U-21 B Hurling Championship, Preliminary Round
Lámh Dhearg 1-13-2-11 All Saints, Ballymena
Kevin Herron reports from Hannahstown
DARACH BRADLEY popped over an injury time winner as All Saints came out on top in a ding-dong battle with Lámh Dhearg in the U-21 B Prelim clash at Hannahstown on Monday evening.
Adam Murray converted an early free and Aaron Kennedy added a second point from play as the Lámhs opened the evening scoring on a soggy and dull evening in Hannahstown.
Darach Bradley replied from a free and added a second between a further Murray placed ball.
The opening goal fell to the visitors after a strike came off the post and Bradley stabbed the loose ball over the line to give All Saints a 1-2-0-3 advantage.
Murray closed the gap with his third free of the half before Darach Bradley (free) and a Fintan Brady score from play opened up a goal lead.
Lámh Dherarg closed the deficit to a single point through successive Murray frees late in the half and the hosts could have led at the interval, but Luke Walsh parried Murray’s penalty as All Saints held a narrow 1-4-0-6 lead.
Parity was restored within sixty seconds of the restart as Murray added his sixth of the evening and he edged his side back in front from a further placed ball a few moments later.
Darach Bradley levelled with his fourth free of the contest and a converted Pearse Martin free nudged the Ballymena outfit ahead again.
They extended their advantage with another Bradley free and Tiernan McGurk then popped the ball over to open up a 1-8-0-8 gap.
Adam Murray landed a free from range in response and after Sean McCarthy cleared to Calum Fegan in defence, he in turn picked out Murray to land his first from play of the evening and make it a single point game.
The tide was turning from the resulting puck-out, Calum Fegan gathered and tried his luck from range with a shot that dropped over Walsh and into the net to give the Hannahstown side a 1-10-1-08 lead.
Lámh Dhearg opened up a three-point lead with Adam Murray clipping over his 10th score and ninth from the placed ball.
Both sides traded fantastic points from play courtesy of Darach Bradley and Calum Fegan and after Ronan Webb won a puck-out and the hosts a free, Murray pointed the placed ball to make it 1-13-1-09.
The four-point gap remained until the 54th minute when Pearse Martin rifled low past Rhys Camlin and a single point separated the sides.
The visitors were buoyed and Martin then popped over a leveller with Bradley keeping his nerve late on and swinging over the eventual winner as All Saints ran out 2-11-1-13 winners at the conclusion.
LÁMH DHEARG: R Camlin, C Tubridy, S Doran, D O’Connor, F Clenaghan, C Fegan (1-1), C Camlin, E Stanley, S McCarthy, O Lee, A Murray (0-11, 0-10f), A Kennedy (0-1), R Webb, C McGuigan, R Armstrong. Subs: A Brady for C McGuigan (26).
ALL SAINTS: L Walsh, A Martin, P Murphy, F Connon, H Connon, P Martin (1-2, 0-1f), C O’Hara, A McGreevy, D Bradley (1-7, 0-6f), S O’Brien, D McCoy, T McGurk (0-1), M Connolly, D Kelly, F Brady (0-1). Subs: R Crooks for A Martin (16).
REFEREE: Chris Brown (ST PAULS)
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