LEINSTER JH ‘A’ RD 1
An opener to forget for Dublin North
Daire Walsh
IT was a frustrating start to the Leinster Schools Juvenile Hurling ‘A’ League for Dublin North on Friday, as they suffered a comprehensive 5-10 to 0-8 defeat against Laois Schools.
North reached the semi-final of this competition last year, but they were somewhat depleted for this game at the Laois Centre Of Excellence.
Dublin Development squad members Jack Murray and Alex Watson were absent on the day, and while Castleknock’s Conor Murray was a standout performer for the visitors, the clinical edge of the Laois attack meant they were facing into a 3-6 to 0-3 half-time deficit.
MOUNTAIN
This left them with a mountain to climb when the action resumed, but with Murray playing a deeper role, it was a much better showing from Paraic Tierney’s side in the second half. Murray finished the game with 0-3 to his name, and substitute Daniel Teale from St Vincent’s matched this scoring feat after his introduction.
However, Laois continued to pose problems for their opponents, and eventually sealed their first win of the league in a commanding fashion. This was a disappointing start for Dublin North, but they will be eager to produce a response when they face St Kieran’s College, Kilkenny tomorrow week.