Senior Hurling Championship 2021
August 14: Glynn/Barntown 1-15, Ferns St. Aidans 0-15
Glynn/Barntown became the first team to qualify for the quarter-finals of the Pettitt’s Senior hurling championship in a damp and miserable Chadwicks Wexford Park on Saturday, but that feat was overshadowed completely by the explosive row that unfolded deep into added time.
A minimum of three extra minutes had been announced in this dour Group D battle, but we were into the sixth when Glynn-Barntown attacker Shane Wilde fell victim to the type of challenge from a Ferns St. Aidan’s opponent that has no place in the game.
That was the cue for all hell to break loose, and it didn’t help that the original incident occurred reasonably close to the middle of the stand. Players were invariably drawn towards the baying crowd, and some of the worst scenes occurred when the combatants were pressed against the sideline hoardings which is always a recipe for disaster.
All the while referee Niall McDonald blew continuously on his whistle, and to no avail. What was slightly different about this incident than the usual bust-up was that it appeared to be dying down on a couple of occasions, only to erupt again.
McDonald was assisted by near-side linesman Dan Crosby, and Thomas Furlong who arrived from the opposite flank, along with fourth official Gearóid McGrath.
And when the protagonists finally ran out of the energy to fight, he first showed straight red cards to Glynn-Barntown pair Frankie Hynes and Craig Doyle, before dealing with Ferns and issuing the same sanction to Jonny Dwyer and Ryan Nolan.
With that, he blew for full-time with the stopwatch reading 42 minutes and 4 seconds, after six minutes of mayhem, but it was very disappointing to note that the player who started it all with that sickening challenge on Shane Wilde escaped without so much as a warning. As a neutral onlooker, I found that hard to believe.
McDonald was booed off the field by supporters of both sides, and I reckon that had as much to do with his general handling of the game as his response to the row. He awarded 33 frees throughout, 17 to Glynn-Barntown, and several were of the questionable variety.
In the circumstances, it wasn’t surprising that a placed ball specialist should play such an influential part in the outcome, and that’s where Mark Fanning stepped forward to do his stuff.
The county goalkeeper arrowed over seven frees as well as one ’65 in a near-faultless display, with just one first-half attempt into the breeze falling short. That included six in the second-half when every venture downfield from his goal also had the added bonus of killing some precious seconds.
Ferns St. Aidan’s had shipped a heavy blow when Gavin Bailey, whose right knee was causing him problems, was unable to resume play after the first water break.
Despite that immense loss, and the fact that they trailed by 1-11 to 0-9 at the same stage in the second-half, they really made Glynn-Barntown earn the win with a strong burst of five points on the trot between the 48th and 55th minutes to draw level.
Paul Morris got little room to manoeuvre from the tenacious David Clarke throughout, but he sent two frees over the bar before Tommy Dwyer, Diarmuid Doyle and Chris Turner followed suit, after good work from James Tonks, Jonny Dwyer and Eoin Murphy in the respective build-ups.
Glynn-Barntown needed a calming influence, and it was provided by Fanning who restored their lead from a free inside his own 65-metre line. He had missed some as well as nailing four eight days earlier against St. Martin’s, but on this occasion – when his team’s need was greatest – his finishing was superb.
He did it again after a chop on Rowan White to make it 1-13 to 0-14 in the 59th minute, before Paul Morris missed the target from a scoreable free at the other end.
John Leacy – who has continued where he left off last year with two outstanding performances thus far – stretched on the ground to get a vital touch and set up Shane Wilde to create a three-point gap after Fanning’s puck-out.
Two added minutes had elapsed when Morris pulled one back from play, and Ferns still had hope. The amateur whistlers among the Glynn-Barntown contingent were doing their thing after Fanning closed the scoring following a foul on Gary Moore, with the stopwatch showing 34 minutes and 28 seconds.
Of course, hindsight is wonderful, and Niall McDonald would have done himself a huge favour if he had, indeed, called a halt at that stage.
There was a delay when Darragh Carley was treated for an injury before leaving the field, but not to the extent that demanded so much additional time.
With the rain intensifying during the day, and the pitch cutting up after the Shels versus Anne’s clash earlier, it was no surprise to see scores so hard to come by early on.
