AHL DIV. 2 ROUNDUP – 22ND JULY
ADULT HURLING LEAGUE DIVISION TWO ROUND-UP: JULY 22
By Daire Walsh
On another exciting morning of Adult Hurling League Division Two action, St Oliver Plunkett’s/Eoghan Ruadh, Whitehall Colmcille and Naomh Fionnbarra recorded impressive wins to maintain their respective promotion challenges.
While Ballinteer St John’s remain in pole position as a result of the walkover they received from Parnell’s, they currently find themselves just two points in front of the aforementioned trio. With the chasing pack only marginally separated by score difference, the final three rounds of the second-tier will have an added bite to them.
Plunkett’s will face an away trip to Ballinteer on August 11 and they made it three wins on the bounce with a hard-earned 1-16 to 1-14 triumph over Raheny at St Anne’s Park.
When Oisin Boland rattled the back of the opposition net in the early stages of the contest, the Martin Savage Park outfit looked set to maintain their rich vein of form. Raheny had different ideas, however, as they slowly worked their way back into contention.
Despite the best efforts of Cian Boland and Tommy McGrath for Plunkett’s, the sides were deadlocked at the break (1-7 apiece). Four wins from seven encounters had made it an eventful season to date for Raheny and they continued to cause problems for the visitors on the restart.
The lead changed hands on a number of occasions, with both teams enjoying dominant spells in possession. The closer it came to the final whistle, the more likely it seemed that the northside rivals would have to settle for a share of the spoils.
Yet, with the scoring prowess of Cian Boland matched by the endeavour of Kevin Sexton, Plunkett’s eventually prevailed in a thrilling finale.
At Collins Avenue, Sean Gray posted 1-11 for Whitehall in their deserved victory at the expense of Naomh Barrog. Despite having the elements against them, the home team raced into a 0-6 to 0-2 advantage during the early exchanges.
Barrog responded with a well-worked goal, but still ended the first half a single point in arrears (0-10 to 1-6). This kept Whitehall on track for another vital win – though Barrog were not to be dismissed lightly.
Even though Conor Sheedy, Lee Gannon, Cathal Ryan and Dublin senior hurler Eoghan O’Donnell all contributed two points each, Barrog’s goal-scoring touch ensured the outcome was delicately poised for large stretches.
Paddy Spellacy (0-3) added to the five points he amassed in Whitehall’s preceding win over Erin’s Isle, but it was Gray who held onto the title of ‘scorer-in-chief’. Courtesy of his major in the dying embers of an absorbing affair, Whitehall came out on the right side of a 1-24 to 3-11 final scoreline.
Naomh Fionnbarra finished with two points to spare at home to Setanta (1-22 to 1-20), giving them a fifth successive league win in the process.
Meanwhile, Scoil Ui Chonaill held onto eighth spot with a comprehensive 1-21 to 0-14 success against Kilmacud Crokes ‘B’ at Silver Park. Although the final scoreline might suggest the Clontarf Road men were resounding winners on the day, Crokes actually led for a significant portion of the play.
With a slight breeze at their disposal in the opening period, the Stillorgan side established a 0-10 to 0-8 interval cushion. A brace of points extended their buffer after the resumption, before Scoil’s challenge finally kicked into gear.
After they reduced the gap to the bare minimum, Joe Ryan raised a green flag to move the away side into the ascendancy. Ryan lined out on Scoil’s inside line and capped a productive performance with a haul of 1-3.
The dead-ball accuracy of Robert Kennedy also proved essential, as Matt Cushen’s charges pushed forward to comfortably claim their third league victory of the season.
Finally, Erin’s Isle secured a first win since the end of May by getting the better of Naomh Olaf at Pairc Ui Bhriain (4-12 to 1-16).