Skillful St Mullins lift U16B title
St Mullins celebrate their winning the CENTAL under 16 Div 1B hurling final
A skilful St Mullins side were worthy winners of this Under 16 Hurling 1B final at Netwatch Cullen Park on Tuesday when they out-gunned and out-fought sticky opponents in a well-contested game.
St Mullins started well but they registered two wides before Kody Doyle opened their account at the O’Hanrahan end of the ground when the corner forward picked up breaking ball to raise a white flag.
A minute later, Dylan King passed to Jack Ryan and the corner forward shot to the Kildavin-Clonegal net for a three-pointer. The eventual winners kept their line intact, when on two occasions, Kildavin-Clonegal exerted the pressure but the hop of the ball went against them and their rivals cleared.
By the 20th minute all the St Mullins half forward line had scored from play with Dylan King finding the net on 19 minutes as his speculative effort dipped under the crossbar.
Coming up to the interval, Dylan Ryan scored his third point from a free which was the only score in the half from placed balls. That strike strengthened St Mullins grip on the game as they led 2-8 to 0-0 at the interval.
Kildavin-Clonegal didn’t drop their heads and came out fighting in the second half. Joe Kirwan fired over an early point and much of the pressure fell on the St Mullins back line. Winning full-back, Kealan O’Carroll, was immense and much of what Kildavin-Clonegal did came a cropper at the hands of the St Mullins central defender.
As the game continued, Oisin Fogarty scored the second of his two points for St Mullins and James Kirwan landed a Kildavin-Clonegal point. Any chance of Kildavin-Clonegal closing the gap died when Kody Foley, on 48 minutes, worked hard to keep the ball in play. When he off-loaded into the small square Jack Ryan was on hand to ease the ball over the line Donnacha Cosgrave and James Kirwan (free) added further Kildavin-Clonegal points and with time almost up, the St Mullins left-half back took full advantage and with time to spare he fired over a beautiful point from out on the left under the stand.
Kildavin-Clonegal had the last word when Kirwan scored his fourth point of the game but the night belonged to St Mullins in what was an absorbing under 16 championship from beginning to end.
Jay Ryan; Adam Poole, Kealan O’Carroll, Darragh Murphy; Paul Ralph, Dylan Moran, Charlie Foley (0-1); Oisin Fogarty (0-2), Conor Walsh (0-1); Dylan Ryan (0-3 2fs), Jack McDonald, Jamie Elmes; Kody Doyle (0-2), Dylan King (1-0), Jack Ryan (2-1).
Subs: Tommy Fenlon for Murphy (46), Bobby Fluskey for Doyle (48), Shane Ryan for Ryan (50), Ryan Walsh for Poole (56), Ryan O’Carroll for Elmes (56).
Eoin Finn; Sean Dunne, William O’Reilly, Louis Stone; Ben Tracey, Oisin Redmond, James Kirwan (0-4 3fs); Podge Finn, James Byrne; Donnacha Cosgrave (0-1), Joe Kirwan (0-1), Josh Byrne; Robbie Maher, Cian Dunne, Lee Cummins.
Subs: Cian O’Shea for O’Reilly (9), Harry Byrne for Cummins (48), Rory Nolan for Maher (52).
Patrick Murphy (Ballinkillen).
