Junior Hurling Championship 2019
April 14: St. Mary’s (Rosslare) 1-17, Ferns St. Aidans 1-7
St. Mary’s (Rosslare) were simply too strong for Ferns St. Aidans in this Permanent TSB Junior Hurling Championship Group B encounter, as the seasiders completely dominated proceedings throughout to record a comfortable victory in a wet and windy Ballymurn on Sunday.
The St. Mary’s side lost out at the semi-final stage last season and, although it was difficult to gauge on this occasion alone, they look like a side that will be well capable of progressing through the knockout stages again this year.
Led by the energetic Tiernan Rossiter in midfield and with dangerous forwards like Lee Devereux and Rees Broaders, they will be a match for any team in the competition.
They showed this in the opening half as they raced to a four-point lead early on, with the aforementioned trio getting on the mark, along with Cian Boggan.
The greasy conditions were not exactly conducive to good hurling as both sides struggled to convert scoring chances, with the wind most likely playing a role when Ferns eventually opened their account as Edward Walsh’s high delivery deceived three players and went all the way to the net in the 19th minute.
But the eventual winners were coping that bit better, and Rossiter and Devereux added a brace of points each before Devereux and Pat Moroney obliged to give their side a nine-point lead at the break.
If Ferns were to have any hope of troubling their opponents, they needed a good start to the second half, but instead Rosslare were quickest off the mark once more with three points in as many minutes as Boggan, Rossiter and Devereux increased their lead to twelve.
There was little Ferns could do now, but Edward Walsh did his best to make things look respectable, by shooting three points.
Devereux traded scores with Peter O’Toole and Walsh did so with Rossiter before Michael Walsh sent a huge free between the posts to leave eight between them with nine minutes left.
This was as close as it got however, as Rosslare finished out the half with scores from Rees Broaders and Pat Moroney before Tiarnan Rossiter capped off a fine display with his sixth point to leave Ferns trailing in their wake.
Ferns St. Aidans: Michael Walsh (0-1 free); Peter Nolan, Patrick Breen, Willie Bolger; Brian O’Neill, Declan Byrne, Jack O’Hagan; Christopher Davitt, Peter O’Toole (0-1); Shane Breen, Pádraig Walsh, Jeff Tobin; Anthony Dwyer, Edward Walsh (1-4, 0-2 frees), Ciarán Doran. Subs: P.J. O’Neill for O’Neill (inj., 38); Ben Cowman for Dwyer (HT); Derek Thorpe (0-1) for Tobin (39); Brian O’Neill (Clone) for Doran (45); Steve Warren for P.J. O’Neill (inj., 49).
St. Mary’s (Rosslare): Larry Morrissey; Emmet Byrne, Naomhán Rossiter, Conal Grant; Richard Bent, David Murphy, Shea Boggan; Tiarnan Rossiter (0-6), Gearóid Byrne; Cian Boggan (0-2), Robert Butler, Lee Devereux (0-5, 0-2 frees); Kevin Power, Pat Moroney (0-2), Rees Broaders (1-2). Sub: Seamus Sinnott for Power (56).
Referee: Seán Whelan (St. Martin’s).
April 20: Horeswood 0-17, Ferns St. Aidans 0-10
An exhibition of point-taking by Seán Nolan helped Horeswood to a seven point victory over Ferns St. Aidans in Group B of the Permanent TSB Junior Hurling Championship in a sun-scorched Bree on Saturday.
Although the talented midfielder contributed almost half of their scores, it was far from a one-man show as they looked capable of picking off points from all angles.
Ferns were reliant on Anthony Dwyer frees for scores, however, and it was telling that their first (and only!) point from play didn’t arrive until deep into second half injury time, when Christopher Davitt’s long-range effort crept over the bar.
Two Dwyer frees gave Ferns and early advantage, but the New Ross District outfit weren’t long about finding their stride, with two eye-catching Nolan points drawing them level before a brace of placed balls from Michael O’Hanlon and scores from Seán Stafford and Declan Murphy gave them a four point lead by the 13th minute.
That lead was stretched to 0-12 to 0-6 by the interval, with the impressive Nolan adding another three more to his tally and Michael O’Hanlon (free), Jamie Meyler and Declan Murphy also chipping in with points, while Dwyer frees just about kept Ferns in the contest.
Scores were scarce in a stop-start second half, with the irrepressible Nolan picking off two more points for the winners and Eamonn O’Sullivan, Jamie Meyler and Michael O’Hanlon also keeping the scoreboard ticking over.
