A blog for Irish sports fans covering Gaelic Football, Hurling, Camogie, Rugby, Swimming, Soccer and Lacrosse U21 and Senior Championships
Monday, 26 September 2022
LGFA Wicklow Semi final senior
Bray Emmets 2-3
St Pats 0-10
Eoin Horkan
Greystones
As darkness began to fall in
Greystones on Saturday night a last minute fisted point was enough to see St
Pats get the better of Bray Emmets by a solitary point.
With a county final at stake
there was never more than a goal in the difference between these sides. After a
nervy opening seven minutes the deadlock was finally broken as Pats corner
forward Erynn O’ Brien fired over the bar. With both defences on top from the
start it was a surprise when Bray managed to take a goal lead as Laura Butler
levelled the game, before she rattled the back of the net for her side The
Emmets sat back on this lead hoping their defence would keep the opposition
forwards quiet, which they did. Pats had to look elsewhere for the scores it
was midfielder Sarah Delahunt who delivered these scores from the middle of
park in between another Butler effort on the counterattack for Bray. With the
half drawing to a close Naoise O’ Reilly drove through the centre of the Emmets
defence to narrow the gap to the minimum. It was the north Wicklow side who
competed the first half scoring as Shauna Douglas showed she could emulate what
the Pats midfield was doing as she split the posts to leave two points between
the sides at the interval.
Pats took control of the
possession from the start of the second half but between a mix of great
defending and way ward shooting there forward unit were still finding it
difficult to trouble the scoreboard. It was the Wicklow towns midfield who were
keeping them in the tie as Niamh McGettigan drove an effort over the bar.
Moments later Sarah Delahunt stepped up to take a penalty that she drove off
the crossbar as Pats were trying all they could to take control of this tie .
Their hard work eventually paid off as
they levelled the tie minutes later through wing back Lucy Dunne. Within
minutes Bray had regained the lead as wing forward Una O’ Grady slotted a ball into the Pats
net. This second major didn’t stop the Wicklow town sides onslaught as they
kept pushing forward with Delahunt and McGettigan to the fore. It was the
aforementioned Delahunt who slotted two frees along with a second minor from McGettigan.
With the tie level it was Pats who manged to take the lead for the second and
most decisive time in the game as full forward Laura Manley found herself in
the perfect position to fist over the bar just before the final whistle.
This win means Pats will play
county champions Tinahely in the upcoming county final.
St Pats: Ellen Griffin; Molly
Callery, Medb O’Keane, Eadoin O’Keane; Brooke Griffin, Kate Hennessy, Lucy
Dunne (0-1); Sarah Delahunt (0-4,2fs) , Niamh McGettigan (0-2); Sarah Evans,
Naoise O’ Reilly (0-1), Kayleigh Crammond, Rionagh McGettgan, Laura Manley
(0-1), Erynn O’ Brien (0-1).
Subs: Holly McSorley for E O’
Brien, Luci Hobbs for K Crammond
Bray Emmets: Amy Butler; Emma
Doyle, Jane Butler, Emily Deveney: Juliette Fortune, Orla O’ Keefe, Aoife
Gillen; Alice Fitzgerald, Shauna Douglas (0-1); April Harty, Mikaela Shelley,
Una O’ Grady (1-0); Anna Craig, Lauren Rowe, Laura Butler (1-2).
Referee Ian Culbert (Rathnew)
Friday, 23 September 2022
Avondale vs Baltinglass Junior Championship
Avondale
3-7
The
final quarter of the half was when the visitors took complete control of this
tie with five unanswered points in a row. As his side were controlling the
middle it was Baltinglass midfielder John Timmons who started this run of
scores before Kealy added his second this time from play, before Timmons’s
midfield partner Alan Nolan added a third successive score. With five minutes
to go in the half the home side went down to fourteen men as Cian Ward was
given a black card for a deliberate trip. With the man advantage it was
opposition wing forward Ross Nolan who was next to trouble the scoreboard this
time from play. The last three scores of the half were all from place balls as Kealy
slotted two in between another effort from Manley who was keeping his side
within touching distance . This left six points between the sides at the break.