John Leacy converted a free after 65 seconds, but the game was in its ninth minute before Mark Fanning doubled Glynn-Barntown’s lead from a ’65 after James Lawlor denied Shane Wilde at his near post.
Paul Morris got Ferns off the mark from a crossfield Benny Jordan pass, but the key score of the half arrived from the subsequent Glynn-Barntown attack.
Gary Moore’s delivery broke off the hand of Gavin Bailey and into the path of John Leacy, who availed of the open ground ahead of him at the Clonard end before planting the sliothar in the net (1-2 to 0-1).
Chris Turner had a chance to hit back, but he had more space than he realised and missed his attempted flick on a lovely pass over the top by captain James Tonks when he could have caught and shot.
It was 1-3 to 0-2 at the water break, and Ferns did well to pare that gap down to 1-5 to 0-7 by half-time, with a mere four of those 13 scores overall arriving from play.
Apart from Leacy’s goal and Fionn Cooney’s point after a Matthew Joyce catch and handpass, plus Ferns points from Morris and Turner, it was an evening when free-takers kept the scoreboard ticking over.
Fanning also foiled Diarmuid Doyle when he went in search of a goal in the 23rd minute, with a follow-up pull by Morris deflected out for a ’65.
Glynn-Barntown’s best sustained spell arrived in the third quarter when they outscored their rivals by 0-6 to 0-2 to drive into a pretty commanding 1-11 to 0-9 lead.
A good catch and kicked clearance by Michael O’Regan led to an early foul on Shane Wilde and the first of another three pointed Fanning frees.
In addition, John Leacy added a brace, with the second coming at the end of a super move in the 42nd minute. It started when Murtagh Joyce emerged with possession from a throw-in, with Leacy swapping passes with Rowan White before splitting the posts.
It was looking good for Glynn-Barntown when Matthew Joyce caught a Leacy delivery and made it 1-11 to 0-9 just before the water break, but Ferns deserve credit for their spirited response before those ugly incidents at the death left both teams with a heavy price to pay in terms of lost personnel for their next matches.
Ferns St. Aidan’s: James Lawlor; John Breen, Conor Scallan, Niall Murphy; Ciarán Roberts, Gavin Bailey, Eoin Murphy; Tommy Dwyer (0-1), Benny Jordan; Chris Turner (0-2), James Tonks (capt., 0-1), Jonny Dwyer; Paul Morris (0-10, 8 frees), Diarmuid Doyle (0-1), Corey Byrne-Dunbar. Subs. – Patrick Breen for Bailey, inj. (16), Ryan Nolan for Scallan, temp. (30+2-HT), Nolan for Byrne-Dunbar (60).
Glynn-Barntown: Mark Fanning (0-8, 7 frees, 1 ’65); Ger Dempsey, Jack Fenlon, David Clarke (capt.); Murtagh Joyce, Michael O’Regan, Craig Doyle; Darragh Carley, Rowan White; Shane Wilde (0-1), John Leacy (1-4, 0-2 frees), Gary Moore; Matthew Joyce (0-1), Fionn Cooney (0-1), Matt Doyle. Subs. – Brendan Doyle for M. Doyle (48), Michael Laffan for Matthew Joyce (60), Frankie Hynes for Carley, inj. (60+4).
Referee: Niall McDonald (Crossabeg-Ballymurn).
August 22: Ferns St. Aidans 3-16, St. Martins 3-15
Young Corey Byrne-Dunbar announced his arrival to the Senior hurling stage with a brace of top-quality first-half goals as Ferns St. Aidan’s held on in a tight and tense finale to deservedly pip St. Martin’s by one point in a lively ending to Group D of the Pettitt’s championship in Chadwicks Wexford Park on Sunday.
The lively corner-forward, a county Minor last year and member of the Under-20 team earlier this summer, hadn’t scored on a quiet debut against Glynn-Barntown, but it was an entirely different story this time around.
He finished with an impressive 2-2 to his name from play, with those well-taken goals in the 22nd and 26th minutes making the world of difference.
If you were told beforehand that Gavin Bailey was out through injury, and a crystal ball then revealed that Paul Morris was destined not to register a score, a victory for Ferns St. Aidan’s would have sounded like a fanciful notion.
