RedFM HL Division 1: Charleville hold off Carrigtwohill to open with victory
Charleville's Finbarr Cagney looks to get away from Seán Brennan of Charleville during Sunday's RedFM Hurling League Division 1 game in Charleville. Picture: Brendan Gleeson
Charleville opened their RedFM Hurling League Division 1 campaign with a hard-fought win at home to Carrigtwohill on Sunday morning.
Trailing by a point, 2-5 to 0-10, after playing into the wind in the first half, the hosts looked to have taken control at Dr Mannix Sportsfield when Tim Hawe scored a 44th-minute goal to make it 1-14 to 2-6, immediately followed by the third of David Forde’s four points.
While Carrigtwohill replied through Cian O’Riordan and their main scoring threat Seán Walsh, Charleville hit back with three on the trot, a David Riordan free followed by two beauties from the excellent Robert Carroll.
That left it 1-18 to 2-8 with nine minutes on the clock but Carrigtwohill did not wilt. The hardworking Justin Oke got his second after being set up by sub Tomás Hogan and Walsh added a pair, one a free, to cut the deficit to four.
Carroll, having taken over dead-ball duties for Charleville, landed a free from his own 65 that Shane Devlin in the Carrig goal just failed to stop going over, but the five-point lead was immediately cut to two as Oke’s strong run led to wing-back Daniel Murnane scoring his second goal of the goal with a fine low finish.
When Hogan played in Walsh and he was fouled, he converted the free for his eighth points – 1-19 to 3-12 just as injury time began.
Unfortunately for Carrigtwohill, in their rush to work the ball up for an equaliser, they were turned over and Cathal O’Carroll set up Robert Carroll for his sixth and last point; Forde rounded off the scoring to give the home side a three-point win.
A first half that began with Carrig centre-back Pádraic Hogan marking his return from 18 months out injured by scoring the opening point was characterised with two goals for the visitors.
The first of those came after Hawe had levelled at 0-1 each – Murnane’s intended delivery deceived Conor Reynolds in the wind and ended up dropping in. While Charleville battled back to parity at 0-6 to 1-3 by the 17th minute, Carrigtwohill struck again.
From a long Devin puckout, Seán Walsh broke the ball, allowing Oke to pounce before feeding Walsh’s brother Patrick for a lovely low shot to the net.
After a brilliant pointed sideline cut by Forde, the gap was down to two, 2-5 to 0-9, when James Mulcahy had a chance of a third Carrigtwohill goal but, without his hurley, his kicked effort went wide.
At the other end, Hawe did well to work his way in from the right and drew a great save from Devlin – Conor Buckley ensured the move ended with a point as the sides retired with the minimum separating them.
On the restart, Charleville made use of the elements as two Riordan frees were followed by a great move that saw O’Carroll and Buckley combine to assist Carroll; then wing-back Brian O’Connell’s diagonal ball was the catalyst for Hawe to make it 0-14 to 2-6.
Seán Walsh’s 42nd-minute free ended an 18-minute scoreless period for Carrigtwohill but, when good work from Buckley and Forde allowed Riordan to pick out Hawe with a great pass, the full-forward did the rest and a six-point lead looked like it might only get bigger.
Carrigtwohill ensured that it didn’t but Charleville kept their composure to take the points.
R Carroll 0-6 (0-1 f), D Riordan 0-5 f, T Hawe 1-2, D Forde 0-4 (0-1 sl), O O’Connell, C O’Carroll, G Kelleher, C Buckley 0-1 each.
S Walsh 0-8 (0-6 f), D Murnane 2-0, P Walsh 1-0, J Oke 0-2, P Hogan, C O’Riordan 0-1 each.
C Reynolds; D Butler, J Meade, A Dennehy; F Cagney, J Buckley, B O’Connell; O O’Connell, C O’Carroll; C Buckley, D Forde, R Carroll; D Riordan, T Hawe, G Kelleher.
K Cagney for O O’Connell, B Forde for C Buckley, J O’Brien for Riordan (all 53).
S Devlin; B Twomey, A Walsh Barry, P O’Sullivan; D Murnane, P Hogan, D Nolan; J Horgan, J Oke; S Brennan, P Walsh, C O’Riordan; J Mulcahy, S Walsh, M O’Connor.
J McCarthy for O’Connor (half-time), T Hogan for O’Riordan (48), S Rohan for Brennan (57).
W King (Banteer).
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