RESOLUTE JUNIOR Bs DIG DEEP!
Coolcappa was the venue on Saturday evening last and Martin Doherty refereed. Conditions were excellent and the game was well contested from beginning to end with 100% effort by each and every player and sportsmanship of a high order. Our lads played their best hurling of the entire campaign, gave game time to almost the entire panel and were deserving winners.
Goals win matches and we scored three in the first half. They came at 5, 26 and 30, with Richard Kelleher scoring the first and third and Stephen Brosnan’s strike from the wing deceived the goalie for the second. Richard’s second goal was classic. Stephen delivered the cutting edge shoulder high pass to Richard who caught and struck with speed and the sliothar was in the back of the net before you could say Aaron Gillane! Three of the four points were scored by very accurate free-taker Mikie Carroll at 3, 23 and 27 with Stephen, who was central to the win, getting the fourth point at 33. A mere 0-3 separated the team at half time, the puck of a ball!
No spectator was leaving for home!
Askeaton levelled one minute into the second half. Points at 32 and 35 by free-taker Mikie, Diarmuid Kelly (on at half time, a great hurler, very talented) and
Hardworking Aaron McCarthy levelled. Mikie converted another free at 15 and we were 0-1 ahead as the teams battled into the final 15 minutes. It was anybody’s game at this stage, the tension was really mounting up.
The arrival from the subs’ bench of Diarmuid Kelly and Darren Doherty was the catalyst that swung the game our way. Diarmuid scored 0-2, won a lot of possession, gave clever assists for a number of scores, ‘Doc’ scored 1-1. A third sub Ross Donovan touched over at 55, Mikie brought his game total to 0-7 and very effective midfielder Darragh McMahon drove through for 0-1 at 22. This 1-6 purple passage broke the back of the stubborn Askeaton challenge and ensured that the cup and title were on the way to the Town on the Arra, a fully deserved success after a serious challenge from Akeaton. All of our lads played their parts in the win from goalie Conor O’Sullivan to unused sub Jack Nash. The attitude was spot on, all the players worked hard, gave 100%, put in the tackles, hooks, blocks without which no titles are won, they showed plenty of skill, battled for every ball and put ‘bodies on the line’ as they say. As we said above, it was the team’s best display in the competition and well done to all.
Team: Conor O’Sullivan, Oisín Brennan, Stephen Nix (captain), Ryan Sheehan, Cillian McMahon, Dylan O’Connell, Thomas Griffin, Duane McCoy, Darragh McMahon (0-1), Mikie Carroll (0-7), Aaron McCarthy (0-1), Stephen Brosnan (1-1), Jack Downey, Richard Kelleher (2-0), Mykola Blaskiv.
Full credit to mentors John Hurley and Neilus Sheehy who worked so hard to get a team out (no easy task!) and were well rewarded for their commitment and persistence by the display and the win. Full marks also to first aider Margaret Delee, a reassuring presence on the sideline. Their contribution was acknowledged in his post match cúpla focal by inspirational captain Stephen Nix who accepted the cup from West Board chairman Johnny Walsh. All in all, a great display and a great win by our Junior B hurlers after a 5-game campaign that included a Round 1 win over Drom/Broadford, a w.o. to Tournafulla, a w.o Killeedy, a semi final win over Feohanagh/Castlemahon and last Saturday v Askeaton.
In the county semi final we oppose the city winners.
Note: special congratulations to Seánie Gleeson who, like the great Mickey Linden of Down continues to defy time and make himself available for selection and Davy Hurley, approaching veteran player who was an effective goalkeeper in the semi final when Conor O’S. was unavailable.
