The senior hurlers opened their championship campaign with a dominant display away to Ard Eoin at Fennell Park last Friday evening as they ran out comprehensive winners.
We opened the scoring in the first minute when Stephen McGivern took a high catch, from a puck out, and clinically split the posts. Peter Carleton struck a nice point from out on the right side of the pitch and Chris Gallagher finished with a point after taking possession from a sideline cut. Ard Eoin got on the score board with a pointed free from Patrick McGreevy but Marcas Toner won the sliotar on the right wing, turned inside his man and slotted over the bar to give us a 0-4 to 0-1 lead. Matt McKillen responded for Ard Eoin, after flicking the sliotar past his man he showed good composure to strike an excellent point. Pointed frees followed from Marcas Toner, from out on the right touch line and Chris Gallagher from inside his own half to extend our lead to four. Ard Eoin hit a brace of points through another McGreevy free and Patrick Heaney while Colm McKee pointed to leave three between the sides.
We had a bit of good fortune in the 20th minute when a goal bound Ard Eoin shot came off the post and from the ensuing attack we were awarded a free, which was quickly taken and sent to Stephen Thompson who dispatched the sliotar to the Ard Eoin net. Patrick Heaney pointed for Ard Eoin and from the subsequent puck out to Marcas Toner, his long range ball into the square somehow found its way past a packed Ard Eoin goal line. Colm McKee then won possession in his own back line and fed the sliotar to Marcas Toner who struck the final point of the half to leave us 2-8 to 0-5 in front at the break.
Ard Eoin opened the second half scoring with Heaney pointing but Deaglan Mooney responded with a high catch and powerful solo before a long range strike sailed over the bar. Two further Ard Eoin points from Daniel Moore and McGreevy were cancelled out with two fine points from Colm McKee with both shots from well out on the right side of the pitch. McGreevy struck another point for Ard Eoin while a Stephen McGivern shot over his shoulder kept the scoreboard ticking.
Both teams traded points from frees with Marcas Toner adding to his personal tally and we finished the game strongly, tagging on points from Stephen Thompson, Colm McKee and Stephen McGivern with the icing on the cake coming from Stephen Thompson hitting his second goal of the game. The final whistle left us winners 3-16 to 0-10.
Scorers: S Thompson 2-1, M Toner 1-4, S McGivern 0-3, C McKee 0-4, C Gallagher 0-2, P Carleton 0-1 and D Mooney 0-1
Click here for photos of the game.