Ferns rarely threatened from play and their misery was compounded in the 50th minute when Pádraig Walsh was shown a straight red card as the contest became a bit fractious, although they did at least manage to get a score from play on the board when Christopher Davitt found the range in the sixth minute of injury time.
Horeswood have built the perfect platform for when the action resumes, having made it two wins from two, while Ferns, having lost both their opening games, face an uphill task.
Ferns St. Aidans: Michael Walsh; Peter Nolan, Patrick Breen, Brian O’Neill (Clone); Christopher Davitt (0-1), Brian O’Neill (capt.), Jack O’Hagan; Willie Bolger, PJ O’Neill; Derek Thorpe, Pádraig Walsh, Ciarán Doran; Anthony Dwyer (0-9 frees), Jeff Tobin, Shane Breen. Subs: Lee Quigley for S. Breen (35); Ben Cowman for Tobin (39); Shane Stafford for Doran (52).
Horeswood: Eoin Mythen; Gavin Murphy, Shane O’Hanlon (capt.), Brian Kehoe; David Murphy, Danny Byrne, Eamonn O’Sullivan (0-1); Jamie Meyler (0-2, 1 free), Seán Nolan (0-7); Seán Hunt, Seán Stafford (0-1), Eoin Murphy; Declan Murphy (0-2), Michael O’Hanlon (0-4 frees), Craig Murphy. Subs: John Chapman for C. Murphy (inj., 44); Dean Roberts for Kehoe (inj., 47); Eddie Breen for M. O’Hanlon (55); Craig Collier for Declan Murphy (58).
Referee: Barry Redmond (Clonard)
August 11: Davidstown/C’cuddy 0-18, Ferns St. Aidans 1-12
The unerring accuracy of Seán Cooper from placed balls steered Davidstown/Courtnacuddy to a vital win in the Permanent TSB Junior hurling championship when they edged the Ferns St. Aidans second string out by 0-18 to 1-12 in Sunday’s enjoyable third round Group B tie in Monageer.
Cooper sped away to open the scoring for the victors after only 28 seconds, and he also pointed from within his own half as they developed a 0-3 to nil lead in the first two minutes.
And while those were his only two submissions from open play, it was the reliability he displayed from virtually every free he stood over that made the difference against a more wasteful Ferns outfit.
Cooper swung over a free from the midfield marker on five minutes before Anthony Dwyer opened the Ferns account with a seventh minute free.
But a contentious free immediately afterwards saw Cooper knock over again, and when Bill Harrington was dragged down, Cooper made it 0-6 to 0-1 after nine minutes.
David Dunne’s crossfield pass located Walter Furlong to add a nice point from play, and the former also had too much time to pick out Bill Harrington to boost the lead to 0-10 to 0-4 after 20 minutes.
James Kelly and Dwyer (free) traded quick points before Dwyer gave his side renewed hope with an inventive goal.
Davidstown-Courtnacuddy netminder Donal O’Shea appeared unsighted when he spilled the dropping ball, and Dwyer poked home the rebound between his legs with his back to the goal as the gap was suddenly reduced to 0-12 to 1-6 at half time.
David O’Dwyer snapped over for the leaders 30 seconds into the new half, while Dwyer converted another free at the other end.
And the sides scored five more points each before the finish, with Cooper converting three more frees to go with efforts from play from Mark Murphy and Furlong, as Davidstown-Courtnacuddy moved into third place in the Group B standings.
Meanwhile, Derek Thorpe (two) and Tomás Hawkins added to two Dwyer placed balls for Ferns, who sit pointless after three games.
Ferns St. Aidans: Michael Walsh; Steven Warren, Peter Nolan, Christopher Davitt (capt.); Jack O’Hagan, Patrick Breen, Brian O’Neill; P.J. O’Neill, Willie Bolger; Shane Breen, Derek Thorpe (0-3), Jeff Tobin; Anthony Dwyer (1-7, 0-6 frees, 0-1 ‘65’), Tomás Hawkins (0-2), Ciarán Doran. Subs: Shane Stafford for P.J. O’Neill (inj., h/t); Patrick O’Toole for Tobin (47); Conor Doran for Warren (49).
Davidstown/Courtnacuddy: Donal O’Shea; Daniel Delaney, Darragh Cooper, Daryl Freeman; Barry Nolan, David Dunne (capt.), Mark Murphy (0-1); Walter Furlong (0-2), James Doyle (0-1); Sean Cooper (0-10, 0-8 frees), David O’Dwyer (0-1), James Kelly (0-2); Bill Harrington (0-1), Stephen Dunbar, Stephen Kennedy. Subs: Johnny Delaney for Dunbar (37); Stephen Sheridan for Kennedy (54).
