Great performance by Shels in Junior final fails to stop Ross.
Junior ‘C’ Hurling Co. Final V Ger O’ Hanrahan’s Sat 06 October. Venue: Bellefield.
Having disposed of Glynn-Barntown in some style in the semi-final our junior hurlers entered this final with cause for optimism. This, however, was one of those days when very little went right for the men in Black and Amber. The final score flattered the Ross men somewhat as our challenge had petered out long before the long whistle sounded.
First Half: With early points from Chris Wall and Conor Byrne in an all-minor full forward line, the score stood at 0-4 to 0-2 to the Ross men after the first quarter of a nip and tuck affair. A Joe Kelly rasper forced the Ross keeper into a fine save and the concession of another point. Further points followed for both sides when the Shels took the lead for the first and only time in the game. A lovely low delivery from midfield was pounced on by Joe Kelly who dispatched it to the net in style. Our lead was short-lived however as the Gers scored 2-1 before the interval with a solitary reply from a Chris Wall free to leave the half-time score at 2-8 to 1-5 in favour of the Barrowmen.
Half-time score: Ger O’ Hanrahans 2-8: Shels 1-5.
Second half:
The second half saw the introduction of Cathal Gaule to midfield with the energetic and skilful Andre O’ Brien moving further forward. Barry Murphy and the lively Shane O’ Connor were introduced at a later stage. Although this young Shels team showed no lack of heart and kept hurling to the end, the Ross men were physically very strong, had power and skill in the central positions and possessed a number of forwards who were well capable of picking off scores. Conor Byrne Chris Wall and Joe Kelly in an inside forward line who always looked dangerous on a limited supply, contributed points during the half, to leave the final score 2-18 to 1-9 in favour of the Gers. Well done to the boys on a good campaign. This very young team will make their mark again.
Full-time score: Ger O’ Hanrahans 2-18: Shelmaliers 1-9.
Team: C. Carr, J. Doyle, A Waters, J. Horan, N. Cullen, D. Malone, C. Potter, E. O’ Leary, A. O’ Brien, J. Redmond, C. Walsh, W. Shaughnessy, J. Kelly((1-2), C. Wall(0-4), C. Byrne(0-3).
Subs: C. Gaule, B. Murphy, M. Kingston, S. Murphy, S. O’ Connor, N. Kelly, C. Ryan, C. Murphy.