Division 1 HL: Charleville see off Glen Rovers in five-point victory
Glen Rovers' Michéal Mullins surges away from Finbarr Cagney Charleville, during the Red FM Co. Hurling League Division 1 match at Charleville. Picture: John Tarrant
A home victory for Charleville over Glen Rovers on Friday night in the RedFM Hurling League Division 1 keeps the North Cork outfit firmly in the hunt for a place in the final.
Charleville now sit just one point off the top, tied on seven points with Fr O’Neill’s and St Finbarr’s, occupying third to fifth place, behind Sarsfields and Blackrock, who hold the top two spots.
The contest was tightly fought, with Glen Rovers never managing to edge in front, yet Charleville never able to fully pull away. A well-worked early move saw David Forde rattle the net with the game’s only goal, giving the hosts a four-point cushion before Glen had registered a score. By the eighth minute, Charleville led 1-4 to 0-4, though Glen had begun to settle after a sluggish start.
The visitors drew level by the end of the first quarter, the scoreboard reading 1-6 to 0-9. But Charleville responded strongly, with unanswered points from Forde, Danny O’Flynn and Conor Buckley pushing them into a 1-12 to 0-11 lead. Glen cut the gap to two by the break.
Rovers levelled once more with 42 minutes on the clock – 1-15 to 0-18 – but another four-point burst swung the momentum back Charleville’s way with 10 minutes remaining. In the closing stretch, the home side outscored Glen 0-8 to 0-3, sealing a deserved five-point win.
It could have been a tighter finish – Micheál Mullins denied a late Glen goal chance from a 21-yard free that was saved and deflected out for another set piece. From the resulting 65, chaos ensued in the square, but Charleville managed to clear their lines.
The win was especially valuable for Charleville, while Glen Rovers – missing key figures Dean Brosnan and Simon Kennefick – took positives from the outing. Selector Brian Phelan highlighted the developmental benefits for his young squad.
But despite the defeat – the game was a hugely beneficial one for the northsiders, with selector Brian Phelan pleased to give further game time to some of last year’s minors.
“It was great having three minors from last year starting in central positions, Conor McCarthy, Jake Brosnan and Diarmuid Wall,” he began. “It’s superb experience for those guys in terms of the step up.
“This is game number six and definitely the most physical that we’ve had – which is good, nine, ten weeks out from championship.” “We’ve had three losses and three wins. We have used the league to our advantage in terms of trying lots of new faces, particularly younger faces.
“We’ve given them a run of games as opposed to a game here and there. We’ve really given those younger players an opportunity and experience. From that perspective alone it’s a different panel, a different team to what we had last year with that injection of youth.”
D Forde 1-6 (0-4 f), D O’Flynn, R Carroll (3 fs) C Buckley 0-3 each, S Bresnan, G Kelleher 0-2 each, A Cagney, D Casey, C O’Carroll 0-1 each.
D Wall 0-6 fs, B Moylan, R Dunne, C McCarthy, M Dooley 0-2 each, L Coughlan, E O’Leary, J Brosnan, M Mullins, S Lynam, A O’Donovan 0-1 each.
C Reynolds; D Butler, J Meade, F Cagney; A Dennehy, J Buckley, R Carroll; S Bresnan, C O’Carroll; D Casey, C Buckley, Z Biggane; D Forde, D O’Flynn, G Kelleher.
A Cagney for Kelleher, J Madigan for Bresnan, T Hawe for O’Carroll, M O’Flynn for D O’Flynn.
C Hickey; A Lynch, E Varian, L Coughlan; B Moylan, M Mullins, C McCarthy; A O’Donovan, J Brosnan; M Dooley, R Dunne, L Horgan; D Wall, E O’Leary, E Murphy.
S Lynam for Murphy, F O’Driscoll for Brosnan, D Noonan for Dooley.
Wayne King (Banteer)
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