JJ KAVANAGH AND SONS COUNTY DIVISION 2 MINOR HURLING CHAMPIONSHIP SEMI FINAL
CLONEA WIN LEAMYBRIEN THRILLER
CLONEA 2-22 DUNGARVAN 5-11
The Group game the previous Wednesday having ended in a draw at 0-15 apiece, it was no surprise that this semi final clash between Clonea and Dungarvan also went down to the treads of the wire in Leamybrien last Wednesday.
Clonea deserved their win, they dominated the first half and when Dungarvan came back at them in the second, the winners showed the resilience and win a thriller by 0-2 at the death.
Gearoid Power was the best hurler a field in the first half, insie the two uprights in the play ground end of the field was a magnet to him and he accounted for 0-10(4f) of his team’s 0-14 tally. Dungarvan started too lackadaisical and if they played as well before the break as they did afterwards, it might have been a different story.
Others to score for Clonea in their impressive first half showing were Tom Lynch, Jack Crotty, with a goal also on, Billy Power and Tom Skehan.
Dungarvan trailed by 0-7 to 0-3 when a Leon Lannon goal brought Dungarvan into the game. Clonea continued their dominance in general play, rewarded by claiming the nest fice scores to lead comfortably once more by 0-12 to 1-3.
Clonea ‘s Gearoid Power continued to dissect the posts for Clonea but Dungarvan finished the half the stronger with points from play by Eddie Burke and Leon Lannon with the former’s goal just before the break leaving just 0-4 the difference at 0-14 to 2-5.
SECOND HALF
JUST a minute into the second half and the teams were level when Eddie Burke placed Leon Lannon for his second goal. Lannon then pointed and Dungarvan were in the lead for the first time after 33 minute on a score of 3-6 to 0-14.
Centre back Patrick Mackey settled Clonea with a long distance pointed free but Luke Power opened a 0-3 advantage for the Blues when he finished a Billy Hickey pass to the net for their fourth goal.
It looked as if Clonea would need a goal of their own despite all of their points, and it came when Billy Power scored in the dressing room end to level the game for the third time in the second half. Tom Skehan and Gearoid Power(f), his only score in this period, gave Clonea a 0-2 advantage but two Leon Lannon pointed scores for Dungarvan had the teams level once more, 1-17 to 4-8.
Crucially, Clonea accounted for the next three scores via Niall Fahey and Patrick Mackey(2f) and then even more crucially, their second goal, one of the soft variety by full forward Jack Crotty to give them a clear 0-6 lead in the 56th minute on a scoreline reading 2-20 to 4-8.
Dungarvan hadn’t scored from play since Luke Power’s goal in the 35th minute but that changed when Edie Burke sent a missile into the Clonea goal and the deficit was back to 0-3. Tom Lynch made it a two score lead before three in a row scores for Dungarvan by Leon Lannon 0-2(1f) and Eddie Burke brought Clonea’s lead back to a point with e game heading into added time.
Dungarvan tried hard for a winning goal when a point may have brought the play to extra time and in the final play, Niall Fahey scored his second point for Clonea, deserving winners overall and qualifying to play Ferrybank in the County final.
Best for the winners included Gearoid Power, Patrick Mackey, Tom Lynch, Niall Mackey, Billy Power and Tom Skehan.
Leon Lannon and Eddie Burke scored 4-10 between them and they were well supported on the night by such as Brandon Dillon at full back, James Maye, Ryan McGovern, John Meehan and Luke Power.
Scorers :
Clonea : Gearoid Power 0-11(5f), Billy Power and Jack Crotty 1-1 each, Patrick Mackey 0-3f, Tom Lynch, Niall Fahey and Tom Skehan 0-2 each.
Dungarvan : Leon Lannon 2-7(4f), Eddie Burke 2-3(3f), Luke Power 1-0, Ryan McGovern 0-1.
Teams :
Clonea : Thomas Og Dee; Nigel Comerford, Richard Skehan, Fionn Walsh; Conor Power, Patrick Mackey, Daniel O Callaghan; Dylan Broxon, Niall Fahey; Tom Skehan, Gearoid Power, Billy Power; Tom Lynch, Jack Crotty, Sean Brazil. Subs : Conor Drohan, Darragh Fitzpatrick, Conor Hearne, Sean Kennedy, Billy Lynch, Jack Mackey, Ciaran Power, Bill Cogley, Cillian Cogley.
Dungarvan : Tony O Donnell; John Meehan, Brandon Dillon, Jacob Dalton; Pierce Quann, Donnacha Hayes Hamilton, Corey Lyons; James Maye, Billy Hickey; Zach Power, Eddie Burke, Ryan McGovern; Luke Power, Callum Bulfin, Leon Lannon. Subs : Charlie Crotty, Oisin Byrne, Seanie Cummins, Calum Daly, Ronan Gleeson, Daniel Healy.
Referee :Edmund Fitzgerald (Passage).