And yet, that’s exactly how it unfolded, with their winning tally of 3-16 remarkably shared by a mere four players. Byrne-Dunbar had a willing accomplice in the full-forward line in Diarmuid Doyle, the one-time Marshalstown-Castledockrell player, who was also buzzing and picked off 1-2 from play.
The loss of Bailey was offset to a large degree by the return from injury of the experienced Ian Byrne, who compiled all bar one of his crucial nine-point haul from frees.
That just leaves three points to account for, and they were drilled over by that small man with the giant heart, Benny Jordan, who worked like a Trojan around midfield and offered ample cover to his colleagues in defence when St. Martin’s threatened a late revival.
The saints welcomed back their captain, Joe O’Connor, who missed the Glynn-Barntown game through injury. Ciarán Lyng also successfully appealed against his suspension arising from the straight red card he received in that clash, but he didn’t feature here until the dying stages and made an instant impact.
Indeed, there was a nervy finish for Ferns as they conceded two late goals to substitutes Mikey Coleman and Lyng, but the last of Ian Byrne’s pointed frees in between proved precious in guiding them to the win their overall performance merited.
The sides were level on four occasions early on before Ferns’ young sharpshooters combined for a well-worked goal to push them into a 1-4 to 0-4 lead after twelve minutes.
James Lawlor’s puck-out after a St. Martin’s wide was caught by Corey Byrne-Dunbar, shortly after he had boosted his confidence with a lovely point from tight to the left sideline.
He spotted the run of Diarmuid Doyle and the full-forward gathered his pass at full pace, making further ground on a solo before giving Dylan Byrne no chance to make a save (1-4 to 0-4).
Ferns almost added a second goal just before the water break, as a long Lawlor free broke close to the opposing goal and Benny Jordan flicked it a matter of inches over rather than under the bar.
Joe Coleman (free) and Diarmuid O’Leary pulled back two points early in the second quarter, but a nightmare spell followed for St. Martin’s as they conceded 2-3 without reply in under seven minutes.
The space they afforded to the Ferns inside line was staggering, with first Eoin O’Leary and then Ben Maddock struggling to deal with the huge threat posed by Byrne-Dunbar in particular.
An Ian Byrne free was followed by the second goal for the Gorey District men, as he won the break from another Lawlor puck-out and handpassed inside to Byrne-Dunbar who shook off Maddock before driving the sliothar to the net for a 2-6 to 0-6 lead.
Ferns were flying at this stage, and Byrne knocked over two more frees before their ace number 15 pounced again in the 26th minute. This time Chris Turner supplied the pass, with Byrne-Dunbar turning inside Philip Dempsey before firing past Dylan Byrne to leave his side with an eleven-point advantage (3-8 to 0-6).
Fortunately for St. Martin’s, they managed to eat into that lead with an unanswered 1-3 before the interval, because their rivals may well have been completely out of sight otherwise.
They replied to that third Ferns goal inside 90 seconds, with Conor Coleman netting from a Jack O’Connor pass, and Joe Coleman added three pointed frees to narrow the gap to 3-8 to 1-9 at half-time.
Interestingly, all seven frees awarded to St. Martin’s in that first-half were within scoring range, and Coleman boasted a one hundred per cent which was just as well given his side’s general difficulties.
Matty Kinnaird was the second Rapparees clubman to make his Senior refereeing debut after Eamonn Furlong earlier in the day, and he too ought to be well pleased with his first major test at this demanding level.
Coleman did surprisingly miss a handy-looking free early in the second-half, with Ferns shading the third quarter scoring by 0-4 to 0-3 to lead by 3-12 to 1-12 at the water break.
Benny Jordan pointed from a Paul Morris handpass, while Corey Byrne-Dunbar brought his tally to 2-2 with a lovely over-the-shoulder effort before Diarmuid Doyle fired over a beauty from the left flank.
Jack O’Connor, Rory O’Connor and Joe Coleman (free) had kept St. Martin’s ticking over, but the last word before the water break went to Jordan after John Breen made a vital interception seconds beforehand.
Conor Coleman went close to doubling his goal tally when the action resumed, only for the combined bravery of Rory Scallan and James Lawlor to deny him twice in quick succession.
