LEINSTER SEN HURLING ‘C’ C’SHIP
Costello on a High
Daire Walsh
CILLIAN Costello produced a star performance at the National Sports Campus in Abbotstown on Monday, when St Fintan’s HS, Sutton added a Leinster Schools’ Senior ‘C’ Championship to their growing list of hurling honours in 2016/17.
The northsiders claimed the Dublin Schools’ Junior ‘B’ Hurling title at the expense of Lucan CBS last November, and just three days later, they edged out Clonkeen College in an enthralling Senior ‘B’ decider. This helped them to advance to this provincial ‘C’ grade finale, where their opponents were Boyne CS from Meath.
Fintan’s were searching for a maiden Leinster crown in this game, but their Royal County rivals opened up an early four-point advantage.
Yet, a number of fine scores by influential skipper Costello kept Fintan’s within touching distance, and even though they trailed by a point at the break (0-6 to 0-5), they were confident of making a big impact after the restart.
The impressive Fintan’s half-back line of Jack Fagan, Conor Gibson and Glenn Atkins offered their side an attacking platform, which enabled Costello and Liam Dunne to cause havoc for the Boyne defence. Dunne created significant daylight between the teams with a two-goal salvo in the second-half.
George Bodor (who featured for Fintan’s in their historic Leinster Schools Rugby Senior Cup encounter against Clongowes Wood College in January) also contributed two points for the Sutton school. With Jack McGahey and Paul Tolan also in fine form throughout, Fintan’s eventually claimed a magnificent 2-12 to 0-11 triumph.
In Iniskeen, Co Monaghan on Saturday, when they face St Patrick’s Keady of Armagh in an All-Ireland semi-final.