Ballyboden reach Dublin SHC Final as Lucan crash out
By Daire Walsh
BALLYBODEN St Enda’s reached their second Dublin Senior ‘A’ Hurling Championship Final in the space of three years with a hard-earned 1-15 to 0-12 triumph over Na Fianna at Parnell Park this afternoon.
Trailing by three points (0-11 to 0-8) with 39 minutes gone on the clock, Joe Fortune’s side dug deep to gain control of proceedings either side of the third-quarter mark.
Paul Ryan finished with an excellent individual haul of 1-8 and, having struggled to kill off the determined challenge of their Glasnevin counterparts, his 57th minute penalty finally established a substantial cushion for ‘Boden.
Their opponents in the forthcoming showpiece will be defending champions Cuala, who recorded a 1-17 to 0-13 victory at the expense of Lucan Sarsfields in the day’s curtain raiser.
Lucan last appeared in a senior county decider back in 2013, when they were edged out by Ballyboden at the end of a tense encounter.
With Ben Coffey (0-7) leading the way in attack, an upset appeared to be on the cards for large stretches of the tie.
Nevertheless, Cuala discovered an extra gear in the final-quarter to ensure Lucan came up short in the end.