It
was the south Wicklow side that opened the scoring in the second half as that man Kealy extended his sides
lead. The Dales response came from there full forward Shane Farrer before
sharpshooter Kealy slotted another dead ball. With the lead being extended it
was the Dales who made a game of it again with there second major this time
through Shane Farrer who made sure of
the goal after his first effort came back of the crossbar, Manley narrowed the
gap further with an exquisite free from the sideline. After a brief period of dominance
from the home side it was Baltinglass that took control again as Hanlon burst
through to find the the net for his side with Timmons adding a free from out
wide minutes later. The home side were
finding it difficult to score from play but another Manley free along with the
goals were keeping the home side in touch but barely. With ten minutes to go in
this tie Balto wing back O’ Toole drove
forward twice in a number of minutes to finish his sides scoring , this was in
between a minor from home sides substitute Dylan Graham. The final score of the
game was a consolation goal from the home side as Donal McGraynor Jr stuck away
a penalty with the last kick of the game.
Subs used: Conor Flood for F Dunne, Steven Quinn for B Nolan, Paudie Swinbourne for J Manley, Edward Gorman for R Nolan, Jamie McTiernan for T Kealy.
Avondale: Ray Nolan; Kieran Penn, Kevin Sheehan, Jack Bailey Johnson; Harrison Penn, Kevin Fitzpatrick, Ryan Kenny; Conor Sheehan, Shane Byrne; Cian Ward, Jack Manley(0-5. 4fs), Anthony Byrne; Christopher Silery (1-0), Shane Farrer(1-1), Donal McGraynor.
Referee Conor Doyle (Coolkenno)
Sunday, 18 September 2022
Intermidiate Religation semi final Wicklow
Kilmacanogue 0-9
Valleymount 3-11
Kilmacanogue
Eoin Horkan
The first round of the intermediate
relegation competition took place in Kilmacanogue late Sunday morning. The early
morning journey across the mountains didn’t affect Valleymount as they ran out
eleven point winners.
It was the home side that
opened the scoring in this encounter with centre forward Simon Doyle slotting
an early free. Valleymount responded quickly when midfielder Tadhg Miley drove
through the middle of the park to fire over the bar. With Valleymount starting
to control the play this resulted in a fine flowing move which ended up in the
hands of Robbie Miley who fired into the net for his side. It was Kilmacanogue
who responded to this goal with a well taken point from centre back Gavan Burke.
This was the last time the home side troubled the scoreboard until the last
kick of the half as Valleymount scored two goals and four points from the tenth
minute of the half onwards. As the visitors pushed forward it was Sean Higgins
who added his name to his side’s scorers with a fine effort from out wide.
Valleymount fired in a second goal of the half as Mark Richardson rattled the
back of the net to extend his sides lead. It was the away sides half back line
and midfield who were the catalyst for there dominance as Declan Cahill finished off another fine
flowing move for his side raising a white flag. With eight minutes to go in the
first half Valleymount opened their account from dead balls with two in the
space of three minutes from the boot of Brian Miley. Just before Mileys second
effort Richardson added a third goal of the half to consolidate there half time
lead. The final score of the half was a point
was from the home sides wing back Michael Whelan who drove forward at the end
of the half to stem the tide.
