GAELIC GAMES – LEINSTER SHC ‘A’ LEAGUE: BORRIS VS 1-18 DUBLIN SOUTH 1-14
DEJA VU FOR DUBS SOUTH
Juke list last year, Borris VS deliver another defeat to city crew
Daire Walsh
IT proved to be a difficult opening to the Leinster Schools Senior Hurling ‘A’ League for Dublin South yesterday afternoon, when they suffered a four-point away defeat (1-18 to 1-14) at the hands of Borris VS.
This is certainly a set-back for South, but they will have an opportunity to make amends in upcoming home fixtures against Kilkenny CBS and Castlecomer CS. South supremo Fintan Clandillon was able to call upon a number of players from the Dublin minor and U17 squads for this game, including central attacking duo Liam Murphy and Luke McDwyer.
Murphy proved to be a reliable source of score from placed-balls, but even though corner-forward Alan Connolly was in fine form, the Metropolitans were facing into a slender 0-7 to 0-8 interval deficit. Borris also defeated South in last year’s league campaign, but when Terenure College’s McDwyer secured a superb goal from a left-hand angle just after the restart, the visitors found themselves in the ascendancy.
Indeed, with Michael Conroy and centre-back Tom Aherne producing strong defensive performances, it looked like they would be able to create an attacking platform to push them over the line. Half-time substitute Seamus Fenton joined Connolly and the aforementioned Aherne in contributing two points apiece, while Murphy’s 0-5 haul ensured that he finished the contest as South’s scorer-in-chief.
Yet, as the second half developed, Borris started to grow in confidence. Their potent full-forward line of Jon Nolan, Jason O’Neill and Michael Kavanagh have all featured at county minor level for Carlow in 2017, and with the likes of Eoin Kavanagh, Ciaran Whelan and Rory Joyce also impressing at various stages, South eventually fell short.
DUBLIN SOUTH: J Rooney; P Christie, J Dalton, M Conroy; F Ryan, T Ahern, R MacMathuna; D O Floinn, C Kirwan; D Duggan, L McDwyer, C Nagle; S Wynne, L Murphy, A Connolly. Subs: A O’Neill for O Floinn (10), S Fenton for Wynne (h-t), J Kelly for Duggan, J O’Reilly for Dalton (both 45).
BORRIS VS: J Kavanagh; D Nolan, D Connors, I Foley; E Kavanagh, T Lawlor, D Jordan; C Whelan, C Malone; D O’Toole, R Joyce, D Sheehan; J Nolan, J O’Neill, M Kavanagh.