LEINSTER SH ‘A’ CHAMP
North master Saffrons
Daire Walsh
DUBLIN North turned on the style at the DCU Sportsgrounds last Saturday afternoon, as the capital outfit progressed to the next round of the Leinster Schools’ SH ‘A’ Championship with a 3-14 to 0-9 victory over Antrim Schools.
A strong second-half showing helped North to overcome the Saffron County outfit in the same venue 12 months earlier, and even though the visitors had established a slender cushion (0-6 to 0-5) with 22 minutes gone on the clock, well-worked goals by Johnny McGuirk Jr and Conor Burke ensured that the hosts brought a seven-point advantage into the interval.
This second-quarter scoring burst was the perfect tonic for North, and courtesy of excellent defensive displays from Conor Ryan, Mark O’Keeffe and Cian O’Sullivan, they generally kept a tight rein on the Antrim attack after the restart.
Ardscoil Ris’ John Walsh and Daire Gray combined effectively in midfield, while Burke, Peter Feeney and Fionn Boland registered a series of fine points from play.
ACCURACY
The dead-ball accuracy of ace marksman Colin Currie also paved the way for North’s comprehensive success, and he added a third goal in a dominant second-half showing from North.
This was a very encouraging start to the campaign for Dublin North, who will now face Laois Schools in the second stage of the competition’s Group Team section.