Old Leighlin title defence up and running
Old Leighlin's Ruarc O'Neill tries to break through Fenagh's Tommy Bric and Jack Treacy.
A statement from the holders? An emphatic statement? Maybe not, but this Senior Football Championship first round game at Netwatch Cullen Park on Thursday got Old Leighlin up and running as they bid to put back to back titles together.
By the sixth minute Old Leighlin had pushed themselves into a 0-3 to 0-0 lead with the scores coming from Seamus Kinsella, Mikey Bambrick and Ben Stanley.
Ben Collier got Fenagh off the mark but the experience of Old Leighlin was obvious as James Dowling, Daragh Fitzgerald and Cathal Coughlan also got among the point scorers. Fenagh had their moments as Jack Treacy and Ian Craddock raised white flags.
In the second quarter, Fenagh were unlucky not to find the net but credit to the Old Leighlin keeper, Steven Scallan, who saved brilliantly from Zach O’Hara. The loose ball could have gone anywhere but, after what seemed an age, the Old Leighlin defence finally cleared.
There was an element of panache to the champions effort as Aaron Amond combined with Kinsella before flashing the ball over the bar. Just before the interval, Cormac Lomax drove over a spectacular two-pointer for Fenagh to narrow their deficit to 0-10 to 0-5 at the break.
Minutes after the resumption, the seven point Old Leighlin lead had been extended as Bambrick and Fitzgerald fired over points. Coughlan converted a free for a Fenagh breach and while the outsiders tacked on two Craddock points the writing was on the wall for them.
Bambrick combined with Tadgh Roche for another point while Amond benefitted from Bambrick vision once again with a point. It was now a matter of seeing out the game without mishap.
Padraig Hynes did land a late two-pointer from play for Fenagh but another from Dowling was the perfect reply.
It was appropriate that Old Leighlin should have the last word as the game went into injury time. This time Amond proved to be unstoppable as he ran at the Fenagh defence. When space opened up, he kept going and his rocket to the left-hand corner of the net was all but unstoppable.
And so the race for the title has begun. There is a long way to go yet but Old Leighlin have shown they will not be surrendering, if at all, their crown too easily.
A Amond 1-2, D Fitzgerald, M Bambrick, C Coughlan (1f), J Dowling 0-3 each, S Kinsella 0-2, B Stanley, B Stanley 0-1 each.
P Hynes 0-3 (f 2p), I Craddock 0-3, C Lomax 0-2 (1-2p), J Treacy, B Collier 0-1 each.
Steven Scallan; Kevin Carpenter, Tadhg O’Neill, Daniel Brennan; Tadhg Roche, Niall Roche, Ruarc O’Neill; Ian Atkinson, David Bambrick; James Dowling, Mikey Bambrick, Aaron Amond; Cathal Coughlan, Seamus Kinsella, Darragh Fitzgerald.
Ben Stanley for T O’Neill (temporary 5), Stanley for N Roche (35), Mark Brennan for T O’Neill (53).
Pat Butler; Darragh Byrne, Jamie McCabe, Mark Dermody; Padraig O’Brien, Jack Kehoe, Cormac Nolan; Tommy Bric, Ian Craddock; Cormac Lomax, Colin Byrne, Ben Collier; Jack Treacy, Padraig Hynes, Zach O’Hara.
Eric English for Nolan (38), Jamie Wall for Collier (51), Padraic Kearney for Kehoe (53), Adam Smyth for Craddock (62).
Brian Deering (Rathvilly).