The second half of this tie
was a much more end to end as Kilmacanogue knew they had to narrow the gap but
every time they score Valleymount went down the other end to jeep the gap
between the sides.. It was Whelan who added his second at the start of the half
before Higgins cancelled out the early score. It was then the turn of Doyle to
open his account from play for the home side. As both sides were starting to
empty there bench it was Valleymount’s who made a bigger impact as Jack Miley slotted
two points off the bench in between an effort from Conor Gallagher. With the
game heading towards its inevitable ending both full forwards added minors each
it was Niall Meldon who narrowed the gap slightly before Richardson fired over
down the opposite end. It was the dangerous Doyle who narrowed the scores as he won an free before converting
it himself. As previous mentioned Valleymount subs were causing damage this time it was Adam
Condon who spilt the posts. The final two scores of the game came from the aforementioned
Meldon before midfielder Miley finished off the scoring in this tie.
Valleymount: Wayne Comerford; Shane Browne, Robbie Behan; Mick Byrne, William Kavanagh, Jean Luc Morris; Tadhg Miley (0-2), Declan Cahill (0-1); Liam Miley, Brian Flynn, Sean Higgins (0-2); Robbie Miley (1-0), Mick Richardson (2-1), Brian Miley (0-2fs).
Subs Used: Jack Miley (0-2)
for R Miley, Sam Reid for J.L. Morris, Adam Condon (0-1) for J Miley,
Jack Slattery for S Higgins, Paul Foster for B Flynn.
Kilmacanogue: John Fox: Joseph
Molloy, Cian Rafferty, Eoin Tohy; Michael Whelan (0-2), Gavan Burke (0-1), Luke
O’ Callaghan; Andrew Molloy, Robert Conan; Conor Gallagher(0-1), Simon Doyle
(0-3), Ben O’ Callaghan; Luke Kelly, Niall Meldon (0-2), Stephen Flynn.
Subs Used: Sean Clarke for
L Kelly, Jason Doyle for S Flynn, Michaél Masterson for J Molloy.
Referee Hugh Murphy (Bray
Emmets)
Wednesday, 14 September 2022
Kilcoole vs Clan Na Gael LGFA Junior
LGFA JAFC Quarter Final
Kilcoole 9-10
Clan Na Gael 2-4
Kilcoole GAA
Eoin Horkan
On Sunday morning in there home ground the Kilcoole Junior team produced
a stunning performance scoring nearly as many goals as points to overcome
visitors Clan Na Gael.
From the opening whistle the home side powered forward through
midfielder Charlotte Nagle who found the net inside the first minute. Clan Na
Gael’s response was immediate as they levelled the game with a goal from Sophie
Nolan. The visitors then took the lead as midfielder Jamie Curran Carr fired
over under pressure. The rest of the half was all out attack from the Kilcoole
girls as they powered on after the early setback. It was wing forward Robyn
Evans who swung the tie back in her sides favour with her sides second goal of
the game. The Goosebank girls were causing trouble anytime the ball went into
the inside line with Robyn Rooney firing over three points in between an effort
from play from centre forward Aoife Keddy. This left six points between the
sides at the break.
The second half was much of the same from the home side as full
forward Angie Prendergast netted before
Evans added her second goal inside the opening minutes of the half. With
Kilcoole well in control Keddy slotted over another point. With the game
effectively over as a contest Clan Na Gael fired in a second goal from Laura O’
Toole who burst through the defence Carr added her second point to stem the
tide for a brief period. The home side who were scoring at will as Prendergast
pointed before Evans completed her hat-trick by lobbing the goalkeeper. With
fifteen minutes left to go in the tie Angie Prendergast was running through the
opposition defence at ease resulting in another goal and a point for her in
quick succession. It was then the turn of substitute Lucy Nagle to raise a
white flag before Taylor Brandon did the same for the home side. The final
score of this flurry was another major from Robyn Rooney. With only a few
minutes to go O’ Toole and Carr added there sides last two points of the game.
With three minutes left Prendergast netted a final goal for herself before
finishing off her scoring with a point . The final score of the game was a well
taken goal from Nagle after a mistake from the goalie.
This leaves Kilcoole in the last four of the ladies junior championship
for the second season in a row.
