Coláiste Bhríde to go again after draw with Wexford CBS
at Ferns C.O.E. WEXFORD CBS COLÁISTE BHRÍDE 2-11 3-8
NOT EVEN extra-time could separate two evenly-matched and well-prepared teams in the Halo Tiles and Bathrooms Ferns Centre of Excellence on Friday when Wexford C.B.S. and Coláiste Bhríde (Carnew) served up over 80 minutes of thrills and spills in an exciting Top Oil South Leinster Schools Junior hurling ‘C’ championship final.
It may be the oldest sporting cliché in the book, but it rung true on this occasion as it truly was a contest that neither side deserved to lose.
And, given the many talking points in this lively contest, those who witnessed it first-hand certainly won’t want to miss the replay.
Seven of the C.B.S. team had played at some stage in their Senior hurling ‘C’ success at the same venue ten days earlier, but they endured a nightmare start and trailed by 2-1 to nil after ten minutes despite having first use of the strong wind.
Coláiste Bhríde had an attacking star in full-forward Joe Conroy, their sole scorer from play throughout, and he wasted no time in stamping his mark on proceedings.
Just 37 seconds had elapsed when the Craanford clubman – wearing number three as per the match programme but performing at the opposite end of the field – intercepted an attempted C.B.S. clearance and rattled the net to give the south Wicklow school the perfect start.
And it got even better because, after captain Owen Young nailed the first of his six points from placed balls, the talented Conroy struck again in the tenth minute.
This time he caught a high delivery from clubmate Brendan Tobin and drove powerfully past Chris Ryan, leaving the C.B.S. with a seven-point deficit to erase.
Their start may have been the stuff of nightmares, but in fairness they stepped it up considerably from that point onwards and hit 1-7 without reply for the remainder of the half to lead by three points at the break.
They lost wing-forward Oisín Waters to injury after a mere nine minutes, but his replacement, Cian Doyle – one of the youngest players on the panel – exerted a major influence on proceedings and ended as his team’s joint top scorer along with midfielder Jason Gordon.
The talented Doyle got his team off the mark with a point from an Eoin Hartigan handpass, and they started to reach the levels they are capable of after Eoin Kavanagh punished a stray Carnew clearance with a long-range point.
Interestingly, both teams had an Eoin Kavanagh in their ranks, and one was as good as the other as the Coláiste Bhríde centre-back and the C.B.S. midfielder were among the best players on view.
The Boker boys continued to pick away at the deficit with a brace of Calum Corcoran points on either side of Cian Doyle’s first converted free, and they hit the front for the first time in the 26th minute.
Team captain Darragh Carley, filling the role of sweeper, delivered a long ball goalwards that was caught by Zach Breslin, and he turned before finishing expertly to the net (1-5 to 2-1).
Jason Gordon added two points, the first from a free, to leave three between the teams at the interval, but it didn’t appear to be a very safe lead given that strong wind.
Scores were in short supply for most of the second-half until a drama-filled finish, with C.B.S. unable to add to their tally for all of 23 minutes after another Cian Doyle free pushed them further clear by 1-8 to 2-1.
Sweeper Eoin Kavanagh repeatedly drove Carnew forward, and Joe Conroy was the usual target, but each and every one of the points that saw them claw their way back to parity were hard-earned.
After Owen Young knocked over a free, they endured a twelve-minute barren spell themselves before Conroy availed of a Seán Kehoe handpass to make it 1-8 to 2-3 at the start of the last quarter.
They eventually drew level after another brace of Young frees, but he had missed a scoreable one in between, while Conroy was only denied what probably would have been the game-clinching goal by an incredible piece of defending.
It was one of the bravest blocks I have seen on a hurling field in a long time, with C.B.S. corner-back Seán Byrne showing no regard for his personal safety as he launched himself at the sliothar.
The twists and turns continued, with Cian Doyle restoring the C.B.S. lead from a free before they were rocked by the concession of a third goal.
Two minutes and 20 seconds of normal time remained when Owen Young’s long-range free was flicked expertly to the net by Joe Conroy, completing his hat-trick in the process (3-5 to 1-9).
After a missed placed ball at either end, the pendulum swung back in favour of the C.B.S. in the second minute of added time when Cian Doyle’s teasing free from the left led to a goalmouth scramble, and Jason Gordon was on hand to force the ball over the line.
Carnew still had a few minutes to at least force extra-time, and they made the most of the opportunity.
Joe Conroy hooked a defender, gained possession and was fouled close to goal, and Owen Young didn’t let the tension upset him as he floated over the leveller (3-6 to 2-9) with the second-last puck before Dickie Murphy’s long whistle.
