Faughs to face Whitehall in Senior 2 showdown
By Daire Walsh
FAUGHS will face Whitehall Colmcille in the Dublin Senior Two Hurling Championship final following the Templeogue side’s emphatic 1-18 to 1-9 victory over Castleknock at Parnell Park last Sunday.
Wing-forward Carl O’Mahony was scorer-in-chief with seven points as the Tymon Park outfit turned on the style at the rain-soaked Donnycarney venue. This victory also means Faughs will return to the top-tier hurling competition in the capital for 2023.
Given the southsiders are on top of the Dublin SHC roll of honours with 31 titles – 18 clear of their nearest challengers St Vincent’s – it is pivotal for the future development of the club to be back amongst Dublin top teams once again. While their last ‘A’ hurling crown was back in 1999, there will be a golden opportunity to secure silverware against Whitehall on the weekend after next in Parnell Park.
Despite not having seen competitive action since the end of August, Faughs came flying out of the traps in this game. Courtesy of points from O’Mahony (three), Liam Mostyn, Fergal Heavey and Emmet McKenna, Johnny Greville’s men were 0-6 to 0-3 in front on the first-quarter mark.
Castleknock featured Dublin senior footballer Ciaran Kilkenny (whose father John played hurling with Kevin’s on the Crumlin Road in the past) within their ranks, but it was centre-forward Cian Boyle who flew the flag for the Somerton Park side throughout.
He contributed four of his team’s opening five points to leave them a single point adrift on the stroke of 20 minutes.
A superbly-taken Ciaran Brennan goal in the 22nd minute was squeezed in between Faughs points from O’Mahony and Eamon Hennessy, but Boyle’s 1-1 salvo left them just two ahead (1-8 to 1-6) at the interval.
Momentum appeared to be with Castleknock when scores from Conal Purcell and Eoin Sawyer brought them back on level terms after the resumption, but Faughs didn’t panic. O’Mahony added four more points to his personal tally, while David Croke, James O’Brien, Conor O’Shea, Niall Fitzgibbon, Jake Moore and Jamie Maloney also found the range for the Group Two winners.
Boyle did bring his haul to 1-6 with a point inside the final-quarter. Yet this was Castleknock’s only score during this juncture as Faughs convincingly ease their way into the forthcoming showpiece decider.
Faughs: E Hogan; S McDonald, G Kenny, S O’Brien; J McVeigh, C O’Shea, D Croke; C Nagle, E McKenna; C Brennan, L Mostyn, C O’Mahony; E Hennessy, F Heavey, J O’Brien. Subs: K Hogan, C Brady, C Foley, J Moore, J Kenny, N Fitzgibbon, J Maloney, S McConnell, C Leahy, B Cusack, R Hennessy.
Castleknock: R Conway; D Bohan, P Burke, C Murphy; S Ryan, C O Dulaing, D O’Connell; S Forker, E McSharry; N O’Callaghan, C Boyle, C Purcell; E Sawyer, C Kilkenny, N Hogan. Subs: J Doherty, E Dalton, C Chawke, J King, R Cahill, L Gubbins, O O’Flanagan, L Whelan, L Swan, J Purcell, T Quinn.