Kilcoole: Naomi Meakin: Grace Drumgoole, Leanne Hannon, Lucy Toomey;
Chloe Byrne, Grace Murphy, Holly Martin; Lucy Rooney, Charlotte Nagle (2-0);
Robyn Evans (3-0), Aoife Keddy (0-2), Kayla Devlin; Robyn Rooney (1-3), Angie
Prendergast (3-3), Taylor Brandon(0-1).
Subs Used: Lucy Nagle (0-1) for Robyn Evans , Amy Byrne for Aoife Keddy,
Ella Mackey for Grace Drumgoole, Raynah Byrne for Kayla Devlin.
Clan Na Gael: Katie Walsh; Aisling Power, Rebecca Drew, Jen McGrath;
Helen Kirwan, Shauna Kearns, Jen Ryan; Hannah Holly, Jamie Curran Carr (0-3);
Sophie Curran, Lara Reddin, Sophie Nolan (1-0); Tara Brady, Laura O’ Toole
(1-1), Michelle Murray.
Subs Used: Paris Flynn for Jen Ryan, Laura Shanahan for Michelle Murray,
Heather Blackbyrne for Lara Reddin, Hannah Doyle for Hannah Holly.
Referee: Terry Canavan
Tinahealy vs Bray LGFA Senior
Tinahealy 3-16
Bray Emmets 2-6
Bray Emmets GAA Club
Eoin Horkan
A strong second half
performance from the Tinahealy was enough for them to overcome a valiant Bray
effort on Saturday night in the north Wicklow venue.
It was the travelling side who
opened the scoring firing a goal and three points early in the tie. It was
centre forward Eimear O Sullivan who opened the scoring with a point. Tinahealy
who moved full forward Jackie Kinch out the pitch from early on were causing
havoc with a two women inside line. It was corner forward Laura Hogan who fired
the ball high into the roof of the net inside five minutes before she pointed
minutes later. The home side eventually went on the attack after Hogan’s latest
effort, the ball landed into the hands of full forward Lauren Rowe whose long
range effort found the net against the run of play. This was a brief moment of
respite as Tinahealy kept on scoring at will as Emily Mulhall and Jackie Kinch
both raised white flags for there side . The long direct ball from midfield
into the forward line was still causing trouble as Hogan added two more to her
tally firstly, from a place ball before slotting over from play. Rowe was
Bray’s only threat as she pointed to reduce the margin slightly. The south
Wicklow side grabbed there second major of the game from sharpshooter Hogan who
finished neatly into the corner. With the game minutes away from half time the
home side’s wing forward Aoife Gillen slotted over from a narrow angle. It was
then the turn of midfielder Shauna Douglas as she burst through the defence
before unleashing an effort into the net for her side . The final two scores of
the half came from the away side as midfielder Aimee Maher and corner forward
Ciara Byrne as they put six points between the sides at the break.
The second half of this tie
was a much more one sided affair as Tinahealy powered to victory . They manged
a goal and six points inside the opening quarter of the half to put the tie out of Bray’s reach. It was
Hogan who was the catalyst as she notched four of the scores alongside Maher and O’ Sullivan.
Not to be outdone by Hogan it was the other corner forward Byrne who netted the
third goal after been expertly set up by Hogan. Bray’s solitary response was a
dead ball from Mikaela Shelley. With six minutes left on the clock Hogan tapped
over her final point of the game. The home side managed to narrow the gap as
Shelley fired over before centre back Orla O’ Keefe drove forward to narrow the
gap slightly. Tinahealy’s final score of the game was a minor from wing forward
Eimear O’ Brien, this also meant all there starting forwards had scored in the
tie. The final score of the tie came from the boot of Douglas right on the full time whistle.
Tinahealy: Shona Byrne; Emily
Hadden, Sarah Hogan, Ciara Stokes; Shannagh
Goetelen , Aine Byrne, Roisin Byrne; Aoife Gorman, Aimee Maher (0-2);
Eimear O’ Brien (0-1), Eimear O’ Sullivan, (0-2) Emily Mulhall (0-1); Ciara
Byrne (1-1), Jackie Kinch (0-1), Laura Hogan (2- 8 3fs).
