Seniors Overcome St Vincent’s in League
Saturday’s (29th March 2008) senior hurling league tie against St Vincent’s was switched from Pairc Naomh Uinseann to O’Toole’s ground at Ayrfield Drive. Thankfully the rain stayed away and, in blustery conditions, Crokes came away with the points after a game that never reached a high intensity.
The Marino men had the advantage of the wind in the opening period. Nevertheless it was Crokes who produced the first two attacks, reaping two wides. Following a wide of their own, Vincent’s opening the scoring in the fourth minute. Neil Casey sent over the equaliser two minutes on. A minute later Vincent’s restored their lead. In the thirteenth minute Barry O’Rorke levelled from a 45 metre free. The puck out was caught by the Vincent’s number 8 and sent straight over. In the sixteenth minute Vincent’s went two ahead. By minute eighteen a good Shane O’Rorke point reduced the margin to one, only for Vincent’s to immediately cancel it out.
In the twenty first minute, a puck out, following a Vincent’s wide, reached Aodhan de Paor who set up Barry O’Rorke to make it 0-4 to 0-5. Vincent’s were able to manufacture a similar score from their puck out. Another point in the twenty seventh minute put the northsiders three to the good before Ross O’Carroll opted for a point when he might have gone for goal. A twenty ninth minute over ended the first half scoring at 0-8 to 0-5 in favour of Vincent’s.
Turning to play with the strong wind, it looked as if the Stillorgan men held all the aces. Notwithstanding an opening point from Shane O’Rorke, during the execution of which he suffered a hand injury, it was Vincent’s who seized the initiative with a thirty second minute goal. A duet of points from Barry O’Rorke and Aodhan de Paor (a catch and over from the puck out following O’Rorke’s score) in the thirty third minute restored the interval gap. Four minutes later, Vincent’s were four ahead.
In the thirty ninth minute Willie Ryan batted down to Aodhan de Paor, who split the posts from distance. It took five minutes for Crokes to add another point, via a Niall Butler tap over. In the forty seventh minute an Adrian Grogan clearance, following a bout of Vincent’s pressure, found Barry O’Rorke who carried the ball well and sent over to leave the minimum between the teams. The same player equalised from a fiftieth minute 65. Within two minutes Vincent’s were again one in front. Then Aodhan de Paor levelled. In the fifty sixth minute a MacDara O’hOgain clearance was moved on by Alan Tiernan to Barry O’Rorke whose point gave Crokes the lead for the first time. Almost immediately, a softly conceded free allowed Vincent’s to restore parity. A Vincent’s wide, their twelfth of the night to Crokes eleven, preceded what proved to be the winning score from an eighty five metre free by Fergal Armstrong. The same player was narrowly wide with a similar effort shortly after. On the puck out the long whistle sounded with Crokes ahead 0-15 to 1-11. On the evening Adrian Grogan, Willie Ryan, Niall Corcoran, Shane O’Rorke, Barry O’Rorke and Aodhan de Paor were most prominent for Crokes.
Team:
Madera O’hOgain, Adrian Grogan, Damien Byrne, Willie Ryan, William McEvoy, Niall Corcoran, Eoin de Paor, Fergal Armstrong (0-1, f-1), Shane O’Rorke (0-2), Brian Motherway, Ross O’Carroll (0-1), Neil Casey (0-1), Barry O’Rorke (0-6, f-1, 65-1), Paul Graham, Niall Butler (0-1). Subs; Aodhan de Paor (0-3) for P Graham (inj 16 mins), Fergus Garvey for Shane O’Rorke (inj 31 mins), Alan Tiernan for Niall Butler (52 mins), Donal McGovern for Fergus Garvey (57 mins), Shea Gillen, Andrew Hopkins