Referee: Matty Kinnaird (Rapparees).
August 17: Marshalstown/Castledockrell 3-12, Ferns St. Aidans 0-10
Two goals in the final four minutes of regulation time booked Marshalstown/Castledockrell’s ticket into the quarter finals of the Permanent TSB Junior Hurling Championship, after a deserved 3-12 to 0-10 win over 14-man Ferns St. Aidans in Saturday evening’s fourth round tie at Monageer.
The losers now face a do-or-die final round game with Faythe Harriers, with the losers of that match dropping into the relegation final.
And while their cause wasn’t helped by losing Shane Breen to a straight red card in the lead up to half time, they will still have to improve on their paltry three points from play the next time around.
Six of the first seven points of the game were frees from Eoin Bennett (two) and Anthony Dwyer (four), with the former also scoring from play as Ferns led by 0-4 to 0-3 after nine minutes.
Tomás Hawkins knocked over a nice point from Jack O’Hagan’s assist on twelve minutes, and five minutes of inert play was quickly brought to an end by a moment of brilliance from Diarmuid Doyle.
He gathered possession in his own half before galloping through the defence, but rather than settling for what would have been a rudimentary point, he instead arrowed a powerful shot to the far corner to turn the game on its head (1-3 to 0-5).
And Dwyer and Bennett shared four points evenly either side of Breen’s red card for a late pull on David O’Connor, as Marshalstown enjoyed a 1-5 to 0-7 lead at the interval. Three more Bennett frees stretched them further ahead after the break, but they actually missed a couple of clear goal chances in the second half.
First, Diarmuid Doyle transferred to Barry Doyle who swiped wide, while the former also screwed a penalty to the wrong side of the post after Michael Morris was fouled.
However, they eventually made the breakthrough on 56 minutes when Diarmuid Doyle dispossessed a defender before tucking home, and Bennett sealed the victory two minutes later when he was supplied by Doyle before he applied the finishing touch from close range.
Ferns St. Aidans: Michael Walsh; Steven Warren, Peter Nolan, Christopher Davitt; Jack O’Hagan, Patrick Breen, Brian O’Neill; William Bolger, Derek Thorpe; Shane Breen, Pádraig Walsh, Lee Quigley; Tomás Hawins (0-2), Edward Walsh (0-1), Anthony Dwyer (0-7 frees). Subs: Jeff Tobin for O’Hagan (49), Conor Doran for P. Breen (inj., 57).
Marshalstown/Castledockrell: Mark Quigley; Michael Hughes, David O’Connor, Ken Doyle; Tomás Bennett, Colm Bennett, Johnny Frayne; Michael Kinsella, Jack Quigley (capt.); Eoin Bennett (1-8, 0-7 frees), Michael Morris, Barry Doyle (0-1); Diarmuid Doyle (2-2), Mark Morris, Colm Quigley. Subs: Darragh Kenny for O’Connor (inj., 26); PJ O’Brien for K. Doyle (h/t); Joe Kelly for C. Quigley (40); Sean McLoughlin for Mark Morris (60+1).
Referee: Paddy Brady (Ballygarrett).
Sept. 7: Ferns St. Aidans 2-11, Faythe Harriers 1-14
A Christopher Davitt goal three minutes into additional time gave Ferns St. Aidans a fully-merited draw with Faythe Harriers in this Permanent TSB Junior Hurling championship Group B game in Oylegate on Saturday.
However, the point was not sufficient to lift his side out of bottom spot, and so they will face into a relegation final.
Meanwhile, the Harriers narrowly missed out on a quarter-final spot, having led this game from the eighth minute until Ferns pounced for that late equaliser.
After Conor Halligan had pointed the town side in front after three minutes, they went on to lead by 0-5 to 0-4 at the end of the opening quarter, mainly through the accuracy of Con O Donnagáin from frees, while Anthony Dwyer of Ferns was also on the mark from placed balls.
The Harriers, helped by a 22nd minute Jack O’Leary goal, raised the tempo of their game, and they went in leading by 1-10 to 0-5 at the interval.
The sides traded opening second half points through Anthony Dwyer and O Donnagáin frees, and Ferns hauled themselves right back into the game when Tomás Hawkins finished to the net from close range, making it 1-11 to 1-6 after 37 minutes.
As very little separated the sides, the Harriers still led by 1-14 to 1-11 with nine minutes remaining, but Ferns finished strongest, knowing that a win would allow them to avoid a relegation playoff and inflict it on their rivals instead.
