Waterford hurlers record second league win

Waterford senior hurlers are one win away from securing a place in the knockout stages of this year’s National Hurling League after they recorded a second win in this year’s campaign, beating Leinster Champions Dublin by three points at Walsh Park on Sunday afternoon.

Pauric Mahony who is in inspirational form of late in the colours of Waterford and of Waterford Institute of Technology levelled the eleven points he scored against Galway at the same venue in this game, hitting 1-8, the goal twenty-three minutes into the first half proving to be the first that Waterford hit in this years campaign.

The visitors began the game brightly with Alan McCrabbe, Conal Keaney and David ‘Dotsy’ O’Callaghan helping them to a three point lead, but Waterford struck back with scores from Kevin Moran and the inspirational Pauric Mahony to level matters at 0-5 a piece.

County Hurler of the Year – Seamus Prendergast continues to show the form in the early stages of 2014 as he showed in 2013 and he riffled over a brace of points to extend Waterford’s lead and it was followed by the Ballygunner man’s goal and then a Ryan Donnelly point.

Six minutes from the break, the home support present were left frustrated when Cork referee Cathal McAllister issued a straight red car to Waterford captain Michael Walsh after he was involved in an altercation with Dublin’s Alan McCrabbe. Most in the ground would have thought that at worst the Cork man would issue a yellow card but after consulting with some of his match day officials decided the incident warranted a straight red.

After the dismissal of the Stradbally Club man, Waterford defended fiercely with Kevin Moran moving to fill the void created at the heart of the defence. However, the numbers were to be later evened up as Dublin also finished with fourteen players on the field as Cathal McAllister decided that Conor McCormack should be a spectator for the final minutes of the game.

Waterford went to the dressing rooms holding a 1-10 to 0-8 lead. In the third quarter Just one point was registered by either side, that coming through Pauric Mahony, four minutes after the restart from a placed ball which helped extend Waterford’s lead to six.

Dublin hit their first score of the second half seven minutes from time when Alan McCrabbe pointed a sixty-five but it was soon followed by the sending off of Conor McCormack for a challenge on the impressive Jamie Nagle.

Dublin responded to the sending off with a goal from Conal Keaney and followed up with a Eamon Dillon point to leave Waterford sweating, but the home side were able to hold out for the three point win, and now travel to Ennis knowing that a win against the All-Ireland Champions and former manager Davy Fitzgerald should be enough to secure a quarter final spot ahead of what could be a tricky assignment against South-East rival’s Kilkenny in Nolan Park in the last round of games in the league section of the competition.

WATERFORD: Stephen O’Keeffe; Tadgh Bourke, Shane Fives, Noel Connors; Jamie Nagle, Michael Walsh, Philip Mahony; Kevin Moran, Shane McNulty; Ray Barry, Stephen Molumphy, Shane O’Sullivan; Ryan Donnelly, Seamus Prendergast, Pauric Mahony. Subs: Brian O'Sullivan for Ryan Donnelly, Stephen Roche for Shane McNulty, Eddie Barrett for Ray Barry, Barry Coughlan for Seamus Prendergast, Gavin O'Brien for Stephen Molumphy.
Scorers: Pauric Mahony 1-8 (6 frees, 1 ’65). Seamus Prendergast 0-2, Kevin Moran, Ryan Donnelly, Brian O’Sullivan 0-1 each.

DUBLIN: Gary Maguire; Cian O’Callaghan, Peter Kelly, Niall Corcoran; Shane Durkin, Liam Rushe, Michael Carton; Joey Boland, Johnny McCaffrey; Ryan O’Dwyer, Alan McCrabbe, Colm Cronin; Dotsy O’Callaghan, Conal Keaney, Mark Schutte. Subs: Eamon Dillon for Mark Schutte, Sean McGrath for Dotsy O’Callaghan, Conor McCormack for Colm Cronin.

Scorers: Conal Keaney 1-1, Alan McCrabbe 0-3 (2 frees, 1 ’65), Dotsy O’Callaghan 0-2, Joey Boland, Johnny McCaffrey, Colm Cronin 0-1 each.

Referee: Cathal McAllister (Cork).