Click below for a full report on Bord na nÓg activity by board PRO Pado Flynn for the last week.
Minor B Championship
Tullaroan 2-22 0-27 St Martins (AET)
After 80 odd minutes hurling Tullaroan emerged victorious in this Kilkenny Honda Centre Minor B county quarter final. Two frees in the 4th minute of injury time from Gearoid Dunne saw the men in the sash through to the semi final. Dunne had helped himself to 1-18 over the course of the game and his injury time intervention saw Tullaroan turn a losing position into a winning one.
The first quarter saw martins make a good start with Ross Dowling, Cillian Dowling, Sean Hunt & Jamie Morrissey all getting on the score sheet with Dunne grabbing all three points for the home side to leave them 0-5 to 0-3 behind.
Dunne got the games first goal when he took a ‘21 quickly which rattled the back of the net. Liam Walsh added a point but Ross Dowling had the game level by the short whistle 0-8 to 1-5.
Dunne (4) & Russel seemed to be putting things the Tullaroan way but Morrissey was starting to have an influence on proceedings and Cillian Dowling was show great accuracy from placed balls which left it 1-10 to 0-13 at the three quarter mark.
Killian Brennqn scored a sweet point out on the wing before Dunne had the difference out to three points but points from Morrissey, Dowling and Patrick Coughlan levelled matters up to send it extra time 0-19 to 1-16.
Donal Kealy got a super point which was quickly added to by Ross Dowling.
Dunne got a hat trick of points but Cillian Dowling responded with two of his own to put ‘Martins back in front 0-23 to 1-19.
Liam Walsh hit a superb goal for Tullaroan at the start of the second half. The game was delayed for a injury to St Martins Tadgh Gill who couldn’t continue.
Martins managed to get back in front until Dunne took those pressure frees in injury time.
In fairness over the 80 minutes there was very little separating the sides but the siting of Gearoid Dunne in a more forward role helped Tullaroan to maximise his talents. He was ably assisted by Killian Brennan, Charlie Cleere whilst Niall Holland dealt with a number smart shots over the course of the game.
A number of those spurned chances probably cost St Martins the game but they went on their shields with game performances from Cathal Keegan, Tadgh Gill, Matthew Bolger, Ross & Cillian Dowling
U-13
Erins Own 0-18 1-12 Dicksboro
It took extra time to separate these two sides but a late surge saw Erins Own lift the Tom Ryall trophy amongst jubilant supporters in the Duggan Steel U-13 Roinn A final played at MW Hire Dunmore.
Both sides had huge talent on display & one had to remind themselves how young these skillful players are.
Oisin Henderson got the first score of the game with a fine catch & point. Eoin Brennan instantly responded with a converted free. He put Erins Own on the front foot when he caught the resulting puck out & duly pointed. The half forward for his third soon after.
Dan Carroll got the ball to Oisin Henderson who sent the white flag waving.
Tristan Daly fired one over from distance with Luke Connery tagging on one himself. Henderson & Brennan swapped points at the end of the water break to leave it 0-6 to 0-3.
Straight from the restart Aaron Phelan found Brennan who slotted the ball between the uprights. He got another soon after but the men clad in Maroon & White came storming back into game when Joe Dowling finished a long ball to the roof of the net.
Brennan & Samuel John O’Shea finished off the half’s scoring with a point a piece Erins Own ahead by two 0-9 to 1-4.
Brennan got the eventual winners off to the best possible scoring points in the 32nd & 35th minute.
O’Shea & Dowling popped over points to bring the Palmerstown outfit back into it. A further two points from O’Shea had them level before they hit the front through a fantastic point from Eoin Moore after a searing solo run. O’Shea tapped over a free to go two clear.
A late burst of points from Brennan, four to be precise looked like it had given the ‘Comer men the win but O’Shea showed nerves of steel with two pointed frees to bring the game into extra time 1-12 to 0-15.
Erins Own had the better of the exchange’s in extra time but could only muster a Brennan point to be one up at half time in extra. Dicksboro were putting huge tackles but couldn’t get into the game as Brennan & Conor Buggy added another point to seal a well merited victory in a game that could have went either way in normal time.