The game had moved three minutes into additional time before they scored again though, as Christopher Davitt latched on to a ball to the left of goal and drilled a low shot past Adam McDaid.
It gave his side a dramatic late draw, but it wasn’t enough, and it will now be either Ferns or Buffers Alley who will be making the drop to Junior ‘A’ ranks.
Ferns St. Aidans: Michael Walsh; Willie Bolger, Peter Nolan, Aaron Cahill; Christopher Davitt (1-0), Patrick Breen, Jack O’Hagan; Patrick O’Toole, Lee Quigley (0-1); Shane Breen (0-1), Pádraig Walsh (0-1), Ciarán Doran; Anthony Dwyer (0-7, 5 frees), Paddy O’Leary, Tomás Hawkins (1-0). Subs: Derek Thorpe for Doran, Edward Walsh for Hawkins (inj.)
Faythe Harriers: Adam McDaid; Alan Lynch, Cillian Lawlor, Nicky Murphy; Tomás Campbell, Emmet Keeling (0-1), Colm O’Dowda; Con O Donnagáin (0-8, 7 frees), David Gouldson; Conor Halligan (0-1), Shane Howard (0-1), Kevin Gore (0-1); Conor Kehoe, Jack O’Leary (1-0), John Clancy (0-2). Subs: Paddy Glover for Gore (inj.), Chris Glover for Clancy.
Referee: Francis Neville (Shelmaliers).
Sept. 22, Relegation Final: Ferns St. Aidans 2-11, Buffers Alley 1-11
Tomás Hawkins and Anthony Dwyer proved to be the Ferns lifesavers as they hit three points between them in injury time to maintain their status for another year after a battling 2-11 to 1-11 victory over fellow second-string Buffers Alley in Sunday’s Permanent TSB Junior Hurling Championship relegation final at a dull Ballygarrett.
The eventual winners gained early ascendancy, with a Pádraig Walsh point from play sandwiching a pair of frees from Anthony Dwyer.
Buffers Alley got up and running through a Walter Gahan point on seven minutes, with goalkeeper Darren O’Brien landing a monster free four minutes later.
Paddy O’Leary wriggled free to nick a point for Ferns, but points for Robert Donnelly and Adam Byrne supplemented two frees from Jim Hughes as Buffers Alley edged 0-6 to 0-4 in front after 20 minutes.
And the exchanges were typical of a District derby right up to half time, with O’Leary’s second of the game cancelled out by another Hughes free as the Monamolin men held a narrow 0-7 to 0-5 lead at the changeover.
That gap was doubled thanks to early scores for Colm Og Doran and Robert Donnelly after the break, but Ferns scored a goal in fortunate circumstances in the 35th minute when Dwyer mishit his free but the ball still ended up in the net (0-9 to 1-5).
And while Pádraig Bolger edged Ferns in front on 40 minutes, Buffers Alley hit back almost immediately when Adam Byrne swiped home a well-taken goal.
Hughes added a free to make it 1-10 to 1-7 midway through the second half, but the topsy-turvy nature of the game continued when Dwyer sized up a close-in free and this time bounced to the net for the leveller.
Lee Quigley picked off a nice point from play, but extra time was looming when Hughes fired over his fifth free on 59 minutes.
However, Ferns had one last sting in the tail when they cleverly worked the ball down the field for Hawkins to point neatly out of the left corner, and Dwyer copper-fastened a precious win with two late frees to condemn their rivals to the dreaded drop.
Ferns St. Aidans: Michael Walsh; Brian O’Neill, Peter Nolan, Willie Bolger; Jack O’Hagan, Patrick Breen, Christopher Davitt (capt.); Derek Thorpe, Lee Quigley (0-1); Anthony Dwyer (2-5 frees), Pádraig Walsh (0-1), Paddy O’Leary (0-2); Tomás Hawkins (0-1), Edward Walsh, Shane Breen. Subs: Pádraig Bolger for S. Breen (half time), Steve Warren for E. Walsh (58).
Buffers Alley: Darren O’Brien (0-1 free); Cian Fortune, Alan Doyle, Leonard Lacey; Gearóid O’Connor, Thomas Dempsey, Paudie Kinsella; Oisín Fortune, Colm Og Doran (capt., 0-1); Domhnall McArdle, Jim Hughes (0-5 frees), John Furlong; Adam Byrne (1-1), Walter Gahan (0-1), Robert Donnelly (0-2). Sub: Owen Dempsey for C. Fortune (58).
