No joy for Hamilton High School hurlers in All-Ireland final
Hamilton High School, Bandon players leave the pitch after their defeat to Colaiste Naomh Cormac in the Masita All-Ireland Post Primary Schools Paddy Buggy Cup final at Kilmallock. Picture: Dan Linehan
BANDON'S Hamilton High School felt short in their bid to lift the Paddy Buggy Cup.
There can be no arguing they were beaten by the better side in the All-Ireland PPS Senior B Hurling final Kilmallock.
and there is one name they won’t want to hear for some time. Offaly minor star Adam Ó Scriomhnaigh tormented the Hamilton defence from the first minute to the last and he ended with 2-13, in a superb individual performance.
Others to impress for them included full-back Seamus MacMatuna who didn’t put a foot wrong all through. Hammies can’t be faulted for their efforts and to their credit, they battled from start to finish, led by the likes of Evan O’Shea and Micheál Maguire, but it just wasn’t their day.
The first half was the Ó Scriomhnaigh show as the Coláiste Naomh Cormac and Offaly minor hurler showed his class. Of their first half 1-10 he had 1-8, helped by a near-gale force wind.
He opened the scoring from a free three minutes in and on the restart he pounced on a mistake by the Hamilton defence to raise a green flag. Alec Ó Caomhánach increased their lead before Darragh McCarthy got Hamilton off the mark.
Two more from Ó Scriomhnaigh increased the Offaly school’s lead, with Donal Mag Laithimh also getting in on the scoring act to make it 1-6 to 0-1 after 15 minutes. Eoin Guinane raised Hamilton’s second white flag, before Ó Scriomhnaigh hit three more in a row, one from a free, to make it 1-9 to 0-2.
But credit to Hammies they kept going with two from placed balls by O’Shea and one from Conor O’Sullivan making it 1-9 to 0-5.
No surprise Ó Scriomhnaigh got the last score of the half to see his side in control, but the Cork side were now turning to play with the gale force wind. He also got the first score on the resumption as Hamilton now tried to use the wind to their advantage.
O’Shea pulled a point back for them but Ó Scriomhnaigh kept the scoreboard ticking over for the Offaly school. O’Shea and Niall Kelly closed the gap, to make it 0-8 to 1-12 with 40 minutes gone but they were finding it hard to get through their opponents' defence to get the goal they needed.
Two more from Ó Scriomhnaigh kept his side in control, with Mag Laithimh also raising a white flag for the winners.
Two more from O’Shea, along with points from Ronan Crowley and Maguire reduced the gap but a second goal from Ó Scriomhnaigh ensured the cup was heading to Offaly this year.
Sean McEntee pointed late on Hammies but by then it was no more than a consolation score as they lost out to the better side on the day.
A Ó Scriomhnaigh 2-13 (0-9 f), A Ó Caomhánach, D Mag Laithimh 0-2 each.
E O’Shea 0-7 (0-4 f, 0-1 65), D McCarthy, E Guinane, C O’Sullivan, N Kelly, M Maguire, R Crowley, S McEntee 0-1 each.
Cillian de Spainn; L Ó Breacain, S MacMathuna, M Ó Maoiruanaidh; R Ó Breacáin, B Ó Caomhánach, O Ó Cuinin; Colin de Spainn; Anraoi MacSuibhne; D Mag Laithimh, L Ó Caomhánach, C Ó Scolai; S MacAonghusa, A Ó Caománach, A Ó Scriomhnaigh.
D Ó Cuileannáin for S MacAonghusa (52), S Ó Gliasáin for C Ó Scolai (60).
A White (Valley Rovers); F Ustianowski (Kilbrittain), C O’Sullivan (Valley Rovers), J Cullinane (Bandon); K Dart-O’Flynn (Valley Rovers), C Johnson (Valley Rovers), J O’Leary (Valley Rovers); D McCarthy (St Oliver Plunketts), N Kelly (Newcestown); O Corcoran (St Mary’s), E Guinane (Valley Rovers), E O’Shea (Valley Rovers); M Maguire (Courcey Rovers), C O’Sullivan (Diarmuid O’Mathunas), S Ahern (Bandon).
J Woods (Valley Rovers) for Ustianowski (29), R Crowley (Kilbrittain) for D McCarthy (44), S McEntee (Valley Rovers) for J Cullinane (50), H O’Sullivan (Valley Rovers) for O Corcoran (52), H O’Mahony (Bandon) for N Kelly (60).
John O’Halloran (Limerick).