Erins Own: Sam Coogan, Ben Sheils, James Brennan, Aaron Phelan, John Brennan, Tristan Daly, Rory Bollard, Jamie Cahalan, Jack Holden, Kevin Buggy, Dylan Brennan, Eoin Brennan, Luke Connery, Conor Buggy, Josh Lawlor. Sub: Billy Byrne
Dicksboro: Rian Dowling, Jack Treacy, Sean Kavanagh, Conor Tynan, Noah Gibbons, Josh Dowling, Jack Delaney, Samuel John O’Shea, Dan Carroll, Luke Browne, Oisin Henderson, Joe Dowling, Ben Henderson, Eoin Moore, James Kavanagh. Subs: Robert Lacey.
Ref: Conor Everard
Graigue Ballycallan 5-11 3-17 Dunnamaggin
(GBC – win 2-0 on penalties) Graigue Ballycallan U13 continued their Journey in this years Championship with an epic semi final that had everything big leads, big comeback , last minute drawn points, extra time, penalties .
It was probably the best €5 the spectators will have paid this year.
The pitch in Callan was in perfect condition and with the rain holding off the conditions were great but a stiff breeze blowing down the pitch would help the team attacking that end.
Dunnamaggin started the first 10 minutes with the breeze at their backs and looked like they were in a big hurry to get to the final with a terrific return of 2 goals and 4 points to no score for Ballycallan. The excellent Brian Hickey was at the heart of everything for Dunamaggin and they looked like they were going to pull away very early in the game . But the boys from GBC were not ready to surrender and slowly worked there way back into it with a couple of points before the first water break, despite losing the excellent David Walton to injury , The score was 2-5 to 0-2 as the boys made their way back on the field and in the 21st minute a terrific goal from a free by Cormac Neary really put the comeback on track . Against the breeze the backs really started to get to grips with the challenge and with Oran Hoyne, Cian Ronan and Sean O Halloran they closed off the route to goal and allowed our midfield and half forward line to get more in the game and start to get a foothold in the Match. The score at the break was 2-7 to 1-3.
Gbc came out after the break like a team possessed and with the wind at their backs started to dominate proceedings for the next 15 minutes. The excellent Michael Tynan at centre back and abely assisted by Will Cody at wing back and the midfield duo of Charlie Teehan and Keelan lynch really started to impose their game and with that pressure came a terrific goal from Ben Mcevoy at 14 and another unstoppable goal from a free by Cormac Neary that TJ Reid would be proud of made the comeback complete and at the waterbreak GBC had a lead of 2 points. On a scoreline of 3-7 to 2-8. Dara Barut who had worked hard all throughout the match made way for Darragh Burke.
As is so often the case with water breaks the team that is losing came out and took control of the game again., the outstanding Brian Hickey scored a goal and two points to leave the score 3-10 to 3-7 with 7 minutes of the match remaining.
But the lads really started to dig deep again with Reggie Carthy excelling at wing back and clearing a number of important balls. Billy Ronan and Joshua Malone were working very hard throughout blocking and Harrying and not letting any easy ball though the half forward line and with 3 minutes to go up popped the industrious Aidan Ging with a goal to draw the sides level coming into the last couple of minutes.
Michael Tynan having swapped places with Keelan Lynch and moving to a more forward position in the last quarter stormed into the game and scored a terrific point to put Graigue Ballycallan into a 1 point lead in injury time. But an injury time free allowed Dunnamaggin to draw level and extra time loomed.
Captain Cormac Neary opted to go against the wind for the first half of extra time and Dunnamaggin managed to score 4 unanswered points but the boys again dug further into the well and a couple of terrific scores from Michael Tynan and Cormac Neary left Dunnamaggin 2 points up entering the second half of injury time but with the breeze at our backs.
Again Dunnamaggin tried to impose their will on this match with 2 early scores to put 4 between the teams.
The Reintroduction of the brave David Walton for the tiring Joshua Malone helped turn the tide again and with Cormac Neary testing the stitching of the Dunnamaggin net again after a foul on the excellent Ben Mcevoy who won a lot of important frees despite being double and tripled marked for much of this game .
