Sunday, 4 May 2014

City Giants De La Salle and Ballygunner top the Groups after two rounds of JJ Kavanagh & Sons County Senior Hurling Championship


With two round of the League Section of this year’s JJ Kavanagh and Sons County Senior Hurling Championship played, we are already beginning to get an indication as to how the championship could pan out.

Roanmore are the surprise package in group one. They followed up their draw against reigning champions Passage last weekend with a two point win over a fancied Fourmilewater side at Fraher Field.

The city side made it very difficult for Fourmilewater throughout the game crowding their own back line while without the ball and then once in control of the ball broke quickly into the opposite end of the field.

Gavin O’Brien was his sides best player on the day and will have caught the eye of any Waterford inter county selector in the stand.

Roanmore leas 1-7 to 0-3 at the break, the goal coming from Shane Nolan mid way through the half after he reacted quickest to a short puck out which was never properly dealt with by the Fourmilewater defence.

Jamie Barron was to again finish as top scorer for his side, hitting nine points in a 1-9 to 0-10 defeat for his side to the seventeen he scored at the same venue a week earlier.

Fourmilewater are only team not to have raised a green flag in this years championship something that they will be hoping to rectify when the championship resumes after a break to allow Derek McGrath and his charges prepare for the upcoming Munster Championship game with Cork.

De La Salle top group one after they recorded a second win in this years championship.

County Minor Hurling Captain Shane Ryan hit a first half goal for the three time champions at Walsh Park but it was not to be enough to give them the lead at the turn around as Abbeyside went to the dressing rooms holding a 0-9 to 1-4 advantage.

The teenager struck a second goal on thirty nine minutes which gave his side a 2-7 to 0-9 lead, but the Village side refused to throw in the towel and they hit a late goal of their own, Patrick Hurney getting the final touch to a long Mark Ferncombe delivery to leave just one between the sides heading into the closing phases of the game (2-10 to 1-12) but a late point from Kevin Moran ensure that De La Salle would end the weekend with their perfect start to this years championship still in tact.

Reigning champions Passage recorded their second draw in this year’s championship when they drew with Lismore at Fraher Field.

The side from the Heritage town started without Maurice Shanahan had an excellent start to this game when David Prendergast hit an early goal, and it proved to be the difference between the sides at the break as Lismore retired holding a 1-7 to 0-9 advantage.

For the second weekend running the champions depended on Owen Connors for the bulk of their scores and his contribution despite a second Lismore goal from, David Prendergast on forty seven minutes gave them a 0-18 to 2-11 advantage with just three minutes to play. But come the hour cometh the man, in the final minutes Maurice Shanahan who was introduced to the Lismore team at the break hit a point which earned his side their first point of this year’s championship.

In group two, Ballygunner top the group after two rounds of games on score difference over Mount Sion after both of the big city sides won their opening games of the season.

On Friday evening, Mount Sion proved too strong for Ballyduff Upper at Fraher Field.

At the break, the winners held a 1-8 to 0-7 advantage, Stephen Roche’s early goal proving to be the main difference between the sides.

In the second half, Richie Roche hit a hat-trick for the Monastery Men, to which Ballyduff Upper had no response, and at the end of the hour they found themselves behind on a 4-18 to 0-15 score line.

At Walsh Park Ballygunner proved far too strong for last years Intermediate Champions Ardmore.

The city side had a 3-11 to 1-4 advantage at the break. Brian O’Sullivan hit their first goal just past the half way mark in the opening half. Ardmore goalkeeper Clinton Hennessy beat a three man Ballygunner wall from a penalty soon afterwards, but Stephen Power put a 20 metre free in the Ardmore net and before the break Barry O’Sullivan struck for a third Ballygunner goal.

Stephen Power had the ball in the Ardmore net for his second and Ballygunner’s fourth goal on thirty six minutes which ended the game as a contest.

The Gunners had Philip Mahony helped from the field during the course of the game with a leg injury. The extent of his injury is not fully known, but early indications are that it could be a serious one which will be a concern to Derek McGrath just three weeks from Waterford’s Munster Championship game with Cork as indications are that he could well be without a number of other players for the game.

Dungarvan are in third place in the table after they recorded a 2-20 to 2-12 win over Tallow at Lismore. Cathal Curran and Bob McCarthy swapped first half goals as the winners ended the half holding a 1-8 to 1-3 cushion.

Cormac Curran added a second goal for Dungarvan which gave his side a 2-12 to 1-7 advantage, but Bob McCarthy hit a second goal fro the Bride-siders to close the game to five points.

JJ Kavanagh & Sons Senior Hurling Championship – Group One

De La Salle      2          2          0          0          4

Roanmore       2          1          1          0          3

Fourmilewater            2          1          0          1          2

Passage           2          0          2          0          2

Lismore           2          0          1          1          1

Abbeyside        2          0          0          2          0

JJ Kavanagh & Sons Senior Hurling Championship – Group Two

Ballygunner     2          2          0          0          4

Mount Sion      2          2          0          0          4

Dungarvan      2          1          0          1          2

Ballyduff          2          1          0          1          2

Tallow             2          0          0          2          0

Ardmore          2          0          0          2          0

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.