By: Kevin Corrigan
Molloy Environmental Systems U20 Hurling Championship final
Shinrone/Ballyskenach-Killavilla 4-22
Kilcormac-Killoughey 4-22
Shinrone/Ballyskenach-Killavilla will be disappointed as midfielder James Morkan had the ball in his hand and an easy tap over point for the taking when referee Sean Michael Maher blew full time – the game was gone 40 seconds over the announced two minutes of injury time so SBK can’t complain much, though the referee had allowed their puckout to be taken and play to develop.
It was a great showcase for Offaly underage hurling and the result could have went either way. Both sides had the initiative at different stages, looking like they would win but both possessed great character, refusing to go away.
It was one of those rare games that neither side deserved to lose. Kilcormac-Killoughey were aiming for a sensational seven titles in a row at this grade. Their dominance at this level is a huge tribute to the strength of underage hurling in the club. SBK had developed an outstanding young team from a young age and this group of players won minor and other underage titles so we knew it would be a tight game that would go down to the wire but it still managed to surpass expectations.
There were some outstanding individual performances on both sides but it was enjoyable for a lot more reasons than this. There was great fighting spirit and the ball winning of both sets of players commanded complete admiration.
SBK set down very important early markers when playing against the wind in the first half and it looked like they had the measure of their opponents, They grabbed the initiative with two soft but crucial early goals. James O’Sullivan had the ball in the net after just 30 seconds, tapping home when Ronan Dockery’s shot was saved. The excellent Seamie Cleare got their second goal in the 8th minute when he was in the right place after James McLoughlin fumbled a long Liam O’Riordan free.
SBK went 2-3 to 0-2 ahead after nine minutes and playing most of the hurling but K-K settled. An 11th minute goal, kicked to the net by Aaron Screeney, after Matt Watkins made a great save from Odhran Fletcher helped them trail by 1-4 to 2-3 after 12 minutes.
Seamie Cleare blasted home a great 13th minute goal after a great Fionn Carney pick up and run to put SBK back in the driving seat and there were plenty of more twists and turns before the interval.
SBK led by 3-7 to 1-8 after 23 minutes but K-K got a run of three points without reply in less than two minutes to make it a two point game. SBK found another lease of life and Carney and Liam O’Riordan kept them ticking with points, 3-9 to 1-11.
The tide turned back for K-K before the interval. Odhran Fletcher blasted a 27th minute penalty over the bar, awarded when Mark Mulrooney was pulled back but Aaron Fletcher raced in for his second goal a minute into injury time. Suddenly it was a draw match and it took a Liam O’Riordan free to give SBK the interval lead that their first half display merited, 3-10 to 2-12.
It continued in the same vein in the second half, the exchanges frantic but full of quality hurling, the intensity increasing by the minute, every ball that bit harder to get into hand.
Outstanding SBK goalkeeper Matt Watkins made a great save to deny Odhran Fletcher a quick goal and O’Riordan’s free pushed SBK 3-11 to 2-12 ahead.
It was 3-12 to 2-14 when K-K’s crucial third goal arrived in the 37th minute. Once again Watkins made a great save, this time from Fiacra Carroll but was powerless to stop the ball going up in the air and falling over the line.
Screeney’s point made it 3-15 to 3-12 and we thought K-K would win from here. SBK, however, were operating out of a very different script. O’Riordan settled them with two frees and Watkins once again earned his keep, saving well from Fiachra Carroll. James Morkan levelled it up and we had a big turning point when a Mark Mulrooney shot was initially awarded as a point but over turned after linesman Simon Whelahan queried it with Sean Michael Maher.
SBK swept down the field and Fionn Carney showed his class when scoring a 45th minute goal of the highest quality. SBK hadn’t time to catch their breath when Aaron Screeney replicated it with a goal of similar quality at the other end, 4-15 each.
In an absolutely absorbing end, both sides added seven more points and the sides were level on five occasions. SBK were 4-19 to 4-18 ahead with five minutes left but K-K found an extra gear at the right time. Odhran Fletcher had been deadly accurate from frees and tightly marked in open play but he did what the really good players do, coming good when the pressure was highest and possession very hard won. He got a free and two points from play as K-K took a 4-22 to 4-20 lead going into injury time.
SBK displayed heartwarming resolve, raising their work rate and finding a way to rescue it. Fionn Carney brought it down to a point and James O’Sullivan salvaged a replay, somehow fielding a long ball among a forest of players and sending the sliotar between the posts.
THE SCORERS
SBK: Liam O’Riordan 0-13 (10f), Seamie Cleare 2-2, Fionn Carney 1-3, James O’Sullivan 1-1, James Morkan 0-3.
K-K: Odhran Fletcher 0-14 (10f, 1 penalty and 1 ’65’), Aaron Screeney 3-2, Fiachra Carroll 1-1, Mark Mulrooney 0-2, Richard Bracken, Brian Guinan, Jack Buckley 0-1 each.
THE TEAMS
SHINRONE/BALLYSKENACH-KILLAVILLA: Matt Watkins; Sam Young, Paul Simpson, Leon Reams; Ben Young, Gearoid Maher, Darragh Phelan; James Morkan, Killian Fitzpatrick; James O’Sullivan, Liam O’Riordan, Aaron O’Toole; Fionn Carney, Ronan Dockery, Seamie Cleare. Subs – Brian Oakley for Reams (HT), Michael Kelly for Luke Bracken (47m), Harry McQuaid for Buckley (51m),
KILCORMAC-KILLOUGHEY: James McLoughlin; Sean Cleary, Harry Sweeneym Jack O’Donoghue; Oisin Carroll, Richard Bracken, Luke Bracken; Brian Guinan, Joe Quinn; Jack Dunican, Jack Buckley, Fiachra Carroll; Odhran Fletcher, Aaron Screeney, Mark Mulrooney. Subs – Niall Fitzgerald for O’Donoghue (22m), Aaron Brereton for Dockery (42m),
Referee – Sean Michael Maher, Seir Kieran.
STATISTICS
Wides: Kilcormac-Killoughey – 7 (1 in first half);
Shinrone/Ballyskenach-Killavilla – 10 (6 in first half).
By Offaly Secretary Sat 10th Oct
