Naomh Bríd stun Bagenalstown Gaels

JJ Kavanagh & Sons Senior Hurling Championship - Round 4 

Naomh Bríd 1-22 

Bagenalstown Gaels 1-15 

This was the shock of the championship as Naomh Bríd produced a superb second-half performance to emerge worthy winners in this Senior Hurling Championship game at Netwatch Cullen Park on Sunday.

It was hard to see it coming. Bagenalstown Gaels looked certain to justify the favouritism tag when they went in leading 1-11 to 0-9 at half-time.

The goal came at the end of the first quarter when Paddy McDonnell took a pass from Craig Doyle and found the net at the scoreboard end of the ground. Jake Doyle and Sean Wall raised further white flags for Bagenalstown.

Despite the concessions, Naomh Bríd went about their business and scored some glorious points, many of them long-range, through Aaron Amond, Mikey Bambrick and Jack Connolly.

The first signs in the second half of a possible upset raised its head when Amond’s free brought their deficit down to 1-13 to 0-14 early in the second half. The Gaels also missed a number of chances and slowly but surely the momentum changed.

Eanna Holland landed a point to level the game at 0-16 to 1-13 and with seventeen minutes to go, Amond raised a green flag to put Naomh Bríd three clear.

Bagenalstown Gaels never got a look in after that and with O’Toole, Amond, Connolly and Bambrick providing the leadership, there was only to be one winner. Long before the end, an exultant band of supporters were able to relax and enjoy the moment.

Scorers:

Naomh Bríd: A Amond 1-6 (0-3f), F O’Toole 0-4 (4f), J Connolly 0-4, M Fitzgerald 0-3, M Bambrick 0-2, E Holland 0-1, T O’Donovan 0-1, C Twomey 0-1.

Bagenalstown Gaels: Jake Doyle 0-6 (4f), P McDonnell 1-2, TJ Darcy 0-2, S Wall 0-2, J Clarke, J Wall, Craig Doyle 0-1 each.

NAOMH BRÍD: Oisin McNally; Shane Kirwan, Adam Dunne, Jamie Doyle; Tadhg O’Neill, Fiach O’Toole, Ros Dermody; Eanna Holland, Mikey Bambrick; Ruarc O’Neill, Bobby Daly, Mark Fitzgerald; Thomas O’Donovan, Aaron Amond, Conor Twomey.

Subs: Jack Connolly for T O’Neill (4), James Maher for R O’Neill (24), James Kehoe for Holland (54), James Maher for O’Donovan (59).

BAGENALSTOWN GAELS: Andrew Townsend; Eoghan Dowling, Niall Bolger, Alan Wall; Cian Doyle, Alan Corcoran, Sean Wall; Jack McCullagh, Paddy Abbey; Craig Doyle, Jamie Clarke, James Doyle; TJ Darcy, Jake Doyle, Paddy McDonnell.

Subs: Danny Doyle for Craig Doyle (31), Jason Wall for James Doyle (h/t), Oisin Dillon for Abbey (45), John Lillis for J Wall (52).

Referee: Jonathan Murphy (St Mullins).