Referee: Shane Quinn (Ballygarrett).
St. Mary’s (Rosslare) were simply too strong for Ferns St. Aidans in this Permanent TSB Junior Hurling Championship Group B encounter, as the seasiders completely dominated proceedings throughout to record a comfortable victory in a wet and windy Ballymurn on Sunday.
The St. Mary’s side lost out at the semi-final stage last season and, although it was difficult to gauge on this occasion alone, they look like a side that will be well capable of progressing through the knockout stages again this year.
Led by the energetic Tiernan Rossiter in midfield and with dangerous forwards like Lee Devereux and Rees Broaders, they will be a match for any team in the competition.
They showed this in the opening half as they raced to a four-point lead early on, with the aforementioned trio getting on the mark, along with Cian Boggan.
The greasy conditions were not exactly conducive to good hurling as both sides struggled to convert scoring chances, with the wind most likely playing a role when Ferns eventually opened their account as Edward Walsh’s high delivery deceived three players and went all the way to the net in the 19th minute.
But the eventual winners were coping that bit better, and Rossiter and Devereux added a brace of points each before Devereux and Pat Moroney obliged to give their side a nine-point lead at the break.
If Ferns were to have any hope of troubling their opponents, they needed a good start to the second half, but instead Rosslare were quickest off the mark once more with three points in as many minutes as Boggan, Rossiter and Devereux increased their lead to twelve.
There was little Ferns could do now, but Edward Walsh did his best to make things look respectable, by shooting three points.
Devereux traded scores with Peter O’Toole and Walsh did so with Rossiter before Michael Walsh sent a huge free between the posts to leave eight between them with nine minutes left.
This was as close as it got however, as Rosslare finished out the half with scores from Rees Broaders and Pat Moroney before Tiarnan Rossiter capped off a fine display with his sixth point to leave Ferns trailing in their wake.
Ferns St. Aidans: Michael Walsh (0-1 free); Peter Nolan, Patrick Breen, Willie Bolger; Brian O’Neill, Declan Byrne, Jack O’Hagan; Christopher Davitt, Peter O’Toole (0-1); Shane Breen, Pádraig Walsh, Jeff Tobin; Anthony Dwyer, Edward Walsh (1-4, 0-2 frees), Ciarán Doran. Subs: P.J. O’Neill for O’Neill (inj., 38); Ben Cowman for Dwyer (HT); Derek Thorpe (0-1) for Tobin (39); Brian O’Neill (Clone) for Doran (45); Steve Warren for P.J. O’Neill (inj., 49).
St. Mary’s (Rosslare): Larry Morrissey; Emmet Byrne, Naomhán Rossiter, Conal Grant; Richard Bent, David Murphy, Shea Boggan; Tiarnan Rossiter (0-6), Gearóid Byrne; Cian Boggan (0-2), Robert Butler, Lee Devereux (0-5, 0-2 frees); Kevin Power, Pat Moroney (0-2), Rees Broaders (1-2). Sub: Seamus Sinnott for Power (56).
Referee: Seán Whelan (St. Martin’s).
April 20: Horeswood 0-17, Ferns St. Aidans 0-10
An exhibition of point-taking by Seán Nolan helped Horeswood to a seven point victory over Ferns St. Aidans in Group B of the Permanent TSB Junior Hurling Championship in a sun-scorched Bree on Saturday.
Although the talented midfielder contributed almost half of their scores, it was far from a one-man show as they looked capable of picking off points from all angles.
Ferns were reliant on Anthony Dwyer frees for scores, however, and it was telling that their first (and only!) point from play didn’t arrive until deep into second half injury time, when Christopher Davitt’s long-range effort crept over the bar.
Two Dwyer frees gave Ferns and early advantage, but the New Ross District outfit weren’t long about finding their stride, with two eye-catching Nolan points drawing them level before a brace of placed balls from Michael O’Hanlon and scores from Seán Stafford and Declan Murphy gave them a four point lead by the 13th minute.
That lead was stretched to 0-12 to 0-6 by the interval, with the impressive Nolan adding another three more to his tally and Michael O’Hanlon (free), Jamie Meyler and Declan Murphy also chipping in with points, while Dwyer frees just about kept Ferns in the contest.
Scores were scarce in a stop-start second half, with the irrepressible Nolan picking off two more points for the winners and Eamonn O’Sullivan, Jamie Meyler and Michael O’Hanlon also keeping the scoreboard ticking over.
