Junior Hurling Championship 2021
August 15: Glynn/Barntown 1-14, Ferns St. Aidans 1-9
Glynn/Barntown pulled away from their opponents in the second half to make it two wins out of two in Group B of the Permanent TSB Junior Hurling Championship in Oylegate on Sunday.
There was nothing to separate the sides at half time, but Glynn/Barntown had played into the stiff breeze in the opening 30 minutes, and they took full advantage of the elements after the interval.
An Olly McClair goal shortly after the change of ends was a real boost and the Wexford District side never looked like letting their grip loosen thereafter.
Glynn/Barntown managed to build up a 0-5 to 0-3 advantage by the 19th minute thanks to three Aaron Kehoe placed balls and a point apiece from Kevin Mahoney and Conor Lyne.
Ferns kept in touch with scores from Brian Stafford (two) and Tomás Hawkins, but they hit the front in the 20th minute when Ben Bernie won possession and passed to Jeff Tobin, who buried the ball to the net.
Glynn/Barntown edged back in front with points from the industrious Conor Lyne and Aaron Kehoe (free), but Jeff Tobin made his mark again, squeezing over a superb score from a prohibitive angle.
Tomás Hawkins and Aaron Kehoe then exchanged frees to leave the game deadlocked at 1-5 to 0-8 at the break.
After a Jeff Tobin point was cancelled out by Kevin Mahoney, Glynn/Barntown then struck for a crucial goal two minutes after the restart.
Olly McClair picked up the loose ball to the right of the goal, after good work from Matthew Banville and Cormac Cooney, and arrowed a rasping shot to the far corner of the net.
Tomás Hawkins reduced the gap to two with a free, but a Cooney point, followed by two from Aaron Kehoe, put Glynn/Barntown firmly into the lead (1-12 to 1-7).
Pádraig Kinsella pulled one back, but that was as close as Ferns could get, and Daire Barron and Pádraic Waters split the posts either side of a PJ O’Neill point to seal the win.
Ferns must now turn their attention to a meeting with Ballyhogue in Oylegate next Sunday, with second spot in the table up for grabs.
Ferns St. Aidans: Michael Walsh; Brian O’Neill, Peter Nolan (capt.), Christopher Davitt; William Bolger, Patrick O’Hagan, Barry Murphy; PJ O’Neill (0-1), Brian Stafford (0-2, 1 free); Jeff Tobin (1-2), Tomás Hawkins (0-3, 2 frees), Shane Stafford; Pádraig Kinsella (0-1), Ben Bernie, Anthony Dwyer. Subs: Shane Breen for Dwyer, inj. (9), Jack O’Hagan for Davitt (37), Ben Cowman for Hawkins, inj. (42), George Warren for Stafford (48), Paddy O’Leary for Bernie (49).
Glynn/Barntown: Niall Whitty; Alan Mahoney, Pa Greene, Robbie Hillis; Thomas Doyle, Matthew Banville, Josh Carley; Conor Lyne (0-2), Alan Cowman; Pádraic Wafer (0-1), Kevin Mahoney (capt., 0-2), Olly McClair (1-0); Ian Moran, Aaron Kehoe (0-7, 5 frees, 1 ’65), Cormac Cooney (0-1). Subs: Barry Doyle for Cowman (41), Daire Barron (0-1) for Moran (46), Tommy Gallagher for Greene (46).
Referee: Justin Heffernan (Blackwater)
August 22: Ferns St. Aidans 2-15, Ballyhogue 1-18
A point from substitute Christopher ‘Bitzy’ O’Connor in the third minute of injury time earned Ferns St. Aidan’s a share of the spoils against Ballyhogue in a frenetic Permanent TSB Junior hurling championship Group B clash in Oylegate on Sunday.
The impressive David Hennebry looked to have won it for Ballyhogue with a superb goal seconds earlier, but O’Connor, who was returning from a lay-off, capped a fine cameo, which yielded 1-5, with the equalising score.
It could have been even better for Ferns, as according to my notes O’Connor’s last-gasp score actually put them 1-18 to 2-14 ahead, but the referee’s word is sacrosanct and he thought differently.
This reporter, and others keeping the score around me, had Ferns leading by one point at the second-half water break, but man in the middle John O’Loughlin instructed that the scoreboard be changed to read 1-12 to 1-12.
As it transpired it didn’t make any difference in the grand scheme of things, with the draw enough for Ferns to finish second in the group, ahead of Ballyhogue on score difference.