Subs Used: Niamh Kenny for
Ciara Stokes
Bray Emmets: Amy Butler; Emma
Doyle, Jane Butler, Emily Deveney; Juliette Fortune, Orla O’ Keefe (0-1), Erica
Brierton; Alice Fitzgerald, Shauna Douglas (1-1); Aoife Gillen (0-1), Mikaela
Shelley (0-2), Una O’ Grady; Katrina Smyth, Lauren Rowe (1-1), Anna Craig.
Subs Used: April Harty for Una
O’ Grady, Laura Butler for Katrina Smyth, Alanna Conroy for Lauren Rowe.
Referee Ian Culbert ( Rathnew)
Wicklow vs Blackrock AIL
Wicklow 17
Blackrock College 45
Ashtown Lane
Eoin Horkan
Blackrock should their class in Ashtown Lane on Saturday afternoon
in the opening round of the women AIL competition for 2022/2023.
The home side who were short their captain and vice-captain one was
in attendance while the other was in Canada for the game.
Wicklow who were huge underdogs for this clash didn’t take this tag
to heart as they went after the visitors from the opening kick-off.
With ten minutes gone Blackrock won a penalty and decided to take a
scrum on the halfway line. This scrum resulted in the first try of the
game as scrumhalf Maeve Liston broke down the wing before
crossing the try line for her side. The extras were put wide from a
tight angle. Wicklow kept the pressure on even after this early set
back and within ten minutes they had narrowed the gap to two points
as Beth Roberts fired over a penalty for her side. The next ten minutes
of this tie was riddled with mistakes and some excellent defence from
both sides. The home side then produced a moment of magic as Ella
Roberts at full back collected a ball in her own half before breaking
through the defence , Roberts added the extra as her side took a
deserved lead. The home side kept the pressure on and as they did
Blackrock centre Ciara Scanlan intercepted a pass before offloading
to fly half Lisa Mullen. The fly half managed to run under the posts
unopposed before adding the extras to give her side a two point lead
at the break.
The second half of this tie was a much more one sided affair as
Blackrock started to gain control with Mullen controlling the game at
fly half pushing the Wicklow defence back with some excellent
kicking. It was Mullen who was the catalyst for her sides next try as
she switched play with an excellent pass to Ali Coleman who
powered her way over the line from outside the twenty two metre line.
Mullen couldn’t convert from out wide. Wicklow’s indiscipline was
causing them trouble as they gave away a penalty on there own
twenty two. Mullen took this penalty quickly before dropping her
centre and captain Michelle Claffey into space with a switch pass that
resulted in another try under the posts with the Mullen slotting
another conversion.
With both sides emptying the bench in the final twenty minutes it was
Wicklow sub Saoirse O’ Reilly who made an immediate impact as she
collected a loose ball before weaving her way over the line as Roberts
added the extra two points to narrow the gap. The final ten minutes
the away side managed to cross the whitewash three times. The away
side put the game to bed with a penalty try from a maul which. This
meant no conversion was needed. It was then the turn of substitute
Méabh Deely to cross the line after some great work from Ella
Durkan. The final try of the game came from Anna Doyle who flew
down her wing to finish under the posts as Mullen kicked the final
score of the game.
BLACKROCK COLLEGE: Ella Durkan; Roisin Crowe, Michelle Claffey
(capt), Ciara Scanlan, Anna Doyle; Lisa Mullen, Maeve Liston; Shannon
Heapes, Emma Hooban, Casey O’Brien, Eimear Corri, Anna Potterton, Mairead
Holohan, Beth Cregan, Ali Coleman
Blackrock College: Tries: Maeve Liston, Lisa Mullen, Ali Coleman, Michelle
Claffey, Penalty try, Méabh Deely, Anna Doyle; Cons: Lisa Mullen 4, Pen try
con
Subs Used : Laura Feely for Shannon Heapes , Ann-Marie Rooney for Casey O’
Brien, Niamh Tester for Mairead Holohan , Roisin McWey for Ali Coleman,
Méabh Deely for Michelle Claffey , Natasha Behan for Maeve Liston , Hannah
Hodges for Roisin Crowe .