Carnew won the toss which meant they had the wind in their favour again for the first extra-time period, but it was mainly about tired legs at that stage as they could only muster one point, from an Owen Young ‘65.
One piece of admirable sportsmanship during that spell is worthy of note, though, as when Carnew’s Cian O Túama was laid low by cramp that forced him off, Oliver McMahon of the C.B.S. came immediately to his aid and rendered assistance until the Coláiste Bhríde mentors arrived on the scene. It summed up, in a nutshell, the great mutual respect on show even though the two rival teams were giving everything in pursuit of victory.
Cramp was also the cause for Carnew having to switch their two big guns, as the injured Eoin Kavanagh moved to full-forward while Joe Conroy took over at centre-back.
C.B.S. levelled 63 seconds after the final break when Cian Doyle latched on to a Josh Carley handpass and split the posts, but a brilliant long-range point by Conroy restored Carnew’s advantage.
Adam O’Donoghue advanced smartly to save the day when re-introduced substitute Eoin Hartigan came close to goaling for C.B.S., and 15 seconds later there was controversy when Wexford’s Eoin Kavanagh arrowed a point attempt goalwards from the right wing.
The C.B.S. mentor on the near post flagged for a point, while his Carnew counterpart on the far post was adamant that the ball had gone wide.
Referee Dickie Murphy was faced with a no-win situation but opted to award the point and, in the circumstances it was probably the best outcome for everyone concerned that the teams will have to do it all over again.
Carnew had one last chance to win it after Owen Young was fouled on the left wing, but it was a difficult attempt into the wind and his effort went wide.
Full-time was blown on the puck-out, after eleven minutes and 43 seconds in that half, with a phone call to the powers-thatbe confirming that a replay would follow.
Regardless of the eventual winner, it’s clear from the fine fare on offer that both schools are doing tremendous work in the promotion of hurling, and the clubs of south Wicklow, north Wexford, and Wex- ford town and its environs will be all the better for it.
Adam O’Donoghue (Askamore); Cian O Túama (Naomh Eanna), Conor Wafer (Carnew Emmets), James Doyle (Craanford); John Young (Carnew Emmets), Eoin Kavanagh (Carnew Emmets), Thomas Collins (Carnew Emmets); Seán Hughes (Ballynastragh Gaels), Shane Browne (Avondale); Cormac Redmond (Carnew Emmets), Owen Young (Carnew Emmets, capt., 0-6, 5 frees, 1 ‘65), Brendan Tobin (Craanford); Stephen Kenny (Askamore), Joe Conroy (Craanford, 3-2), Adam Hadden (Tinahely). Subs. - Seán Kehoe (Askamore) for Hadden (HT), Pádraig Donoghue (Craanford) for Browne (37), Larry Kinsella (Tinahely) for O Túama, inj. (70+3), Thomas Hayden (Tinahely) for Collins (73), also Maurice Tobin (Craanford), Ben O’Donoghue (Craanford), Maurice Shiel (Carnew Emmets), Conor Byrne (Annacurra), Dan Redmond (Carnew Emmets), Dan Hedderman (Tinahely), Eddie Smith (Carnew Emmets), Caoimhín Rawson (Carnew Emmets).
COLÁISTE BHRÍDE:
WEXFORD C.B.S.: Chris Ryan (St. Martin’s); Seán Byrne (Faythe Harriers), Ben Hynes (Faythe Harriers), Mark Doyle (Taghmon-Camross); Oliver McMahon (Faythe Harriers), Darragh Carley (Glynn-Barntown, capt.), Tommy Gallagher (Glynn-Barntown); Jason Gordon (Faythe Harriers, 1-2, 0-1 free), Eoin Kavanagh (Faythe Harriers, 0-2); Calum Corcoran (Faythe Harriers, 0-2), Eoin Hartigan (Faythe Harriers), Oisín Waters (St. Martin’s); Zach Breslin (St. Martin’s, 1-0), Josh Carley (Glynn-Barntown), Tadhg Brohan (St. Mary’s, Rosslare). Subs. - Cian Doyle (Shelmaliers, 0-5, 3 frees) for Waters, inj. (9), Andrew Moran (St. Anne’s) for Corcoran (44), Owen McNulty (Buffers Alley) for Hartigan (54), Hartigan for McNulty (HT ET), Corcoran for Moran (HT ET), also Jake Doyle (Glynn-Barntown), Alex Looney (St. Mary’s, Rosslare), Ollie Gould (St. Mary’s, Rosslare), David Kelly (Taghmon-Camross), Rian Doyle (St. Mary’s, Rosslare), Cillian Doyle (Our Lady’s Island), Conor Keane (St. Martin’s), Jack Corcoran (Faythe Harriers).
REFEREE:
Dickie Murphy (Rapparees).