ten minutes.
The drama began to unfold when St. Martin’s were awarded a close-in free with five minutes to play. Ciaran Lyng tapped it over but the referee disallowed it, as he adjudged Lyng had encroached inside the 21-yard line. From the resulting throw-in, Jack O’Connor found the net to put St. Martin’s ahead. A Mahon free reduced the deficit but a further blow to the Rapparees came when Ben Maddock hit the net after a goalmouth scramble and immediately followed it up with a fine point.
A Ryan Mahon point closed the gap but it looked like St. Martin’s had done enough until ‘Mossy’ Mahon won a free in a dangerous area and after his attempt was saved, Foley was on hand to ensure the Enniscorthy district side clinched a deserved draw.
St. Martin’s: Luke White, Conor Firman, Patrick O’Connor, Willie Devereux, Daithi Waters, Aaron Maddock, Paidi Kelly, Mark Maloney (0-1), Barry O’ Connor, Ben Maddock (1-2), Jack, O’ Connor (1-1, 1 65’), Jake Firman (0-1), Mikey Coleman (0-2), Ciaran Lyng (0-6, 1 free), Conor Coleman. Subs: Jack Devereux (0-2) for Conor Coleman (inj) (25) Eoin O’ Leary for Jake Firman (Blood) (46).
Rapparees: Eamon Furlong, Mel Doyle, Liam Ryan (0-1), Dillon Redmond, Jack Kelly, Ricky Fox, James Peare (0-1), Leonard Connolly, Kevin Foley (1-1), Kevin Ryan (0-1), Ryan Mahon (0-3), Anthony Roche, Alan Tobin, Mossy Mahon (0-11 8 frees, 2 65’s), Darragh Pepper. Subs: Ed Tobin for Darragh Pepper (30), Ben Edwards for Ricky Fox (inj).
Referee: J. Kelly