WICKLOW: Ella Roberts; Meagan Parkinson, Aoibhin Stone, Sarah Gleeson,
Suzanne Tyrrell; Beth Roberts, Roisin Stone; Linda Dempsey, Niamh Ni
Dhroma (capt), Caoimhe Molloy, Rachel Griffey, Caitlin Griffey, Nicola
Schmidt, Jessica Schmidt, Emma Curran.
Scorers: Wicklow: Tries: Ella Roberts, Saoirse O’Reilly; Cons: Beth Roberts 2;
Pen: Beth Roberts.
Replacements: Kathy Byrne for Caoimhe Molloy , Laura Newsome for Nicola
Schmidt , Leah Murphy for Niamh Ní Dhroma, Shauna Soady for Caitlin
Griffey, Orla Molloy for Roisin Stone , Saoirse O’Reilly for Meagan Parkinson.
Referee; Robbie O’ Flynn
Tommy Heffernan Cup Final
St Peter’s 3 (4 Penalties)
Avonmore 3 (2 Penalties)
Little Bray Community Centre.
Eoin Horkan
St Peter’s made home advantage count even after going down to ten men to come out on top on penalties in the curtain raiser for the Wicklow senior soccer league on Friday night. It was goalkeeper Mark O’ Sullivan who netted the penalty to give his side victory.
Avonmore who had travelled up the M11 for the tie started the game much stronger with Mark Cullen controlling the midfielder and Adam Tuke causing damaged on the wing. It was Tuke who unleashed an early effort, but it was well saved by the opposition goalkeeper. St Peter’s who were playing a high defensive line got caught out when Callum Pursey broke the line, but his effort flew well wide with only the goalie to beat. The home sides first major chance came halfway through the half as winger Jake Kane broke down the wing, but his cross come shot flew wide of the post. The game then changed in the thirty third minute when Pursey’s goal bound effort for Avonmore was kept out by the hand of centre back Dan Kelly. This resulted in a red card and a penalty that was well finished by Tuke to give his side the lead. Within minutes of the penalty the visitors doubled their lead as Ryan Cahill broke through one on one to finish into the corner. With ten minutes to go in the first half Cian O’ Hannain drove down the wing for Avonmore his effort from a narrow angle flew wide. The final chance of the half fell to the home side as Tony Harris’s effort was tipped onto the post by the Avonmore goalie got keep his sides lead intact.
Within a minute of the restart Peter’s had brought themselves back into the tie with a goal from Shane O’ Neill with a classy finish. The next fifteen minutes of the final was very cagy as no team carved out any major chances as defences were coming out on top anytime either side got near the opposition goal. With twenty minutes to go in this final ex League of Ireland star O’ Neill levelled the tie with a long range effort that flew into the top corner. Within minutes Avonmore took the lead again as striker Ryan Cahill finished into the net after a lovely pass from Cian O’ Hannain. The final fifteen minutes of the tie the home side pushed forward for the leveller and with six minutes to go Killian O’ Carroll broke onto a long ball before unleashing a unstoppable volley into the top corner. This meant penalties were on the cards to decide the winners.
Avonmore were first up as Cahill finished into the corner. It was then the turn of O’ Carroll who levelled the tie with a penalty that hit the back stanchion. Next up was Callum Pursey who fired his effort over. Peter’s took the lead for the fist time when O’ Neill used all his experience to finish neatly. Avonmore centre back Paddy Kennedy stepped up next to level the tie. Chad Ryan who came off the bench to put away his sides third penalty. The next two penalties were taken by the goalies. Zack Cullen who was put in goal for the shootout slotted his penalty. Peter’s final penalty was from goalie Mark O’ Sullivan who gave his side a two goa lead. Tuke took Avonmore’s final place kick, but this was put over the bar to ensure Peter’s brought home the Tommy Heffernan cup.
