Five-goal Carlow Town make it look easy against Bagenalstown
Karol English looks up before scoring another point for Carlow Town. Photos: Pat Ahern.
After five series of Intermediate Hurling Championship games, Carlow Town maintain their 100% record thanks to this comfortable win over last year’s junior champions at McGrath Park on Wednesday.
This result was never in doubt. Karol English opened the scoring with a free for the eventual winners and Neil Martin replied in kind for the home side.
Four minutes in, the experienced Cathal Ryan off-loaded to Alex Delaney and the younger man found the net. Ryan himself and Adam Nolan both raised white flags before the Gaels scored themselves through Martin from play.
Carlow Town pressed and they extended their lead with Ryan, Lazzy Meaney, Delaney and Karol English all getting in on the scoring act.
The home side enjoyed a ten-minute purple patch in the second quarter and narrowed their deficit to three points, with Andrew Kane, Martin and Patrick Foley (two frees) all on target.
Just before the interval, English passed to Adam Nolan and the Carlow Town midfielder unleashed a rocket which flew just inside the right-hand post. At the break and leading by 2-7 to 0-7, Carlow Town were set to maintain their winning run.
Early in the second half, with a goal from Delaney, that six point lead went out to nine. That gave Carlow Town a chance to bring on their fringe players.
By the end, one of them, James Ingram had celebrated his introduction by scoring 2-1 while Ruairi Dunbar and Dylan McGrath also raised white flags.
Sandwiched between the Ingram three-pointers, Steven Lillis, in the Bagenalstown Gaels goal made a great save to deny Adam Nolan. As the ball broke loose the keeper came forward and did enough to distract the incoming forwards who failed to find the target at the town end of the ground.
After that the game petered out with the home side emptying their bench. One of those who came in, Conor Lennon, pointed but by that stage, it was immaterial. The Oak Park side march on.
A Delaney 2-1 (0-1'65), J Ingram 2-1, K English 0-5 (2f), A Nolan 1-1, C Ryan 0-2, L Meaney, D Murphy, B Cassidy, R Dunbar, D McGrath 0-1 each.
N Martin 0-5 (3fs), P Kelly 0-2 (fs), A Kane, C Lennon 0-1 each.
Sean Buggy; Stephen Lacey, Dylan Bourke, Conall McGuire; Matthew English Hayden, Kyle Nolan, Shane McCarthy; Adam Nolan, Lazzy Meaney; Alex Delaney, Karol English, Diarmuid Murphy; Brandon Farrell, Cathal Ryan, Brandon Cassidy.
Dylan McGrath for Farrell (h/t), Ruairi Dunbar for Ryan (39), James Ingram for McCarthy (39), Daniel Brennan for Delaney (40).
Stephen Lillis; Frank Cushen, Liam Cummins, Colm Meaney; Shane Coady, Patrick Kelly, Niall Power; Sean Curran, Thomas McDonnell; Darren Hickey, Neil Martin, Danny Travers; Richie Whelan, Andrew Kane, Paul Carroll.
James Cushen for Carroll (44), Kyle Lyons for Meaney (45), Filip Kaczmarkiewicz for Whelan (48), Garry Monaghan for Travers (51), Conor Lennon for Hickey (52).
Brian Deering (Rathvilly).
