Táin Óg U13 Division 1 hurling final,
Portaferry1-5 Naomh Eanna 4-9
St Patrick’s Park, Portaferry was the venue for the 2023 Táin Óg U13 Division 1 hurling final, with the host club decided by coin toss. Naomh Éanna were their opponents, having come through the group stages with full points. Both sides had a number of players familiar to each other, with Coláiste Feirste having played Red High the previous week in the Ulster GAA Year 8 B Final. Hugh Torney was the man in the middle, getting proceedings underway after a beautiful rendition of Amhrán na bhFiann marked the sense of occasion.
Both sides traded wides in the opening quarter as they settled into the game. Portaferry opened their account with a well taken over the shoulder point after a free dropped short before adding a second from a placed ball by Niall Smyth. Naomh Éanna returned the favour with a free from the Portaferry 45-meter line sent over by Odhrán McAllister. Nathan Burns rattled the crossbar for the Hightown side minutes later with Jay James sending a 65 over at 13 minutes to level the game. The game was keenly contested in the middle of the park, with Nathan Burns collecting an overturned ball to sprint through for his first major of the day. Portaferry added a point to their tally after a clever delivery to the corner from a free in. The visitors added 3 more to the score sheet with a free from Odhrán McAllister and long-range efforts from Seán Cunningham and Zac O’Connell. Heading into injury time, the home side added a point to the scoreboard with a free before Nathan Burns turned a short free in for his second major of the day. When referee Hugh Torney blew for half time, the sides went in at 2-05 to 0-04.
The second half began with a quick goal from the Glengormley side, Aodhan Walsh turning a cross from Nathan Burns in at the back post. The hosts answered with a goal of their own in return. A rifled free from 15 metres out went through the traffic and hit the back of the Enda’s net. The rest of the second half was end-to-end stuff, with both teams attacking in waves and defending in packs. Numerous goal mouth scrambles had the crowd on edge and Odhrán McAllister had the green flag raised for a cut shot from a loose ball that found the back of the net. As the final whistle went, the scoreboard read 4-9 to 1-5 in favour of the visiting team and Jay James was presented with the Division 1 title on behalf of Táin Óg Committee.
Photo credit Karen Healey