Ferns deserved at least that much after fighting back from a six-point deficit at the break (1-9 to 0-6) to lead by two with five minutes remaining, with O’Connor the central figure.
Ballyhogue looked much the better side in the opening half, with a fourth-minute goal setting the tone.
Shane Doyle delivered a pass into the danger zone, which was caught by Peter Kelly, and he confidently rifled a shot out of the reach of goalkeeper Michael Walsh.
They built up a 1-9 to 0-6 advantage by the change of ends, with David Hennebry knocking over four frees and one from play, while Shane Doyle, Conor Byrne, Enda Minogue and Dylan Dalton chipped in with a point apiece.
Ferns were chiefly reliant of the free-taking of Peter O’Toole in the first-half, but they burst out of the blocks after the interval with a trio of Christopher O’Connor points helping them reduce the deficit.
When O’Connor hit the back of the net in the 42nd minute, after being teed up by O’Toole, it put Ferns ahead for the first time, and with Jeff Tobin (two) and Seán Walsh finding the range they were three to the good with just five minutes remaining (1-15 to 1-12).
Points from Peter Kelly, Graham Parker and David Hennebry (free) wiped out that lead, but Ferns responded through Peter O’Toole (free) and Christopher O’Connor to regain the initiative.
Hennebry then burst forward and rocketed the ball to the net to swing the pendulum back in Ballyhogue’s favour, but it was fitting that O’Connor had the final say with a late leveller.
Ferns St. Aidan’s: Michael Walsh; Peter Nolan, Patrick O’Hagan, Christopher Davitt; Brian O’Neill, Seán Walsh (capt., 0-1), Barry Murphy; P.J. O’Neill, William Bolger; Jeff Tobin (0-2), Peter O’Toole (0-7 frees), Shane Stafford (0-1); Pádraig Kinsella (0-2), Tomás Hawkins, George Warren. Sub. - Christopher O’Connor (1-5) for Hawkins, inj. (25).
Ballyhogue: Seán Ring; Edward Galavan, Fionn Rochford, Eamonn Doyle; Conor Byrne (0-1), Colm Parnell, Nick Doyle; John Kehoe, Shane Doyle (capt., 0-1); Liam Rossiter, Dylan Dalton (0-2), James Parle; Enda Minogue (0-1), Peter Kelly (1-1), David Hennebry (1-7, 0-6 frees). Subs. - Liam Doyle for Kehoe (45), Graham Parker (0-1) for Minogue (50).
Referee: John O’Loughlin (Monageer-Boolavogue).
August 29, Preliminary quarter-final: Bannow/Ballymitty 2-17, Ferns St. Aidans 1-16
A tour-de-force from Cathal Cummins was the key factor in Bannow-Ballymitty advancing into the quarter-finals of the Permanent TSB Junior hurling championship, as his 1-4 from play helped his side to a 2-17 to 1-16 victory over Ferns St. Aidan’s in Sunday’s preliminary quarter-final in O’Kennedy Park, New Ross.
The south county men got off to a bright start as Cummins converted an early free before a clever run inside from Kieran Butler saw him gather a crossfield pass and stitch the net with conviction (1-1 to 0-1).
Cummins added two points from play either side of rebuttals from P.J. O’Neill and Jeff Tobin, while two from Patrick O’Toole (one free) edged Ferns to within 1-3 to 0-5 by the eleventh minute.
O’Toole also hit the post from another free to precede Cummins tapping over at the other end, although O’Toole soon forced parity for what turned out to be the last time through a successful ‘65 and free (1-4 to 0-7).
Garry Morton pointed Bannow-Ballymitty back in front from Mark Wallace’s assist in the 19th minute, with Cummins doubling their lead from another free three minutes later.
And they would hold a 1-8 to 0-10 advantage by half-time as the sides shared four points from play, with Art Sweetman and Cummins seeing efforts cancelled out by Brian Stafford and Pádraig Kinsella.
Bannow-Ballymitty hit three of the first four points on the restart as they started to create some daylight, with Butler blazing over with the goal at his mercy on 40 minutes after being located inside by a wonderful sideline cut by Morton. And star man Cummins soon flighted over effortlessly, and also blasted to the top corner of the dressing-room end goal to make it 2-12 to 0-11 after 43 minutes.
Morton chipped over a superb sideline cut shortly before Stafford hit Ferns’ first point for some twelve minutes (2-14 to 0-12).
Substitute George Warren and O’Toole reeled off successive points for the losers, and they put a more respectable look on the scoreboard three minutes before the end when the latter’s free flew all the way to the net.