This was Cormac’s 3rd goal of the match and to have the mental resolve after nearly 80 minutes to beat a goalmouth full of players says a lot about this young man’s ability and will to win.
Still a point down and up stepped Michael Tynan to fire over a terrific third point. In injury time David Walton was very unlucky not to catch a ball which would surely have ended up over the bar.
After nearly 2 hours it came down to the cruellest of ways to end a match PENALTIES.
And so came the time for our Goalkeeper Shane Hogan to shine.
Having not a chance of saving any of the goals in the match he stepped up to save three of the penalties and was the hero at the end of a shootout which GBC finally came out on top on a scoreline of 2-0.
Roinn A Semi Final
Duggan Steel U13 Roinn A Championship
After an enthralling championship encounter in Clara the John Lockes U13 team were unfortunate to lose by a single point to Erins Own in the semi-final of the Duggan Steel U13 Roinn A hurling championship. After Erins Own gained the first point of the match, a great team goal for Callan followed, Paddy O’Brien moved the ball on to Paddy Grace who found Ollie O’Donovan and after making great ground, he offloaded to Luke Power who found the back of the net. Another Erins Own point left it one goal to two points. A super point from the right wing from Joseph Butler and a free from Ollie made the score-line 1-2 to 0-2. A ’65 from the Erins Own’s Eoin Brennan followed, 1-2 to 0-3.
A wonderful block down by Ollie in the Comer danger zone caused havoc and following a foul in the goalmouth a penalty was given. Up stepped Paddy O’Brien to dispatch it to the net, 2-2 to 0-3. Three Comer frees from Eoin were sandwiched by a goal from Ollie after super work by Paddy Grace, score-line at the water break 3-2 to 0-6.
Tommy Hoyne marshalling the Erins Own danger man was having a stormer keeping his man to no score from play in the first quarter. Two further points from Erins Own and a free from Ollie left the score board reading 3-3 to 0-8. Donagh O’Neill in the Callan goal made many great clearances on the night and his next puck out led to a great catch in the air by Luke, from which Callan were unlucky not to add to their tally.
Fearless tackling, hooking and blocking all night long from Ruadhan Doran, David Peppard, Sean Morrissey and Oisin O’Neill, saw David catch and launch another attack, the ball found Glen O’Sullivan who passed to Joseph and on to Luke for a lovely team point. A goal and a point from play by Erins Own kept them right in the game at 3-4 to 1-9.
A strong run by Ollie who had numerous defenders to contend with found Luke on the run, just when it looked like he was running out of space, he arrowed it into the top corner, 4-4 to 1-9 at half time.
Eoghan Lynch and Jack Kennedy were battling hard at midfield to win primary possession and following anotherruck, David emerged with the ball to hand pass to Eoghan, the ball eventually ended with Joseph who scored another beautiful point, 4-5 to 1-9. Following an excellent save by Donagh, he and his teammates on the goal-line were powerless to prevent a goal from a free out on the left hand side by the Comer no.9.
Strong work and running on the left hand side by Glen who found Joseph on the run, using his speed he bore down on the Comer goal making no mistake to make the score-line 5-5 to 2-9 mid way through the third quarter. Denis O’Sullivan who tackled and blocked superbly all evening found himself in the unfamiliar position of fullback and did a great man marking job on one of the dangerous Comer forwards. A third Erins Own goal made it a two point game. Eoghan Lynch was in the wars again taking a heavy knock in the middle of the field, but that wasn’t going to stop him continuing.
Another Brennan point was matched by a free from Ollie to leave the score 5-6 to 3-10 at the second water break. Three frees in a row from Erins Own put them in front for the first time since about the third minute at 5-6 to 3-13. A difficult free out on the left hand side was brilliantly guided between the posts by Ollie to level up the match with only a few minutes to go.
The match was in the melting pot and with every man fighting to the end, Joseph came up with another excellent point from play to push Callan in front once more. A point from a free and another point from play by Erins Own saw the scoreboard read 5-8 to 3-15. In a last bid to tie the match, Callan were unable to find the extra point to force the draw which led to heartbreak for these young warriors and their management team.
Well done to both teams in contributing to a highly entertaining match. Many thanks also to Conor Everard who officiated on the night and kept the game flowing.
