Glen Rovers beat Whitechurch to get their Seandún Junior A Hurling Championship off to a winning start
Referee Niall Fahy accompanied by captains Cillian Ruan (Whitechurch) and Jamie Corkery (Glen Rovers)
Glen Rovers got their AOS Security Seandún Junior A Hurling Championship off to a winning start, as they defeated defending champions Whitechurch in their opener, before a good-sized attendance at Ballinlough on Monday.
Whitechurch made the better start as they played an open game, but Glen Rovers’ first goal was to prove decisive.
Glen Rovers put the game beyond Whitechurch’s reach with two second half goals, but a late rally by Whitechurch produced two goals, deep into stoppage time.
Within a minute of the throw-in, Daniel Heffernan got the game’s opening point for Glen Rovers.
This was promptly cancelled out by Ronan Blake’s opening point for Whitechurch.
With the elements in their favour for the opening half, Whitechurch had Glen Rovers pinned back.
Blake added his second point for Whitechurch. This was followed by points from Dave O’Sullivan and Jamie Hegarty.
Glen Rovers began to turn the screw as persistent fouling was proving to be costly for Whitechurch.
Teddy O’Brien added a point from play for Glen Rovers. Nathan Goulding converted two frees and Jamie Corkery also pointed a free, to leave Glen Rovers leading by 0-5 to 0-4.
Whitechurch responded with two points by Hegarty. Ronan Murphy also added a point from Whitechurch’s first free to give them a two-point advantage.
Glen Rovers had Whitechurch back on the defensive and Eric Healy scored the game’s opening goal from the rebound of a save by Whitechurch net-minder Jack Kelleher.
Hegarty and O’Sullivan traded points with Glen Rovers’ Jack Kennefick, before Goulding pointed his third free.
Healy slotted over a point from play and Hegarty replied with a free for Whitechurch.
This left the half-time scoreline reading 1-8 to 0-10 in favour of Glen Rovers.
Buckley and O’Brien exchanged points within a minute of the restart, before Glen Rovers seized the initiative.
They added 2-3, without reply to stretch their lead to 3-12 to 0-11, with O’Brien and Healy getting a goal each in the space of two minutes, as wayward puck-outs were proving to be Whitechurch’s undoing.
Whitechurch responded with points by Ruairí Dennehy and Hugh Woulfe.
O’Brien replied for Glen Rovers.
Whitechurch, to their credit, refused to give up without a struggle as Dylan Burke and Hegarty added unanswered points.
Joe Dennehy and Cillian Ryan each added goals in the space of a minute to reduce the deficit to 3-15 to 2-16.
Glen Rovers replied with a point by Jack Kennefick, followed by a free by Goulding at the death.
E Healy 2-1; T O’Brien 1-4; N Goulding 0-5 (0-3f);J Kennefick 0-2; E O’Neill, J Corkery 0-1f each; A Lordan, G Kennefick, D Heffernan 0-1 each.
J Hegarty 0-6 (0-1f); J Dennehy, C Ryan 1-0 each; R Blake, D O’Sullivan 0-2 each; R Murphy 0-1f; R Buckley, R Dennehy, H Woulfe, D Burke, K McIntyre 0-1 each.
E O’Neill; E Murphy, A Evans, J Murphy; T Downey, J Corkery, R Long; D Heffernan, J Kennefick; J Maher, A Lordan, N Goulding; T O’Brien, E Healy, G Kennefick.
S Cronin for Downey (54), Downey for O’Brien (60+, inj).
Jack Kelleher; A Murphy, C Kelleher, J Dennehy; John Kelleher, C Ryan, R O’Connell; R Buckley, J McGrath; R Blake, D O’Sullivan, J Hegarty; D Kelleher, R Murphy, A Kelleher.
K McIntyre for McGrath (h/t), H Woulfe for Blake, D Burke for A Kelleher, S O’Reilly for D Kelleher (all 38), R Dennehy for O’Sullivan (40).
Niall Fahy (Brian Dillon’s).
App?
