AHL 1 ROUNDUP – 2ND SEPTEMBER
ADULT HURLING LEAGUE DIVISION ONE ROUND-UP: SEPTEMBER 2
Ballyboden St Enda’s will contest the Adult Hurling League Division One final, after they recorded a comprehensive 4-17 to 1-13 victory over Craobh Chiarain at Clonshaugh last Saturday evening.
An upcoming re-fixed game between Parnell’s and St Brigid’s will determine whether the latter side or Na Fianna will be their opponents in the top-tier decider, but with eight wins and one draw from 11 outings, ‘Boden are guaranteed to finish at the summit of the regular season table.
The Pairc Ui Murchu outfit were seeking their seventh consecutive league triumph heading into this encounter, and they enjoyed a dream start to the action against their northside counterparts. County goalkeeper Conor Dooley has been used as an attacker at club level in recent times, and he found the net during the early moments of the contest.
His Sky Blue team-mate James Madden also claimed a subsequent three-pointer for the visitors, and even though the dead-ball accuracy of 2009 All-Star Alan McCrabbe kept Chiarain’s in touch, a third ‘Boden goal followed from Aidan Mellett in the 12th-minute.
Chiarain’s (who recently recorded a 3-14 to 0-22 success over Kilmacud) persisted with their challenge as the half wore on, but thanks to solid work from Luke Corcoran, Shane Durkin, Stephen O’Connor and Conal Keaney, ‘Boden brought a 3-8 to 1-6 cushion into the interval.
This placed Pairc Ui Murchu outfit in pole position for the two points on offer, and with Keaney, Finn McGarry, Dooley and James Roche all finding the target after the restart, they created even further daylight between themselves and Chiarain’s.
Goalkeeper Gary Maguire (an All-Star winner for Dublin in 2011) was also an assured presence throughout for Ballyboden, who have been hurling league champions on seven previous occasions. They secured league and championship doubles as recently in 2010, 2011 and 2013, and courtesy of a late goal from Mellett (his second of the game), they finished with another convincing victory.
Elsewhere, a goal from Cillian Sheanon helped Cuala to record a 1-17 to 0-11 win against St Jude’s at Shanganagh Park, which means the All-Ireland champions are currently third ahead of the aforementioned clash between Brigid’s and Parnell’s.
Naomh Fionnbarra and Crumlin are set to face each other in their final games of the league, and they had mixed fortunes on the field in the past week. Fionnbarra suffered a 1-13 to 3-22 reversal at home to O’Toole’s last Wednesday, while Crumlin had five points to spare (2-14 to 0-15) over Parnell’s at Chanel on Saturday.
By Daire Walsh