English and Ryan star in Knockbeg win
Fionn O'Sullivan drives forward for Knockbeg College
Evan English and Eoin Ryan teamed up to devastating effect as Knockbeg College recorded a win today in Ashbourne that puts them right in the mix for a place in the knockout stages going into the last round of the groups.
There was little to chose between the teams in a close opening half but Ryan, and in particular English were a cut above the rest in the second half and they did the damage as Knockbeg pulled away to a comfortable win.
Elsewhere at the same time, Ardscoil na Tríonóide of were defeat Marist College by 3-13 to 1-13 which means the Athy school will top the group no matter how the final round of group games play out, while the winner of the Knockbeg, on three points in the group table, and Marist, on two points in the group table, will join them in second place.
English opened the scoring from a fifth minute free but five minutes later disaster struck for Knockbeg when Eoin Brangan was fouled in the act of shooting and a penalty was awarded. Niall Daly stepped up and confidently beat Cody Tucker with a low shot into the bottom left hand corner of the net. Danny Dunne then tagged on a point immediately after and suddenly the home team were in control.
Another English free in the 14th minute got Knockbeg motoring again and then their goal arrived in the 17th minute. Wing back Rory Walsh made a great overlapping run to join in the attack but there was no doubt that his ball into the goal area was meant as a shot for a point. When it dropped short, Blake Rice was the one who was alive and after he beat Killian Daly to the high ball, he blasted his shot past Ryan Lynch.
That helped Knockbeg into a 1-4 to 1-3 lead by half time.
Knockbeg showed their quality in a dominant third quarter. English and Ryan scored six unanswered points between them, three each, during that spell but there was a lot of work done by their team mates around them to get them the ball in good shooting positions.
Ryan scored again in the 55th minute and although Shane McGrath scored a point for Ashbourne a minute later, there was no doubting the winners on the day a late point by Rice leaves Knockbeg full of confidence for what is essentially a knockout tie against Marist after the mid term break.
Cody Tucker (Graigecullen); Sam McHugh (Palatine), Pauric Moore (Killeshin), Fionn O’Sullivan (Crettyard), Rory Walsh (Athy), Jack Julian (Ballylinan), Jack Doyle (Crettyard); Jack Milton (Killeshin), Sean Murphy (Tinryland); Calum McIlroy (Arles/Kilcruise), Eoin Ryan (Palatine, 0-5), Evan Dunne (Crettyard), Dermot Lawler (Éire Óg), Evan English (Killeshin, 0-6, 3fs), Blake Rice (Killeshin, 1-1). Subs: Adam Farrell (Killeshin) for McIlroy, 41; Mark Buggy (Palatine) for Lawler, 55; Patrick Fitzgerald for Dunne, 57; Conor George (Arles/Kilcruise) for Julian, 58.
Ryan Lynch; Killian Daly, Colm O’Leary, Caylum Stafford, Shane McGrath 0-1, Sean Ward, Dylan Rowland 0-1; Max Duffy, Eoin Brangan; Danny Dunne 0-1, Niall Daly 1-0pen, Daniel McGill, Dannan Donnelly, Calum Russell 0-1, Finn Warnock. Subs: Mylo Hussey for Russell, 37; Aidan Keogh for Dunne, 41; Jared Roche for Warnock, 48; Daniel Morris for Daly, 55; Harry Begg for Donnelly, 59.
Owen Ganley.