Next up for the winners is a tough quarter-final versus Marshalstown-Castledockrell, with Ferns St. Aidan’s taking on Ballyhogue in the relegation series.
Ferns St. Aidan’s: Michael Walsh; Brian O’Neill, Patrick O’Hagan, Peter Nolan; Barry Murphy (0-1), Seán Walsh (capt.), Christopher Davitt; William Bolger, Brian Stafford (0-2); P.J. O’Neill (0-1), Patrick O’Toole (1-9, 1-5 frees, 0-1 ‘65), Jeff Tobin (0-1); Pádraig Kinsella (0-1), Ben Bernie, Tomás Hawkins. Subs. - Anthony Dwyer for Davitt (HT), Jack O’Hagan for Nolan (35), George Warren (0-1) for Tobin (46), Shane Stafford for Hawkins (46), Paddy O’Leary for Bernie (46).
Bannow-Ballymitty: Gary Jordan (0-1 free); Lorcan Breen, John O’Leary, John Mernagh; Seán McCormack, David Currid, John Harpur; Ryan Morris, Mark Wallace (capt.); Garry Morton (0-3, 1 line ball), Richie Walsh, Leon Galvin; Kieran Butler (1-2), Art Sweetman (0-1), Cathal Cummins (1-10, 0-6 frees). Subs. - Jack Donohue for Morris (24), James McCormack for Wallace (52).
Referee: Philip Murphy (Faythe Harriers).
Note on relegation play-off:
Ballyhogue and Monageer-Boolavogue will drop down to the lower Junior ‘A’ grade for 2022 after their defeats in the Permanent TSB Junior hurling championship relegation final double-header in St. Patrick’s Park, Enniscorthy on Sunday.
Ferns St. Aidan’s and Rathnure maintained their status, with two teams required to exit downwards from the grade in order to ensure that the competition will once feature twelve teams next season.
The red and whites led Ballyhogue by the minimum at half-time (0-8 to 0-7), but they built on that after the interval and ended up with four points to spare (1-18 to 2-11).
The loss will come as a big blow to the Enniscorthy District club’s hopes of making progress in the small ball code, given that this is their first team and they only made the move up from Junior ‘A’ ranks in 2019, when they defeated Naomh Eanna by 2-10 to 0-9 in the county final.
Glynn/Barntown pulled away from their opponents in the second half to make it two wins out of two in Group B of the Permanent TSB Junior Hurling Championship in Oylegate on Sunday.
There was nothing to separate the sides at half time, but Glynn/Barntown had played into the stiff breeze in the opening 30 minutes, and they took full advantage of the elements after the interval.
An Olly McClair goal shortly after the change of ends was a real boost and the Wexford District side never looked like letting their grip loosen thereafter.
Glynn/Barntown managed to build up a 0-5 to 0-3 advantage by the 19th minute thanks to three Aaron Kehoe placed balls and a point apiece from Kevin Mahoney and Conor Lyne.
Ferns kept in touch with scores from Brian Stafford (two) and Tomás Hawkins, but they hit the front in the 20th minute when Ben Bernie won possession and passed to Jeff Tobin, who buried the ball to the net.
Glynn/Barntown edged back in front with points from the industrious Conor Lyne and Aaron Kehoe (free), but Jeff Tobin made his mark again, squeezing over a superb score from a prohibitive angle.
Tomás Hawkins and Aaron Kehoe then exchanged frees to leave the game deadlocked at 1-5 to 0-8 at the break.
After a Jeff Tobin point was cancelled out by Kevin Mahoney, Glynn/Barntown then struck for a crucial goal two minutes after the restart.
Olly McClair picked up the loose ball to the right of the goal, after good work from Matthew Banville and Cormac Cooney, and arrowed a rasping shot to the far corner of the net.
Tomás Hawkins reduced the gap to two with a free, but a Cooney point, followed by two from Aaron Kehoe, put Glynn/Barntown firmly into the lead (1-12 to 1-7).
Pádraig Kinsella pulled one back, but that was as close as Ferns could get, and Daire Barron and Pádraic Waters split the posts either side of a PJ O’Neill point to seal the win.
Ferns must now turn their attention to a meeting with Ballyhogue in Oylegate next Sunday, with second spot in the table up for grabs.
