Mixed c’ship fortunes for Lucan hurlers
By Daire Walsh
THERE were contrasting fortunes for Lucan Sarsfields hurlers in the concluding stages of the Dublin Junior Hurling Championships last Saturday.
Whereas the 12th Lock club suffered an agonising one-defeat to St Brigid’s in the ‘A’ decider at Parnell Park, they were crowned ‘C’ champions courtesy of a 3-15 to 2-15 triumph at the expense of St Sylvester’s in O’Toole Park.
Following scores from Kevin O’Reilly (free), Rob Lambert, Barry Aird and Dave Kavanagh, Dermot O’Brien’s side were a single point adrift on 22 minutes in their Junior ‘A’ showdown with Brigid’s.
This was before Kieran O’Sullivan (two), Matt Barr and Michael Fraine registered unanswered efforts to give Brigid’s a 0-9 to 0-4 cushion at the interval.
A Barr point offered Brigid’s additional leeway on the resumption, but Lucan subsequently came to grips with the task at hand.
After he had added a brace of frees to compliment an Oisin O’Brien point, the dependable O’Reilly rattled the back of the opposition net.
A Rob Lambert single on 37 minutes edged them in front for the first time and all the momentum appeared to be with Lucan at this juncture.
However, Brigid’s regained control of the proceedings by amassing six consecutive points – including three from the dynamic O’Sullivan. Lucan refused to throw in the towel and O’Reilly’s four-point salvo reduced the gap to the bare minimum.
With just under 10 minutes of stoppage-time played, Colm Behan restored parity with a superb score on the right-wing. The tie now looked destined for extra-time, only for Brigid’s to be awarded a penalty at the opposite end.
O’Sullivan opted to tap the ball over the bar and it was enough to get the Russell Park outfit over the line on a score of 0-17 to 1-13.
At the exact same time on the opposite side of the city, Lucan’s third adult squad were in raptures as a result of their impressive Junior ‘C’ championship success against St Sylvester’s.
This victory was particularly noteworthy as they had claimed Junior ‘D’ honours in the same venue just under 12 months earlier.
There was a good mixture of youth and experience within the ranks, with Kevin Roche – Lucan’s senior hurling goalkeeper for a number of seasons – lining out at full-back.
Ciaran Keane was the team’s scorer-in-chief on the day, finishing with a magnificent personal tally of 11 points. While five of these were frees, he also bolstered his haul with four points from play and two majestic sideline cuts.
Their ability to strike goals at vital moments was in evidence throughout the course of the action. Thanks to fine finishes by Andy Carroll and Killian Boylan, Lucan led 2-6 to 0-9 at the midway point in the contest.
Another Carroll goal followed in the third-quarter, but the Syls challenge was beginning to rise. At the midway stage in the second half, Lucan were just two points in front (3-9 to 1-13).
Although their Malahide counterparts struck a second major inside the final-quarter, Lucan were able to keep them at bay. Supplementing the scoring prowess of Keane, the impressive Boylan ended the tie with 1-3 to his name.
Evan Lombard also contributed a fine point to give Lucan considerable leeway on the scoreboard. Even though Keane, Carroll and Boylan did the bulk of the scoring, this was a unified effort – both on and off the field of play. Alex Hanley, Peter Fagan, Ian Fitzgerald and substitute Sean Kelly all stood out for the victors.
It was a family affair for the Finnertys with manager PJ watching his son Luke holding his own between the sticks for Lucan.
The elder Finnerty has been ably-assisted on the sideline by Christy Boylan, Paul Kyne and Kevin O’Toole, all of whom will be hoping the club can make a serious impact in next season’s Junior ‘B’ Championship.