Intermediate Hurling Championship Group 1 – Round 3
Saturday 6th September
Report by Niall Kelly from Páirc Naomh Pól
Naomh Pól 7-25 Naomh Mhuire, Ros Earcáin 0-16
A goal hungry Naomh Pól swept aside the challenges of Rasharkin on Saturday afternoon with an emphatic win to boost their chances of progression. Their objective was crystal clear; secure a win and do so with as substantial a margin as possible. With thirty points to spare, the Shaw’s Road men put a significant dent in their score difference battle with Clooney Gaels to see who follows Creggan into the knockout stages of this year’s intermediate competition. A deluge of goals in the first half from Declan Chapman, Sean Munce and a double from Sean Óg McLaren saw them take a handsome thirteen-point lead at the interval before their firepower upped the ante in the second with further majors from hat-trick hero McLaren, Caolan Ó’Duibfinn and Caolan Crossan. To their credit, the visitors battled valiantly despite the margin and Conor McKeever, Donagh Quigg and Conor McKillop all put in a fine hour’s hurling.
The hosts wasted little time in getting started and raced into an early four-point lead thanks to scores from Declan Chapman, Sean Lawell, Caolan Ó’Duibfinn and Sean Óg McLaren. Rasharkin’s attacked were isolated in the opening exchanges, but they eventually got motoring and did reply positively thanks to fine scores from Donagh Quigg and Conor McKeever. Sean Munce and McKeever traded further points before the home side began to turn the screw midway through the half.
Caolan Crossan angled his effort to perfection before a towering point sailed over from their linchpin Stephen Rooney. The signs now were ominious for the visitors as St Paul’s were constantly peppering their goal and already veered a few opportunities to net wide of the mark. McLaren made no mistake though on the eighteenth minute as he capitalised on a defensive error, cooly despatching to the onion bag from close range.
Despite a response from Donagh Quigg, the hosts had their sights set on further damage of the Rasharkin net. Declan Chapman demonstrated his predatory instincts minutes later as he pounced on Lorcan Phillip’s blocked point attempt to steer home with ten minutes of the half remaining. Yet again, Rasharkin responded with a white flag from Quigg but their reprieve would be short-lived as the hosts goaled yet again. Sean Munce ensured that their whole full forward line had a major to their name as he swept a clever effort to the net, putting the finishing touches on a drilled pass from Chapman.
The visitors were camped in their own half and try as they might, they couldn’t negotiate an escape route as Naomh Pól were relentless in their offensive pursuits. McLaren would then strike yet again as he latched on to Mark Munce’s clever pass to unleash to the net for the second time on the twenty fifth minute. Rasharkin desperately needed some inspiration and found this in the form of their chief marksman, Conor McKeever. The domineering number twelve sent over the next three points before Caolan Crossan finished the first period with a fine effort from range leaving the scores at 4-09 to 0-08 at Fiontann McCotter’s short whistle.
The second thirty kickstarted in a similar fashion to the first as the hosts hit the first four unanswered scores with Lorcan Phillips, McLaren and a double from Ó’Duibfinn increasing the margin. Yet again, it would be Quigg who would respond for Rasharkin and yet again… St Paul’s would retaliate with a green flag thanks to a rasping effort from that man McLaren. His low, drilled effort nestled nicely in the bottom corner as the young full-forward completed his hat-trick.
The men in blue and yellow could’ve been forgiven for giving up the ghost given the deficit, but they refused to lie down and hit a purple patch just before the final quarter. It was no surprise that the sole source of these scores was their ace, Conor McKeever, who fired over four impressive points including a soaring effort from range.
Perhaps this flurry of points provided the catalyst for the hosts who seized momentum back in their favour and finished off the game in incessant nature again as they looked to inflict as much damage on the scoreboard as possible. Sean Munce and Caolan Ó’Duibfinn had the umpires brandish their white flags before substitutes Conall Finnegan and Garrett Cowan announced their arrival with well-taken points.
As the game entered the final ten minutes, Rasharkin’s substitute keeper, Kevin McLernon, was bombarded with shot after shot as St Paul’s sought further majors. The visitor’s number 16 responded defiantly though as he thwarted them on multiple occasions. However, he was powerless to stop Ó’Duibfinn whose driven attempt just crept in.
Sean Munce and Conall Finnegan added further scores either side of a McKeever free before the hosts grabbed their seventh goal of the afternoon on the fifty sixth minute as Caolan Crossan managed to roll the ball in from close range among a melee of bodies and spills. A trio of points from Ó’Duibfinn in response to consolation scores from Terry McGregor and Brain Óg O’Neill would see out proceedings with the men in red and white sealing a commanding 7-25 0-16 win.
Job done as far as the Naomh Pól management are concerned. Two vital points secured and with such a handsome margin of victory, they have now cut the score difference with Ahoghill from sixty-four to twenty eight. Their meeting with neighbours Sarsfields is now a crucial game. The Paddies have endured a disappointing campaign and have failed to register any points on the board. Surely though, they will be determined to spoil their rivals aspirations and an intriguing battle at the Bear Pit is in prospect on the 20th of September.
For Rasharkin, the journey from Junior hurling to Intermediate is a challenging one to navigate. Although it was a hefty defeat, the Dreen men can take solace in their resilient attitude and will look to build on this going forward.
Teams:
Naomh Pól:
K Murray; P McKevitt, F Sewell, T Auld; M Munce (0-01,) S Rooney (0-01,) C Killyleagh; S Lawell (0-01,) D Quinn; Caolan Ó’Duibfinn (1-09,) C Crossan (1-02,) L Phillips (0-01;) S Munce (1-03,) S Óg McLaren (3-03,) D Chapman (1-01)
Substitute scorers:
C Finnegan (0-02)
G Cowan (0-01)
Naomh Mhuire, Ros Earcáin:
L Tunney; C Higgins, A McKeever, D Hasson; C McKillop, J Higgins, T O’Boyle; B Óg O’Neill (0-01,) C McFerran; T McMullan, D Quigg (0-04,) C McKeever (0-10;) J McGregor, T McGregor (0-01,) C Donaghy
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