Ferns St. Aidans: Michael Walsh; Brian O’Neill, Peter Nolan (capt.), Christopher Davitt; William Bolger, Patrick O’Hagan, Barry Murphy; PJ O’Neill (0-1), Brian Stafford (0-2, 1 free); Jeff Tobin (1-2), Tomás Hawkins (0-3, 2 frees), Shane Stafford; Pádraig Kinsella (0-1), Ben Bernie, Anthony Dwyer. Subs: Shane Breen for Dwyer, inj. (9), Jack O’Hagan for Davitt (37), Ben Cowman for Hawkins, inj. (42), George Warren for Stafford (48), Paddy O’Leary for Bernie (49).
Glynn/Barntown: Niall Whitty; Alan Mahoney, Pa Greene, Robbie Hillis; Thomas Doyle, Matthew Banville, Josh Carley; Conor Lyne (0-2), Alan Cowman; Pádraic Wafer (0-1), Kevin Mahoney (capt., 0-2), Olly McClair (1-0); Ian Moran, Aaron Kehoe (0-7, 5 frees, 1 ’65), Cormac Cooney (0-1). Subs: Barry Doyle for Cowman (41), Daire Barron (0-1) for Moran (46), Tommy Gallagher for Greene (46).
Referee: Justin Heffernan (Blackwater)
August 22: Ferns St. Aidans 2-15, Ballyhogue 1-18
A point from substitute Christopher ‘Bitzy’ O’Connor in the third minute of injury time earned Ferns St. Aidan’s a share of the spoils against Ballyhogue in a frenetic Permanent TSB Junior hurling championship Group B clash in Oylegate on Sunday.
The impressive David Hennebry looked to have won it for Ballyhogue with a superb goal seconds earlier, but O’Connor, who was returning from a lay-off, capped a fine cameo, which yielded 1-5, with the equalising score.
It could have been even better for Ferns, as according to my notes O’Connor’s last-gasp score actually put them 1-18 to 2-14 ahead, but the referee’s word is sacrosanct and he thought differently.
This reporter, and others keeping the score around me, had Ferns leading by one point at the second-half water break, but man in the middle John O’Loughlin instructed that the scoreboard be changed to read 1-12 to 1-12.
As it transpired it didn’t make any difference in the grand scheme of things, with the draw enough for Ferns to finish second in the group, ahead of Ballyhogue on score difference.
Ferns deserved at least that much after fighting back from a six-point deficit at the break (1-9 to 0-6) to lead by two with five minutes remaining, with O’Connor the central figure.
Ballyhogue looked much the better side in the opening half, with a fourth-minute goal setting the tone.
Shane Doyle delivered a pass into the danger zone, which was caught by Peter Kelly, and he confidently rifled a shot out of the reach of goalkeeper Michael Walsh.
They built up a 1-9 to 0-6 advantage by the change of ends, with David Hennebry knocking over four frees and one from play, while Shane Doyle, Conor Byrne, Enda Minogue and Dylan Dalton chipped in with a point apiece.
Ferns were chiefly reliant of the free-taking of Peter O’Toole in the first-half, but they burst out of the blocks after the interval with a trio of Christopher O’Connor points helping them reduce the deficit.
When O’Connor hit the back of the net in the 42nd minute, after being teed up by O’Toole, it put Ferns ahead for the first time, and with Jeff Tobin (two) and Seán Walsh finding the range they were three to the good with just five minutes remaining (1-15 to 1-12).
Points from Peter Kelly, Graham Parker and David Hennebry (free) wiped out that lead, but Ferns responded through Peter O’Toole (free) and Christopher O’Connor to regain the initiative.
Hennebry then burst forward and rocketed the ball to the net to swing the pendulum back in Ballyhogue’s favour, but it was fitting that O’Connor had the final say with a late leveller.
Ferns St. Aidan’s: Michael Walsh; Peter Nolan, Patrick O’Hagan, Christopher Davitt; Brian O’Neill, Seán Walsh (capt., 0-1), Barry Murphy; P.J. O’Neill, William Bolger; Jeff Tobin (0-2), Peter O’Toole (0-7 frees), Shane Stafford (0-1); Pádraig Kinsella (0-2), Tomás Hawkins, George Warren. Sub. - Christopher O’Connor (1-5) for Hawkins, inj. (25).
Ballyhogue: Seán Ring; Edward Galavan, Fionn Rochford, Eamonn Doyle; Conor Byrne (0-1), Colm Parnell, Nick Doyle; John Kehoe, Shane Doyle (capt., 0-1); Liam Rossiter, Dylan Dalton (0-2), James Parle; Enda Minogue (0-1), Peter Kelly (1-1), David Hennebry (1-7, 0-6 frees). Subs. - Liam Doyle for Kehoe (45), Graham Parker (0-1) for Minogue (50).
