AP-PEEL-ING RIS DISPLAY
Griffith Avenue boys book spot in Junior ‘A’ final with comeback
ARDSCOIL RIS 3-20
ST BENILDUS COLLEGE 3-8
Daire Walsh
DEFENDING champions Ardscoil Ris produced a strong second-half turnaround against St Benildus College at Pairc Naomh Uinsionn last Friday to book their spot in the forthcoming Dublin Schools Junior ‘A’ Hurling Championship decider.
Trailing by the bare minimum at the break – 3-6 to 2-8 – the Griffith Avenue outfit dominated proceedings on the resumption and ultimately advanced in fine style.
At one stage in the opening period, they had trailed by nine points as their southside counterparts sought to defy the odds.
HAUL
Nevertheless, with corner-forward Daniel Peel helping himself to an outstanding haul of 2-10 over the course of the action, it was Ardscoil who emerged with the spoils.
Shane Spring and Sean Brady provided a strong spine in defence, while Ciaran Lambert and Ben Gaughran forged a powerful partnership at midfield.
They will now face Colaiste Eoin in the competition’s showpiece, after the Gaelscoil claimed an impressive 5-24 to 2-4 triumph at the expense of Colaiste Eanna at UCD three days earlier.
Despite the disappointment of this result, Benildus can take considerable solace in the performances of attacking triumvirate Chris McCann, Mark McNally and Turlough O’Brien.
As just reward for topping a group that also featured Colaiste Eanna and St Aidan’s CBS, Ardscoil were able to use the St Vincent’s GAA all-weather surface as their de facto home venue for this last-four encounter.
Benildus edged out St Fintan’s HS, Sutton for the second spot in Roinn One and enjoyed a whirlwind start to this particular contest.
Inside the opening 60 seconds, McNally broke onto a loose ball and fired clinically beyond the reach of Ardscoil netminder Joe Kavanagh.
McCann followed up with a sharp point at a right-hand angle – lifting the Kilmacud Road Upper side into an early four-point cushion.
Peel eventually kick-started Ardscoil’s account with a firmly-struck free and immediately rattled the Benildus net off another close-range set play.
However, Benildus responded to this blow with a stunning scoring blitz of their own.
Half-forward Rian Cahill raised another green flag with a flicked effort off a cross-field delivery – ahead of points for the central attacking axis of McCann and O’Brien.
The latter offered a strong presence on the edge of the square and his ninth-minute goal created further daylight between the teams.
Ardscoil inside forward Ciaran Stacey brought this scoring sequence to an end, but a two-point salvo for McCann ensured Benildus remained in the driving seat.
STRUGGLED
Having initially struggled to fully settle into the game, Ardscoil stepped things up in the second quarter. Stacey’s superb goal on 17 minutes heralded a purple patch for the hosts, with four additional points in quick succession serving to galvanise their challenge.
Peel (two), Dublin minor hurler Andrew Keegan and Harry Kirwin were all on target in this juncture. Even though McCann bagged his fourth point of the half, Adam McAweeney and Peel points kept Ardscoil firmly in contention at the interval.
The introduction of Charlie McHugh – in place of half-back John Cleary – added an extra spark to their play and they turned the tide on their opponents straight from the start.
Peel once again found himself bearing down on goal and displayed admirable composure in claiming his latest three-pointer.
This helped to open the floodgates with Gaughran, McAweeney, Kirwin and Peel (free) contributing four points in as many minutes.
Ardscoil subsequently lost defender Callum Walsh to injury, but it only proved to be a minor speed bump.
Marcus O’Sullivan was a more than able deputy for Walsh and once the play resumed, Ris continued to inflict damage on the Benildus posts.
Either side of a McHugh effort, Peel converted routine frees to edge them into an unassailable nine-point advantage.
Benildus ended a barren scoring spell courtesy of another McCann single and defensive lynchpin Darragh O’Brien ventured forward to hit a well-worked point on 58 minutes. It only served as a temporary respite, though, as Ardscoil maintained their relentless attacking pursuit heading into an extended spell of stoppage-time.
Oisin Mulcahy was the latest player to his name to the scoresheet and Lambert did likewise just past the hour mark.
Whilst there were a number of stand-out performers, it was Peel who inevitably had the final say in the contest.
After bagging his seventh free of the tie, a brace of points from open play capped an accomplished victory for Ardscoil Ris. They defeated Colaiste Eanna in a goal-laden showing at Abbotstown in last year’s final and will be hell-bent on producing a repeat performance in 2019.
Yet, they will, of course, be wary of the challenge posed by Colaiste Eoin – who previously tasted glory at this grade in 2017.
Scorers – Ardscoil Ris: D Peel 2-10 (1-7f), C Stacey 1-1, A McAweeney, H Kirwin 0-2 each, A Keegan (f), C Lambert, B Gaughran, C McHugh, O Mulcahy 0-1 each. St Benildus College: C McCann 0-5 (4f), M McNally, T O’Brien 1-1 each, R Cahill 1-0, D O’Brien 0-1.
ARDSCOIL RIS: J Kavanagh; L Fay, S Spring, B Moorehouse-Carroll; J Cleary, S Brady, C Walsh; C Lambert, B Gaughran; A McAweeney, A Keegan, P Gilroy; C Stacey, H Kirwin, D Peel. Subs: C McHugh for Cleary (h-t), M O’Sullivan for Walsh (42), E Lambert for Gilroy, O Mulcahy for Kirwin (both 53).
ST BENILDUS COLLEGE: E O’Riordan; C Minogue, C Boyle, N O’Mahony; S Doran, D O’Brien, O McHugh; J Clare, M Gardiner; D Coughlan, C McCann, R Cahill; M McNally, T O’Brien, J Becker. Subs: P Bates for Cahill (48), F O’Riordan for Becker (53), C McDonnell for Minogue (58), M Erdis for McHugh (61).
Referee: D Sweeney (St Oliver Plunkett’s/Eoghan Ruadh).