JJ KAVANAGH AND SONS COUNTY SENIOR HURLING CHAMPIONSHIP Barron Brothers Banish the Blues Fourmilewater 0-21 Dungarvan 1-17 There may have been just a point the difference at the conclusion of this quality game of senior hurling at the Fraher Field last Sunday evening but the Ballymac side were most deserving winners of this first round championship encounter. They taught the bookies a lesson who did Dungarvan no favours in installing the locals as 2/5 favourites while the winners were a self motivating 3/1. Rarely at this level does a team come back from a half time deficit 0f 0-8 and this was the case here as Dungarvan paid the price for squander mania in front of the post with a tally of eight first moiety wides. Fourmilewater looked resplendent in their new kit and their hurling matched as they left the nightmare of being involved in the relegation stakes of 2019 well and truly behind them. The winners’ hurling was crisp and skilful led by the Barron brothers Jamie and Tom who accounted for 0-9 from play between them. Just out of minor ranks, Aaron Ryan sent over 0-8 from placed balls in a game were his side were never led. It wasn’t a case that Dungarvan played poorly, they just met a better opposition but the huge half time deficit was their downfall. County players Patrick Curran and Darragh Lyons, the latter having a rare old battle with Jamie Barron, were the Blues leaders but at the end of the day the locals tally of 13 wides was instrumental in their defeat in such a tight and very entertaining hour ‘s hurling. Playing into the breeze, Dungarvan looked to be in a reasonable enough position after twenty minutes, trailing by just 0-6 to 0-3. Aside from the two marksmen, Aaron Ryan and Patrick Curran, Jamie Barron and Shane Ryan scored from play for the winners with Darragh Lyons doing likewise for Dungarvan. It was in the remainder of the first half that Fourmile set the seeds for their morale boosting win as they kept Dungarvan scoreless until deep into added time when Lyons sent over his second point from play. The winners added a further 0-6 to their earlier tally through Aaron Ryan(4) and Jamie Barron(2) while the Blues custodian Darren Duggan kept his team in the game with a superb stop from Craig Guiry in the town end goal on thirty minutes. Despite Dungarvan having the breeze at their backs to look forward to in the second half, their prospects of winning didn’t look very positive and especially with the influence that the Barron brothers were capable of having on proceedings. However those prospects received an early second half boost when Patrick Curran pointed from play after just 22 seconds and corner forward Gavin Crotty punished a mistake in the Fourmile defence to crash home the only goal of the match from close range in the 33rd minute, 0-12 to 1-5. Despite scoring the goal, the athletic Crotty may well have been better used outfield in what was a very fast moving hour’s hurling as the Blues could never haul in their impressive opponents completely. Every time Dungarvan looked like drawing in the winners, Fourmile came up with a key score from their top performers and theirin lay the improvement in Fintan O Connor and the Guiry’s charges this year. For example following Aaron Ryan’s sole point from play in the 34th minute, the outstanding Patrick Curran lofted over 0-2 from play only for Tom Barron to hit back in the 37th minute with a similar strike, 0-14 to 1-7. Again, after Curran scored 0-2f, Jamie Barron replied from play in the 44th minute to keep the locals at bay, 0-15 to 1-9. Entering the final quarter, Shane Ryan and first half sub Joe Allen exchanged minors as did Patrick Curran and Tom Barron illustrating that Fourmile were not in generous give away mood. Pointed frees followed by Ryan and Curran before eventually the Blues got to within 0-2 of the leaders courtesy of two further pointed frees by Patrick Curran and 57 minutes played, 0-19 to 1-14. Fourmile sub Diarmuid Murphy gave some breathing space to the winners in the 59th minute with a score from play and four minutes of added time announced. Deep into this, in the 66th minute, in fact , a Curran pointed free and Darragh Lyons’ second score left just the minimum the difference at 0-20 to 1-16 but Jamie Barron showed his all star qualities when he sent over his sixth point from play from the most acute of angles under pressure. Barron’s feat proved to be decisive despite Jamie Nagle’s successful ‘65’ as late as the 68th minute. The honours went to the best side on the night with Tom O Gorman, the half back trio of Tholum Guiry, Conor Gleeson and Diarmuid Ryan, midfielder Sean Walsh and the high fielding Tommy Cooney all catching the eye in an overall well balanced team display. The much maligned Dungarvan defence did not concede a major score on this occasion thanks to a very focussed full line while two hurlers at different stages in their career, Jamie Nagle and Tristan Loftus hurled well alongside the industrious Kieran Power in the half line. Darragh Lyons had his best game for the Blues in midfield while up front Colm Curran was the best support to his brother Patrick. Fourmilewater’s Top Three : Jamie Barron, Aaron Ryan, Tom Barron. Dungarvan’s Too Three : Patrick Curran, Darragh Lyons, Colm Curran. Observer’s Man of the Match : Jamie Barron. Number of Scorers : Fourmilewater : 5. Dungarvan : 5. Scores From Play : Fourmilewater : 0-13. Dungarvan : 1-8. Frees For : Fourmilewater : 10. Dungarvan : 16. Wides : Fourmilewater : 9. Dungarvan : 13. Score of the Match : Jamie Barron’s 66th minute point for Fourmilewater. Scorers : Fourmilewater : Aaron Ryan 0-9(7f, 1’65’), Jamie Barron 0-6, Tom Barron 0-3, Shane Ryan 0-2, Diarmuid Murphy 0-1. Dungarvan : Patrick Curran 0-12(8f), Gavin Crotty 1-0, Darragh Lyons 0-3, Joe Allen 0-1, Jamie Nagle 0-1(’65). Teams : Fourmilewater : Stephen Ryan; James McGrath, Tom O Gorman, Dylan Guiry; Tholum Guiry, Conor Gleeson, Dermot Ryan; Jamie Barron, Sean Walsh; Michael O Gorman, Shane Ryan, Tommy Cooney; Tom Barron, Craig Guiry, Aaron Ryan. Sub : Diarmuid Murphy for Michael O Gorman (inj, 45). Dungarvan : Darren Duggan, Jack Lacey, John Curran, Conor Sheridan; Jamie Nagle, Kieran Power, Tristan Loftus; Darragh Lyons, Michael Kiely; Gavin Power, Colm Curran, Patrick Curran; Gavin Crotty, Johnny Burke, Kealan Daly. Subs ; Joe Allen for Kealan Daly (27), Joe Duggan for Conor Sheridan(inj, 37), Derek Barry for Kieran Power (inj, 63). Referee : Nicholas Barry(Passage).