Referee: John O’Loughlin (Monageer-Boolavogue).
August 29, Preliminary quarter-final: Bannow/Ballymitty 2-17, Ferns St. Aidans 1-16
A tour-de-force from Cathal Cummins was the key factor in Bannow-Ballymitty advancing into the quarter-finals of the Permanent TSB Junior hurling championship, as his 1-4 from play helped his side to a 2-17 to 1-16 victory over Ferns St. Aidan’s in Sunday’s preliminary quarter-final in O’Kennedy Park, New Ross.
The south county men got off to a bright start as Cummins converted an early free before a clever run inside from Kieran Butler saw him gather a crossfield pass and stitch the net with conviction (1-1 to 0-1).
Cummins added two points from play either side of rebuttals from P.J. O’Neill and Jeff Tobin, while two from Patrick O’Toole (one free) edged Ferns to within 1-3 to 0-5 by the eleventh minute.
O’Toole also hit the post from another free to precede Cummins tapping over at the other end, although O’Toole soon forced parity for what turned out to be the last time through a successful ‘65 and free (1-4 to 0-7).
Garry Morton pointed Bannow-Ballymitty back in front from Mark Wallace’s assist in the 19th minute, with Cummins doubling their lead from another free three minutes later.
And they would hold a 1-8 to 0-10 advantage by half-time as the sides shared four points from play, with Art Sweetman and Cummins seeing efforts cancelled out by Brian Stafford and Pádraig Kinsella.
Bannow-Ballymitty hit three of the first four points on the restart as they started to create some daylight, with Butler blazing over with the goal at his mercy on 40 minutes after being located inside by a wonderful sideline cut by Morton. And star man Cummins soon flighted over effortlessly, and also blasted to the top corner of the dressing-room end goal to make it 2-12 to 0-11 after 43 minutes.
Morton chipped over a superb sideline cut shortly before Stafford hit Ferns’ first point for some twelve minutes (2-14 to 0-12).
Substitute George Warren and O’Toole reeled off successive points for the losers, and they put a more respectable look on the scoreboard three minutes before the end when the latter’s free flew all the way to the net.
Next up for the winners is a tough quarter-final versus Marshalstown-Castledockrell, with Ferns St. Aidan’s taking on Ballyhogue in the relegation series.
Ferns St. Aidan’s: Michael Walsh; Brian O’Neill, Patrick O’Hagan, Peter Nolan; Barry Murphy (0-1), Seán Walsh (capt.), Christopher Davitt; William Bolger, Brian Stafford (0-2); P.J. O’Neill (0-1), Patrick O’Toole (1-9, 1-5 frees, 0-1 ‘65), Jeff Tobin (0-1); Pádraig Kinsella (0-1), Ben Bernie, Tomás Hawkins. Subs. - Anthony Dwyer for Davitt (HT), Jack O’Hagan for Nolan (35), George Warren (0-1) for Tobin (46), Shane Stafford for Hawkins (46), Paddy O’Leary for Bernie (46).
Bannow-Ballymitty: Gary Jordan (0-1 free); Lorcan Breen, John O’Leary, John Mernagh; Seán McCormack, David Currid, John Harpur; Ryan Morris, Mark Wallace (capt.); Garry Morton (0-3, 1 line ball), Richie Walsh, Leon Galvin; Kieran Butler (1-2), Art Sweetman (0-1), Cathal Cummins (1-10, 0-6 frees). Subs. - Jack Donohue for Morris (24), James McCormack for Wallace (52).
Referee: Philip Murphy (Faythe Harriers).
Note on relegation play-off:
Ballyhogue and Monageer-Boolavogue will drop down to the lower Junior ‘A’ grade for 2022 after their defeats in the Permanent TSB Junior hurling championship relegation final double-header in St. Patrick’s Park, Enniscorthy on Sunday.
Ferns St. Aidan’s and Rathnure maintained their status, with two teams required to exit downwards from the grade in order to ensure that the competition will once feature twelve teams next season.
The red and whites led Ballyhogue by the minimum at half-time (0-8 to 0-7), but they built on that after the interval and ended up with four points to spare (1-18 to 2-11).
The loss will come as a big blow to the Enniscorthy District club’s hopes of making progress in the small ball code, given that this is their first team and they only made the move up from Junior ‘A’ ranks in 2019, when they defeated Naomh Eanna by 2-10 to 0-9 in the county final.
