U16 Hurling Championship V Rathnure Sun 30 March 08. Venue: Rathnure
10 training sessions and a tough practice match against a very good Ballymurn/Oylgate side stood our lads in good stead for this our opening championship match.
First Half: We opened brightly and some very good combined play between the midfield and the forwards saw captain Brian Murphy score three fine points, added to by two frees from the reliable Feargal Hynes. Rathnure countered with two goals and a point to take the lead for the only time in the game. A monster point from Aidan Cash levelled the scores and from then we were never headed. With the move of James Gordon to centre-forward, and the hard-working Hynes well-supported by Johnny Campbell in the middle we closed out the game by half-time.
Half-time score: Rathnure 2-1: Shels 2-11.
Second half: We turned around against the wind and worked very hard to make sure we also won the second half. Our midfield redoubled their efforts and were completely on top, guaranteeing good ball inside. Brian Murphy and James Gordon scored at will in the second half, and were well supported by Glen Murphy, Craig McCabe, Niall Tobin and Shane Birney, whose ball-winning and intelligent distribution were a joy to watch. Our backs weren’t under huge pressure but dealt with whatever came their way. Shane Griffith revelled in the freedom of the half-line, while all the other backs were as tight as a drum.
Full-time score: Shels 5-18; Rathnure 3-4.
Team: Paraic O’ Leary, A.J. Lehane, Shane Griffith, Dean. Corrigan, Niall Murphy, Aidan Cash, Conor Tobin, James Gordon, Johnny Campbell, Stephen Corrigan, Feargal Hynes, Shane Birney, Craig McCabe, Brian Murphy, Glen Murphy.
Subs: Cian Lambe, Simon Murphy, Stephen Dwyer, Niall Tobin, Christopher Scallan, Jack Murphy.