Rís can hold their heads high
COLAISTE MHUIRE JOHNSTOWN 3-9 ARDSCOIL RIS 1-9
A BRACE of late goals were vital in Carlow last week as Coláiste Mhuire Johnstown produced a strong finish to progress to the final of the Leinster Post-Primary Schools Juvenile Hurling ‘B’ competition at the expense of Ardscoil Rís.
The Griffith Avenue side didn’t have long to wait to resume action having secured their place in the provincial championship with a 4-11 to 2-10 victory over St Benildus College in the Dublin final the previous week, but they performed with plenty of intent against an impressive Kilkenny outfit.
And with Conor Burke once again proving to be extremely reliable from both placed balls and open play, they found themselves trailing by the bare minimum (0-7 to 0-6) at the interval.
Key to their performance in the opening period were defensive lynchpins Darragh Levins and Jack Higgins, who were stepping up to the task in the face of relentless pressure at times from Johnstown. As well as Burke (who finished with 0-6 to his name), captain Ben McHugh also proved effective by chipping in with a brace of points.
For much of the game, it looked the contest was set to go right down to the wire, and with five minutes left on the clock, the teams were tied at 1-9 apiece.
However, Coláiste Mhuire then grabbed a rather contentious goal to edge in front during a vital stage in the tie. This left Ardscoil needing a three-pointer to force their way back into the reckoning, and with a minute left to play, they very nearly found the net during a goal-mouth scramble.
Johnstown managed the clear the ball just in time, though, and they sealed their win with a second goal from long-distance.
This defeat will come as a disappointment to Ardscoil, but they can reflect positively on a very satisfactory season for their Under-14 team.