Goals the difference as St Mullins see off Burren Rangers
Burren Rangers captain, Dan Kearney, referee, Damien Brady, and St Mullins captain, Michael Fenlon.
Fourth hosted fifth in the JJ Kavanagh & Sons Junior Hurling Championship on Sunday afternoon as St Mullins welcomed Burren Rangers to Pairc Naomh Moling.
Goals proved decisive as the home team went on to win by ten points, but the game should have been far closer were it not for an ocean of wides in both halves from Burren.
An early brace from Darren Whelan gave the hosts a solid start before he burst through the Burren defence and fired his shot beyond Evan Dunphy for a goal after just seven minutes.
Tadhg Donnellon and James Bergin got Burren off the mark, but scores from Whelan and Michael Fenlon had St Mullins five points up midway through the half.
A brilliant reactionary strike from Fenlon in the 20th minute raised a second green flag for the hosts, followed by a superb free from distance from James Kelly stretching the lead further.
Burren stayed in the game thanks to three more frees from Bergin as well as a thunderous goal in the 28th from Fan Kearney than suck underneath John Walsh's crossbar.
That left it tight at the break, with St Mullins up 2-5 to 1-5.
But the game was won in the third quarter, as a rampant St Mullins scored 1-4 without reply, with Fenlon playing in for his second goal of the game just after the restart. Two frees from Kelly and a score each from half-time substitutes, Padraig Fenlon and Padraig Connors.
Burren presented something of a comeback in the final 15 minutes, with Bergin, Pierce Deane, John Metcalfe and Padraic Roche all on target for the visitors.
But a goal five minutes from time put the game to bed with a splendid goal from John Walsh, who's turn and strike gave the Burren keeper no chance.
D Whelan 2-3, M Fenlon 1-1, J Walsh 1-0, J Kelly 0-3 (3f), P Fenlon, P Connors and B Collier 0-1 each.
J Bergin 0-5 (3f), D Kearney 1-0, T Donnellon Pierce Deane, John Metcalfe and Padraic Roche 0-1 each.
John Walsh; Kian Foley, Thomas Coady, Tommy Collier; Dan Kelly, James Kelly, Andy Corcoran; Brian Collier, John Walsh; Chris Kavanagh, Anthony Murphy, Conor Doyle; Michael Fenlon, Darren Whelan, Eddie Kennedy.
Padraig Fenlon and Padraig Connors for Murphy and Kennedy (both HT), Mark O'Shea for M Fenlon (44).
Evan Dunphy; Oisin Doyle, Tiernan Whelan, Jack Cranny; Jack Dunphy, Pierce Deane, Thomas Monahan; Dan O'Connor, Dan Kearney; James Bergin, Padraic Roche, Seamus Connolly; Tadhg Donnellon, John Metcalfe, Shane Manton.
Michael English-Hayden for Doyle (20), James Hogan for Connolly (40).
Damien Brady
