U16B HURLERS CLINCH DIVISION 5 PLAYOFF FINAL WITH SOLID WIN OVER SCOIL UI CHONAILL!

ALL ROADS LEAD TO BLAKESTOWN ON STAURDAY 28TH FOR LEAGUE DECIDER!

Kilmacud Crokes U16B’s 5-16 Scoil Ui Chonaill 2-14.

On Tuesday 22nd August, Kilmacud Crokes U16B Hurlers completed their league campaign with a dramatic win over a strong Scoil UI Chonaill team who had beaten them by 10 points in the 2020 U15 Championship.

This match was “do or die” for both teams as the winner would be assured of a playoff against St.Peregrines to decide Division 5.

“Scoil” looked the stronger from the outset and hit Crokes with 3 unanswered points and Crokes 1st score came from an unlikely source when corner back Seán Coogan latched onto a lose ball in the middle and struck his 1st ever point from 45 metres on the left! (01 – 0-3)

Crokes got more into the match and forwards Matthew Peters , Mark Dempsey and Ciaran O’Donnell followed up with points so that they were trailing by 2 at the water break. (KC 0-4 Scoil 0-6)

(Full forward Peter Bradley and corner James Candon had been desperately unlucky with shots which were cleared off the line by a scrambling Scoil defence.)

In the 2nd quarter , Dempsey and corner forward Jake Fuller traded points with Scoil but just before half time after the Scoil goalie had batted the ball out to his right, sub forward Brian Walsh put enormous pressure on him and blocked his clearance and from the resulting chaos, Fuller showed an opportunist touch to drive the ball into the net and put Crokes ahead for the 1st time in the game. (1-6 to 0-8).

The diminutive centre forward Ciaran O’Donnell followed up with another goal to leave Crokes leading 2-6 to 0-9 at half time.

2ND HALF.

Crokes began the 2nd half well with O’Donnell and Dempsey trading further points with Scoil and then in the 35th minute, Fuller showed a great bit of skill by “lobbing” the sliothar over the keeper into the top right corner! O’Donnell followed up with 2 more points and Crokes were “7UP”. (3-10 to 0-12)

Scoil were attacking furiously at this stage but the Crokes half back line of Dan Twomey, Niall McArdle and Seán McIntyre were steadfast and the full back line of Robertson, Golden and Coogan dealt efficiently with whatever came through, while Goalkeeper Cormac Hall had possibly his best match ever in a Crokes Jersey.

Following several dangerous attacks, Scoil were eventually rewarded with a penalty which Hall almost saved and the Crokes mentors looked nervous. (3-10 to 1-12)

However, Hall launched one of his towering puck outs and the ball was worked to Fuller about 20 metres from Goal. Fuller seemed to go for a point but the ball dipped deviously and by the time the keeper got his hurl to it, it had gone inches over the line much to the anguish of the Scoil players and supporters.

It was a memorable hat-trick for Fuller but more importantly a restoration of the 7 point lead on the stroke of the water break! (4-10 to 1-12)

In the 34th Quarter, Crokes really played well and midfielders Bobby Mellon and Cillian Molloy assisted by wing forward Danial Sheerin supported the defensive action and launched many attacks in doing so.

Early on, Crokes had some anxious moments has Hall was called on to make an acrobatic save and on another occasion memorably saved with “his back”!

From there Crokes looked more composed and O’Donnell kept the scoreboard ticking with 5 points(3 frees) to Scoil’s 2 until Scoil hit a goal from a close in free to narrow the gap back to 7 with a few minutes left. (4-15 to 2-14)

From the puck out Crokes worked the ball to O’Donnell who tapped over and then from a botched Scoil puck out, O’Donnell again applied the “Midas touch” to the net to round off a memorable night for himself and his team!

It’s fitting that Crokes will face Peregrines in the league decider as they began this league campaign with a narrow victory over them on June 11th!

Kilmacud Crokes: Cormac Hall, Finn Robertson, Adam Golden, Seán Coogan, Dan Twomey, Niall McArdle, Seán McIntyre, Bobby Mellon, Cillian Molloy, Dan Sheerin, Ciarán O’Donnell, Mark Dempsey, Mathew Peters, Peter Bradley, Jams Candon.

Subs: Brian Walsh f Bradley, Dan Buggy f Candon, Fintan Fitzgerald f Coogan.

Crokes Scorers: C. O’Donnell 2- 11, J.Fuller 3-1, M.Dempsey 0-3, M.Peters 0-1.