Ferns rarely threatened from play and their misery was compounded in the 50th minute when Pádraig Walsh was shown a straight red card as the contest became a bit fractious, although they did at least manage to get a score from play on the board when Christopher Davitt found the range in the sixth minute of injury time.
Horeswood have built the perfect platform for when the action resumes, having made it two wins from two, while Ferns, having lost both their opening games, face an uphill task.
Ferns St. Aidans: Michael Walsh; Peter Nolan, Patrick Breen, Brian O’Neill (Clone); Christopher Davitt (0-1), Brian O’Neill (capt.), Jack O’Hagan; Willie Bolger, PJ O’Neill; Derek Thorpe, Pádraig Walsh, Ciarán Doran; Anthony Dwyer (0-9 frees), Jeff Tobin, Shane Breen. Subs: Lee Quigley for S. Breen (35); Ben Cowman for Tobin (39); Shane Stafford for Doran (52).
Horeswood: Eoin Mythen; Gavin Murphy, Shane O’Hanlon (capt.), Brian Kehoe; David Murphy, Danny Byrne, Eamonn O’Sullivan (0-1); Jamie Meyler (0-2, 1 free), Seán Nolan (0-7); Seán Hunt, Seán Stafford (0-1), Eoin Murphy; Declan Murphy (0-2), Michael O’Hanlon (0-4 frees), Craig Murphy. Subs: John Chapman for C. Murphy (inj., 44); Dean Roberts for Kehoe (inj., 47); Eddie Breen for M. O’Hanlon (55); Craig Collier for Declan Murphy (58).
Referee: Barry Redmond (Clonard)
August 11: Davidstown/C’cuddy 0-18, Ferns St. Aidans 1-12
The unerring accuracy of Seán Cooper from placed balls steered Davidstown/Courtnacuddy to a vital win in the Permanent TSB Junior hurling championship when they edged the Ferns St. Aidans second string out by 0-18 to 1-12 in Sunday’s enjoyable third round Group B tie in Monageer.
Cooper sped away to open the scoring for the victors after only 28 seconds, and he also pointed from within his own half as they developed a 0-3 to nil lead in the first two minutes.
And while those were his only two submissions from open play, it was the reliability he displayed from virtually every free he stood over that made the difference against a more wasteful Ferns outfit.
Cooper swung over a free from the midfield marker on five minutes before Anthony Dwyer opened the Ferns account with a seventh minute free.
But a contentious free immediately afterwards saw Cooper knock over again, and when Bill Harrington was dragged down, Cooper made it 0-6 to 0-1 after nine minutes.
David Dunne’s crossfield pass located Walter Furlong to add a nice point from play, and the former also had too much time to pick out Bill Harrington to boost the lead to 0-10 to 0-4 after 20 minutes.
James Kelly and Dwyer (free) traded quick points before Dwyer gave his side renewed hope with an inventive goal.
Davidstown-Courtnacuddy netminder Donal O’Shea appeared unsighted when he spilled the dropping ball, and Dwyer poked home the rebound between his legs with his back to the goal as the gap was suddenly reduced to 0-12 to 1-6 at half time.
David O’Dwyer snapped over for the leaders 30 seconds into the new half, while Dwyer converted another free at the other end.
And the sides scored five more points each before the finish, with Cooper converting three more frees to go with efforts from play from Mark Murphy and Furlong, as Davidstown-Courtnacuddy moved into third place in the Group B standings.
Meanwhile, Derek Thorpe (two) and Tomás Hawkins added to two Dwyer placed balls for Ferns, who sit pointless after three games.
Ferns St. Aidans: Michael Walsh; Steven Warren, Peter Nolan, Christopher Davitt (capt.); Jack O’Hagan, Patrick Breen, Brian O’Neill; P.J. O’Neill, Willie Bolger; Shane Breen, Derek Thorpe (0-3), Jeff Tobin; Anthony Dwyer (1-7, 0-6 frees, 0-1 ‘65’), Tomás Hawkins (0-2), Ciarán Doran. Subs: Shane Stafford for P.J. O’Neill (inj., h/t); Patrick O’Toole for Tobin (47); Conor Doran for Warren (49).
Davidstown/Courtnacuddy: Donal O’Shea; Daniel Delaney, Darragh Cooper, Daryl Freeman; Barry Nolan, David Dunne (capt.), Mark Murphy (0-1); Walter Furlong (0-2), James Doyle (0-1); Sean Cooper (0-10, 0-8 frees), David O’Dwyer (0-1), James Kelly (0-2); Bill Harrington (0-1), Stephen Dunbar, Stephen Kennedy. Subs: Johnny Delaney for Dunbar (37); Stephen Sheridan for Kennedy (54).
