Ardmore and Modeligo settle for a share of the spoils.

A game between two sides that were not involved in the West Waterford Intermediate Hurling Championship in 2014 proved to be the Game of the Week in West Waterford last weekend.

Ardmore in 2014 played in the senior hurling championship having won the Western and Intermediate Camogie Championship but were related after just one season in the senior grade, loosing a relegation play off against Fourmilewater.

Modeligo in 2014 were playing Junior Hurling. They reached the Western semi finals in 2013 where they lost out to Ballysaggart after a replay in Lismore, the winners of that game going on to win the West, County and Munster Junior Club Championships in the weeks that followed.

The treble win for Ballysaggart showed Modeligo that they were not far off the mark even if they would go into the 2014 campaign possibly as second favourites in the eyes of many behind Colligan to win the Western Championship and a little further down the order for the county championship.

However, Modeligo under Pa Kearney refused to listen to anything about second favourites, as they played some excellent hurling to win the Western Final against Colligan then prove too strong for Bunmahon in the County Final and Castlemartyr in the Munster Final before falling to Fullen Gaels at Birmingham in the All-Ireland quarter final earlier this year.

Normally in a game like last Sunday’s the advantage would have been with the side like Ardmore. The experience of playing in the Senior Grade you would have thought would have given them some bit of an advantage, but the experience of a successful run in the past twelve months and being unlucky to exit the All-Ireland Championship should not have been dismissed in Modeligo’s case.

As in the case of last week’s chosen ‘Game of the Week’ in West Waterford between Saint Mary’s and Colligan in the Junior Hurling Championship, this game proved to be a game of two halves.

Modeligo in the opening half were by far the better side and turn around holding a 0-9 to 0-3 advantage. Ardmore however will have being cursing their luck as they shot nine wide’s as opposed to two to Modeligo in the first half. Had some of then wide’s gone between the uprights they will surly have wondered after the game what the final outcome would be.

Modeligo had a great start to this game as Kieran McCarthy pointed inside the first minute of the game. Two further points from top scorer Jamie Troy and another from Kieran McCarthy followed to give Modeligo an early 0-4 to 0-0 lead.

All of Ardmore’s first half scores were from the stick of former Inter county hurler Seamus Prendergast and all three were from placed balls.

Modeligo to their early tally added points before the end of the opening thirty minutes through current inter county star Tom Devine, Seanie O’Donovan and Jamie Troy slotted over another three to bring his tally for the first half to five.

If Modeligo proved to be the better side in the opening half, it was Ardmore that did so in the second half.

They opened brightly with points from Kenny Murphy and Seamus Prendergast before Jamie Barron pulled one back for Modeligo to give them a 0-10 to 0-5 lead.

A brace of scores from David Gartland and a single score from Seamus Prendergast followed for Ardmore with Modeligo’s response being a brace of points from Jamie Barron which helped them to a 0-11 to 0-8 lead.

Stephen and Seamus Keating drew Ardmore to within one of Modeligo at the end of the third quarter and on forty six minutes the Round Tower men went in front when Eoin Conway beat Cian O’Byrne in his championship debut between the posts for the only goal of the game.

Modeligo however wasted no time in regaining the lead as Man of the Match Jamie Barron added three points in a row to give Modeligo a 0-15 to 1-10 lead.

Stephen Keating and Jamie Troy traded scores before Seamus Keating and Michael Troy did likewise to give Modeligo a 0-17 to 1-12 lead with time fast ticking down.

However, no game is over till the final whistle, and in the closing minutes Ardmore pilled on the pressure. David Gartland hit his third point of the game to leave just one between the sides and in added time at the end of the second half, Kenny Murphy landed a point for Ardmore to give his side a share of the spoils.

Next up for Ardmore is a delayed round one game against Shamrocks this Friday evening in Fraher Field with the game having a 7-30pm start. Modeligo having had a bye in round one will play Ballysaggart in round three. Tourin will play Shamrocks in the same round of games while Ardmore has a bye.

Ardmore: Clinton Hennessy; Niall Hennessy, Declan Prendergast, Gavin Williams; Kenny Murphy, Wayne Hennessy, Richie Hennessy; Seamus Keating, Michael Cronin; Eoin Conway, David Gartland, Thomas Power; Seamus Keating, Seamus Prendergast, Cathal Hennessy. Sub Used. Seamus Veale.

Scorers: Seamus Prendergast 0-5 (5pts), David Gartland 0-3, Eoin Conway 1-0, Kenny Murphy, Seamus Keating, Stephen Keating 0-2 each.

Modeligo: Cian O’Byrne; Louis Queally, Brian McCarthy, Robbie Buckley; Sean O’Donovan, Pat Fitzgerald, Shane Troy; Kieran McCarthy, John McGrath, Jamie Troy, Tom Devine, Rian Reddy; Michael Troy, Pa O’Donovan, Nicky O’Donovan.

Scorers: Jamie Troy 0-12 (8 frees, 1 ’65), Kieran McCarthy 0-2, Seanie O’Donovan, Tom Devine, Michael Troy 0-1 each.

Referee: Timmy Organ (Abbeyside/Ballinacourty).

Results from Round 2: (Group A): Ardmore 1-14 Modeligo 0-17, Ballysaggart 1-18 Shamrocks 1-18; (Group B): An Rinn 4-14 Ballinameela 1-7, Clashmore 3-12 Stradbally 0-13.

Every week one game will be picked from games played in West Waterford as ‘Game of the Week’ and will be reported upon here.