St Peter’s: 1 Mark O’ Sullivan, 2 Davey Barry, 3 Dan McCann, 4 Dan Kelly,5 Cormac Doyle, 6 Shane O’ Neill, 7 Zach Ryan, 8 Killian O’ Carroll, 9 Jamie Kelly,10 Tony Harris, 11 Jake Kane.
Subs Used: 16 Dillon Fitzpatrick, 15 Ryan Greene, 14 Des Kelly.
Avonmore: 1 Peter Kennedy 2 Ross Williams 3 Rhys Van Dijk, 4 Paddy Kennedy, 5 Shane Beever, 6 Mark Cullen, 7 Cian O Hannain, 8 Zach Cullen, 9 Ryan Cahill, 10 Callum Pursey, 19 Adam Tuke.
Subs Used: 15 Mario Gomes, 18 Todd Byrne, 14 Wes O’ Toole.
Referee: Dominic Lachaussee.
Monday, 5 September 2022
Wicklow Minor a Championship
Minor Football Championship
Aughrim 1-11
St Pats 0-6
Eoin Horkan
Aughrim Community Grounds
Aughrim who are still managing
to hang on to AGB at the top of the minor championship managed to overcome St
Pats in a monsoon in Aughrim on Monday night.
The home side produced a fantastic
first half performance to effectively finish
the tie off. This was led by Joe
McGuckian and Alex Kavanagh who were unplayable even in the horrendous
conditions. It was midfielder McGuckian who opened the scoring as he drove
forward from midfield to fire over an early point. After this early score both
sides battled hard around the middle third to gain control it was the home side
that won this battle. There game plan was simple play long fast ball into Alex
Kavanagh this paid dividends as he slotted a free and an effort from play. As
the monsoon began Aughrim won a penalty which Kavanagh took and blazed over the
bar. This didn’t phase the home side as Kavanagh slotted two more dead ball is
quick succession as the ground got slippier which resulted in more frees. With seven
minutes to go in the half Kavanagh managed to turn his defender and bury the
ball into the net. Pats manged to finally trouble the scoreboard at the end of
the half with two well taken frees from Lorcan Sinnott. This left seven points
between the sides at the break.
The second half was a much tighter
affair as the conditions worsened. It was Sinnott who struck over another early
free before McGuckian replied for the home side. Pats were starting to win more
dirty ball this time it was full forward
Daniel Kavanagh who narrowed the gap with a minor. Aughrim wrestled back
control after this as the rain subsided. The south Wicklow side landed four in
a row the first coming from McGuckian before Kavanagh landed one from play and
another dead ball to extend his sides advantage. The home sides final score of
the game from the aforementioned McGuckian after Kavanagh took a quick free which
he duly converted. The final two scored of the game were dead balls from
Sinnott as he tried to put a gloss on the final score line.
Aughrim: Mark Shannon; Finn
Byrne, Leo Byrne, Ryan Kinsella; Cian Keogh, Oisin Keegan, Charlie O’ Connor;
Joseph McGuckian (0-4), Jack Byrne; Lorcan Toomey, Alex Kavanagh, (1-7 4fs 1
pen), Colm McGuckian; Conaill O’ Brien, Dermot Toomey, Mark Murphy.
Subs Used: Cameron Byrne for
Conaill O’ Brien, Conor Wilson for Mark Murphy , Layton O’ Neill for Colm
McGuckian, John Fanning for Finn Byrne.