Referee: Matty Kinnaird (Rapparees).
August 17: Marshalstown/Castledockrell 3-12, Ferns St. Aidans 0-10
Two goals in the final four minutes of regulation time booked Marshalstown/Castledockrell’s ticket into the quarter finals of the Permanent TSB Junior Hurling Championship, after a deserved 3-12 to 0-10 win over 14-man Ferns St. Aidans in Saturday evening’s fourth round tie at Monageer.
The losers now face a do-or-die final round game with Faythe Harriers, with the losers of that match dropping into the relegation final.
And while their cause wasn’t helped by losing Shane Breen to a straight red card in the lead up to half time, they will still have to improve on their paltry three points from play the next time around.
Six of the first seven points of the game were frees from Eoin Bennett (two) and Anthony Dwyer (four), with the former also scoring from play as Ferns led by 0-4 to 0-3 after nine minutes.
Tomás Hawkins knocked over a nice point from Jack O’Hagan’s assist on twelve minutes, and five minutes of inert play was quickly brought to an end by a moment of brilliance from Diarmuid Doyle.
He gathered possession in his own half before galloping through the defence, but rather than settling for what would have been a rudimentary point, he instead arrowed a powerful shot to the far corner to turn the game on its head (1-3 to 0-5).
And Dwyer and Bennett shared four points evenly either side of Breen’s red card for a late pull on David O’Connor, as Marshalstown enjoyed a 1-5 to 0-7 lead at the interval. Three more Bennett frees stretched them further ahead after the break, but they actually missed a couple of clear goal chances in the second half.
First, Diarmuid Doyle transferred to Barry Doyle who swiped wide, while the former also screwed a penalty to the wrong side of the post after Michael Morris was fouled.
However, they eventually made the breakthrough on 56 minutes when Diarmuid Doyle dispossessed a defender before tucking home, and Bennett sealed the victory two minutes later when he was supplied by Doyle before he applied the finishing touch from close range.
Ferns St. Aidans: Michael Walsh; Steven Warren, Peter Nolan, Christopher Davitt; Jack O’Hagan, Patrick Breen, Brian O’Neill; William Bolger, Derek Thorpe; Shane Breen, Pádraig Walsh, Lee Quigley; Tomás Hawins (0-2), Edward Walsh (0-1), Anthony Dwyer (0-7 frees). Subs: Jeff Tobin for O’Hagan (49), Conor Doran for P. Breen (inj., 57).
Marshalstown/Castledockrell: Mark Quigley; Michael Hughes, David O’Connor, Ken Doyle; Tomás Bennett, Colm Bennett, Johnny Frayne; Michael Kinsella, Jack Quigley (capt.); Eoin Bennett (1-8, 0-7 frees), Michael Morris, Barry Doyle (0-1); Diarmuid Doyle (2-2), Mark Morris, Colm Quigley. Subs: Darragh Kenny for O’Connor (inj., 26); PJ O’Brien for K. Doyle (h/t); Joe Kelly for C. Quigley (40); Sean McLoughlin for Mark Morris (60+1).
Referee: Paddy Brady (Ballygarrett).
Sept. 7: Ferns St. Aidans 2-11, Faythe Harriers 1-14
A Christopher Davitt goal three minutes into additional time gave Ferns St. Aidans a fully-merited draw with Faythe Harriers in this Permanent TSB Junior Hurling championship Group B game in Oylegate on Saturday.
However, the point was not sufficient to lift his side out of bottom spot, and so they will face into a relegation final.
Meanwhile, the Harriers narrowly missed out on a quarter-final spot, having led this game from the eighth minute until Ferns pounced for that late equaliser.
After Conor Halligan had pointed the town side in front after three minutes, they went on to lead by 0-5 to 0-4 at the end of the opening quarter, mainly through the accuracy of Con O Donnagáin from frees, while Anthony Dwyer of Ferns was also on the mark from placed balls.
The Harriers, helped by a 22nd minute Jack O’Leary goal, raised the tempo of their game, and they went in leading by 1-10 to 0-5 at the interval.
The sides traded opening second half points through Anthony Dwyer and O Donnagáin frees, and Ferns hauled themselves right back into the game when Tomás Hawkins finished to the net from close range, making it 1-11 to 1-6 after 37 minutes.
As very little separated the sides, the Harriers still led by 1-14 to 1-11 with nine minutes remaining, but Ferns finished strongest, knowing that a win would allow them to avoid a relegation playoff and inflict it on their rivals instead.
