GAELIC GAMES: LEINSTER JUNIOR ‘A1’ HURLING FINAL
It’s heartache for Ardscoil Ris in provincial final
Daire Walsh
ARDSCOIL RIS 1-9
MOUNTRATH CS 1-11
THERE was provincial heartache for Ardscoil Ris yesterday at Carlow IT, where the Griffith Avenue school fell to a narrow Leinster Schools Junior ‘A1’ Hurling final defeat against Mountrath CS.
They remained in contention until the bitter end at the Barrowside venue, but the scoring prowess of corner-forward Adam Kirwan proved crucial in guiding their Laois counterparts towards a hard-earned success. Following a 5-6 to 2-13 county final triumph over Colaiste Eanna on October 23, Ardscoil progressed to the provincial stage.
Mountrath secured the ‘Rest of Leinster’ title at the expense of St Brendan’s Birr last week and they played with the aid of a strong breeze during the opening half of the action. A brace of Jamie Conroy points got them up and running, before Ardscoil settled through ace marksman Daniel Peel.
Kirwan and Tadhg Cuddy bolstered Mountrath’s tally as the play wore on, however, and Tadhg Keyes created a sizeable gap by unleashing an unstoppable strike beyond the reach of Euan Maguire. While Ardscoil increased the pressure on Mountrath’s as the interval approached, they found themselves five points adrift (1-6 to 0-4) on the half-hour mark.
The O’Moore men looked set for a commanding win when Cuddy extended their lead in the second period, but Ardscoil – who include Waterford hurler Philip Mahony amongst their management team – discovered an extra gear inside the third-quarter. After Peel’s long-distance free floated into the back of the Mounrath net, they restored parity in timely-fashion.
There was little to separate the sides in the closing moments, with Kirwan and Peel in sparkling form at either end. Yet, thanks to a late 0-2 salvo from the former (bringing his final haul up to seven points), Mountrath claimed the silverware in dramatic fashion.