St Pats: Fionn Greene; Ben
Bowen, Tom Phelan, Denis O’ Brien; Ciaran Mathews, Sam Culleton, Alex Dunne; Alex
Sinnott, Ryan McConnell; Charlie Cwzalina, Johnno Moorehouse, Tadgh Lord;
Lorcan Sinnott (0-5 5fs), Daniel Kavanagh (0-1), Joshua Butler.
Subs Used: Will Farrell for
Ciaran Mathews, Stephen Gormley for Charlie Cwzalina, Kacper Lepek for Tadgh
Lord.
Referee Brendan Furlong ( Tinahealy)
Wicklow Intermidiate Championship
Annacurra 1-11
Newtown Mount Kennedy 0-6
Eoin Horkan
Pearse Park
A strong second half performance was enough to see Annacurra over the
line in the intermediate quarter final in Arklow on Saturday evening.
With the rain earlier on in the day it made for a greasy surface in
Arklow. This led to plenty of mistakes in the opening ten minutes from both
sides as they couldn’t get control of the ball to make an impact on the
scoreboard. Eventually it was the south Wicklow side who opened the scoring
through centre forward Dylan Doyle. Newtown responded almost immediately when midfielder
Mark Fitzsimons burst through two defenders
before splitting the posts from range. With both defensive units on top,
it was Annacurra’s corner back Glen Austin who intercepted a ball before
driving up the pitch to lay it off to corner forward Stephen Murphy to give his
side the lead for the second time halfway through the first half . The north
Wicklow side were finding it difficult
to make any impact on the scoring from play as Conor Odlum levelled the game
with a free. Annacurra were starting to win primary possession around the
middle which led to two quick scores from the boot of Frank Clune as he fired
over a free before adding a second from play minutes later. With four minutes
left in the half and against the run of play Newtown levelled the tie with two
place balls of there own as Dean and Conor Odlum had the tie level at the break.
After the break the men in black manged to take the lead as Shane Mooney
drove forward from centre back to fire over. This lead didn’t last long as
Annacurra’s full forward line began to cause damage with Frank Clune adding two
more to his sides tally before Conor Byrne opened his account with an effort
from a narrow angle. Newtown managed to stem the flowing tide with Dean Odlum
raising what ended up being his sides
final white flag of the game. The final quarter Annacurra took complete control
managing a goal and four points with no response to put the tie out of Newtown’s reach. Byrne added his second which was a carbon
copy of his earlier effort. Clune had been playing out the field was moved into
his main spot at full forward this paid dividend as he notched two more points
for his side. With five minutes left hard working wing forward Shane O’ Keefe
won a ball in his own back line before making way up the field to point after a
great flowing move. The final score of the game was a goal from the
aforementioned Byrne who was in the right place at the right time to finish off
the scoring for his side.
Annacurra: Robert Fitzgerald; James Keenan, Alan Byrne, Glen Austin;
Pauric Doyle, Paul McDonald, Sean Weld; Martin O’ Brien, Evan Doyle; Shane O’
Keefe (0-1), Dylan Doyle (0-1), John Moran; Conor Byrne ( 1-2), Frank Clune(0-6
2fs), Stephen Murphy (0-1).
Subs Used: Shane McAllister for Glen Austin, Kevin Healy for John Moran,
Stephen Murphy for Evan Doyle, Michael Healy for Stephen Murphy, Michael O’
Brien for Frank Clune.
Newtown Mount Kennedy: Emmet Carolan’s; James Synott, John O’ Donoghue,
Michael Byrne; Sean Gregory, Shane Mooney (0-1), Declan Doyle; Mark Fitzsimons
(0-1), Cathal McNicholas; Conor Odlum (0-2fs), Evan Moran, Aaron Toner; Dean
Odlum (0-2 1f), Neil Martin , Sean Odlum.
Subs Used: Kenneth Turner for Mark Fitzsimons, Barry Davis for Sean
Odlum, Jack Elliot for Conor Odlum.
Referee: Ciaran Fleming ( Baltinglass)