Naomh Eoin save best for last to leapfrog Naomh Bríd
Naomh Eoin captain, Brian Tracey, referee, David Hickey, and Naomh Bríd captain Fiach O'Toole.
Naomh Eoin saved their best performance till last inthe JJ Kavanagh & Sons Senior Hurling Championship, with a two-goal win over Naomh Bríd on Saturday evening at the Training Centre in Fenagh.
Naomh Bríd needed to win to this game to have any chance of making the top four and reaching the semi-finals. Yet despite it being something of a dead rubber for Naomh Eoin, the men from Myshall produced a sensational opening quarter that saw them win the game and overtake Naomh Brid to get off the foot of the table.
Naomh Eoin got off to a perfect start, with Adam Kenny getting on the end of a long ball in from Scott Tracey to raise a green flag inside 20 seconds.
They had a second goal on the board in just the sixth minute when Tracey surged down the left and fired his shot goalward; Naomh Bríd keeper Oisin McNally made a fine save, but Tracey turned the rebound home at the second time if asking.
The men from Myshall looked unstoppable in the early stages, knocking over scores with ease through Colm Beck (two), John Micheal Nolan, Eoin Hosey and Kenny.
Naomh Bríd captain Fiach O'Toole pointed a free to break their duct, but his side were down 2-5 to 0-1 with only ten minutes played.
Nolan pointed twice in reply for Naomh Eoin, both from placed balls, with a free from Aaron Amond leaving Naomh Bríd 11 points adrift at the first water break.
Nolan and Beck widened the gap further to leave Naomh Eoin up 2-9 to 0-2 after 20 minutes. There was a feeling around the ground that the game was dead and buried; but Naomh Bríd had other ideas.
The remainder of the half belonged to the Leighlinbridge-based club, who rattled off the next six scores without reply, with three frees from Amond, two frees from O'Toole and lovely strike from play from Mikey Bambrick.
Michael Kavanagh landed one down the other end, but Naoimh Bríd ended the half with another pointed free each from Amond and O'Toole to close the gap to just 2-10 to 0-10 at the interval.
The second half began with a bang, with five points on the board in the opening five minutes - three for Naomh Eoin through Beck, Tracey and Cian Quirke, and two from Naomh Bríd through Amond and Mark Fitzgerald.
The remainder of the game was on a knife edge, with the sides going score-for-score, trading seven points apiece. Two frees from Nolan and one from play from Naomh Eoin substitute Ciaran Abbey was matched two frees from O'Toole and one from Fitzgerald had the scoreboard showing 2-16 to 0-15 at the second water break.
Both sides landed another four scores before the, with Kavanagh, O'Toole and Bambrick (two) on target for Naomh Bríd, but Naomh Eoin held them at bay with three from Noland and one from James Smithers off the bench.
A special mention must go to Naomh Bríd goalkeeper, Oisín McNally, who made a series of saves throughout the game to deny Naomh Eoin what could have been a further three, four or five goals.
JM Nolan 0-9 (6f), C Beck 0-4, A Kenny and S Tracey 1-1 each, E Hosey, M Kavanagh, C Quirke, C Abbey and J Smithers 0-1 each.
F O'Toole 0-7 (7f), A Amond 0-6 (5f), M Bambrick 0-3 (1f), M Fitzgerald 0-2, J Connolly 0-1.
Oisín McNally; Shane Kirwan, Ros Dermody, Jamie Doyle; Ruarc O'Neill, Fiach O'Toole, Bobby Daly; Éanna Holland, Mikey Bambrick; Mark Fitzgerald, Adam Dunne, Jack Connolly; Tomás O'Donovan, Aaron Amond, Conor Twomey.
James Kehoe for O'Neill (39), James Maher for Holland (49), John Murphy for Connolly (55).
Brian Tracey; Diarmaid Deacon, Micheal Kavanagh, Aodhan Keogh; Michael Nolan, Diego Dunne, Ger Kavanagh; Eoin Hosey, Colm Beck; John Micheal Nolan, Adam Kenny, Kyle Foley; Cian Quirke, Scott Tracey, Dwain Kavanagh.
Ciaran Abbey for Deacon (35), James Smithers for Kenny (49), Jack Kelly for Foley (57), Jamie Behan for G Kavanagh (58).
David Hickey.