The game had moved three minutes into additional time before they scored again though, as Christopher Davitt latched on to a ball to the left of goal and drilled a low shot past Adam McDaid.
It gave his side a dramatic late draw, but it wasn’t enough, and it will now be either Ferns or Buffers Alley who will be making the drop to Junior ‘A’ ranks.
Ferns St. Aidans: Michael Walsh; Willie Bolger, Peter Nolan, Aaron Cahill; Christopher Davitt (1-0), Patrick Breen, Jack O’Hagan; Patrick O’Toole, Lee Quigley (0-1); Shane Breen (0-1), Pádraig Walsh (0-1), Ciarán Doran; Anthony Dwyer (0-7, 5 frees), Paddy O’Leary, Tomás Hawkins (1-0). Subs: Derek Thorpe for Doran, Edward Walsh for Hawkins (inj.)
Faythe Harriers: Adam McDaid; Alan Lynch, Cillian Lawlor, Nicky Murphy; Tomás Campbell, Emmet Keeling (0-1), Colm O’Dowda; Con O Donnagáin (0-8, 7 frees), David Gouldson; Conor Halligan (0-1), Shane Howard (0-1), Kevin Gore (0-1); Conor Kehoe, Jack O’Leary (1-0), John Clancy (0-2). Subs: Paddy Glover for Gore (inj.), Chris Glover for Clancy.
Referee: Francis Neville (Shelmaliers).
Sept. 22, Relegation Final: Ferns St. Aidans 2-11, Buffers Alley 1-11
Tomás Hawkins and Anthony Dwyer proved to be the Ferns lifesavers as they hit three points between them in injury time to maintain their status for another year after a battling 2-11 to 1-11 victory over fellow second-string Buffers Alley in Sunday’s Permanent TSB Junior Hurling Championship relegation final at a dull Ballygarrett.
The eventual winners gained early ascendancy, with a Pádraig Walsh point from play sandwiching a pair of frees from Anthony Dwyer.
Buffers Alley got up and running through a Walter Gahan point on seven minutes, with goalkeeper Darren O’Brien landing a monster free four minutes later.
Paddy O’Leary wriggled free to nick a point for Ferns, but points for Robert Donnelly and Adam Byrne supplemented two frees from Jim Hughes as Buffers Alley edged 0-6 to 0-4 in front after 20 minutes.
And the exchanges were typical of a District derby right up to half time, with O’Leary’s second of the game cancelled out by another Hughes free as the Monamolin men held a narrow 0-7 to 0-5 lead at the changeover.
That gap was doubled thanks to early scores for Colm Og Doran and Robert Donnelly after the break, but Ferns scored a goal in fortunate circumstances in the 35th minute when Dwyer mishit his free but the ball still ended up in the net (0-9 to 1-5).
And while Pádraig Bolger edged Ferns in front on 40 minutes, Buffers Alley hit back almost immediately when Adam Byrne swiped home a well-taken goal.
Hughes added a free to make it 1-10 to 1-7 midway through the second half, but the topsy-turvy nature of the game continued when Dwyer sized up a close-in free and this time bounced to the net for the leveller.
Lee Quigley picked off a nice point from play, but extra time was looming when Hughes fired over his fifth free on 59 minutes.
However, Ferns had one last sting in the tail when they cleverly worked the ball down the field for Hawkins to point neatly out of the left corner, and Dwyer copper-fastened a precious win with two late frees to condemn their rivals to the dreaded drop.
Ferns St. Aidans: Michael Walsh; Brian O’Neill, Peter Nolan, Willie Bolger; Jack O’Hagan, Patrick Breen, Christopher Davitt (capt.); Derek Thorpe, Lee Quigley (0-1); Anthony Dwyer (2-5 frees), Pádraig Walsh (0-1), Paddy O’Leary (0-2); Tomás Hawkins (0-1), Edward Walsh, Shane Breen. Subs: Pádraig Bolger for S. Breen (half time), Steve Warren for E. Walsh (58).
Buffers Alley: Darren O’Brien (0-1 free); Cian Fortune, Alan Doyle, Leonard Lacey; Gearóid O’Connor, Thomas Dempsey, Paudie Kinsella; Oisín Fortune, Colm Og Doran (capt., 0-1); Domhnall McArdle, Jim Hughes (0-5 frees), John Furlong; Adam Byrne (1-1), Walter Gahan (0-1), Robert Donnelly (0-2). Sub: Owen Dempsey for C. Fortune (58).
Referee: Shane Quinn (Ballygarrett).