It would prove a key incident, although Ferns were still looking good after the first six points of that final quarter were shared. Three Ian Byrne frees were matched by the O’Connor trio of Jack, Rory, and their first cousin, Joe, leaving St. Martin’s chasing a 3-15 to 1-15 deficit in the 57th minute.
Moments later, two cousins combined, with an all-Coleman passing movement of Conor to Mikey, back to Conor and then finally once more to Mikey who applied the finish to cut the gap to three.
Mikey looked menacing on the next attack too, only to be penalised for over-carrying, and then the introduction of Ciarán Lyng caught many by surprise as his name wasn’t on the programme and neutrals as well as Ferns folk would have assumed he was suspended.
There was more than a fair share of late drama after his arrival, as he first ended up in the net but the sliothar itself went left and wide after a long St. Martin’s free 60 seconds into the four added minutes.
Ian Byrne went on to send over a priceless final free, because Lyng did beat James Lawlor from the puck-out that followed.
Rory O’Connor doubled on it and Joe Coleman supplied the pass for the wily attacker to rattle the net, but the full-time whistle was blown on the restart to leave Ferns second and St. Martin’s third on the table.
Ferns St. Aidan’s: James Lawlor; John Breen, Niall Murphy, Rory Scallan; Patrick Breen, Conor Scallan, Eoin Murphy; Tommy Dwyer, Benny Jordan (0-3); Chris Turner, Paul Morris, Ian Byrne (0-9, 8 frees); James Tonks (capt.), Diarmuid Doyle (1-2), Corey Byrne-Dunbar (2-2).
St. Martin’s: Dylan Byrne; Eoin O’Leary, Ben Maddock, Philip Dempsey; Daithí Waters, Conor Firman, Patrick O’Connor; Jack O’Connor (0-2), Luke Kavanagh; Diarmuid O’Leary (0-1), Joe Coleman (0-8 frees), Joe O’Connor (capt., 0-1); Conor Coleman (1-0), Rory O’Connor (0-3), Darren Codd. Subs. – Jack Devereux for Firman, inj. (38), Mikey Coleman (1-0) for D. O’Leary (44), Ciarán Lyng (1-0) for Kavanagh (59).
Referee: Matty Kinnaird (Rapparees).
August 28, Preliminary quarter-final: Ferns St. Aidans 2-29, Fethard 1-30 (after extra time)
Championship hurling at its exhilarating and electrifying best was served up in Chadwicks Wexford Park on Saturday, with Ferns St. Aidan’s rescuing a potential lost cause late on to force extra-time before edging past Fethard in this gripping Pettitt’s-sponsored preliminary quarter-final.
This game had so many talking points and thrilling moments that it’s difficult to pinpoint the best place to start, but the closing stages of the regulation 60 minutes are as good a spot as any.
After leading by 1-10 to 0-11 at half-time, Fethard were clear by 1-14 to 0-13 at the water break and still looking good even when Ian Byrne pulled back a pointed free to leave 14-man Ferns trailing by 1-17 to 0-18 with under two minutes of normal time remaining.
And when the inspiring Garrett Foley caught the puck-out and split the posts, Ferns – who had lost Niall Murphy to a second yellow in the 41st minute - were staring a dreaded relegation play-off in the face.
And it got worse before it got better for the Gorey District men, as talented teenager Cian Byrne nailed a ’65 to make it 1-19 to 0-18. In hindsight, the save made by James Lawlor seconds beforehand – denying Mikie Dwyer who cut in from the right and bore down on goal after receiving a Graham O’Grady pass – was of immense importance to the winners.
Two extra minutes were announced, and anyone relying solely on the stadium clock for guidance would have been thrown by the fact that it didn’t stop, as is the norm, for the second water break.
Almost 60 seconds of that time had elapsed when Diarmuid Doyle was fouled, and Ian Byrne stepped up to face seven men on the line. Only a goal would suffice, and his strike from inside the ‘D’ saw the net bulge to leave the minimum between them.
There was more to come from Byrne, as he proved his side’s saviour with the equaliser. Diarmuid Doyle’s long ball was batted out by Seán Foley, with Byrne claiming it to the right of the Clonard end posts and firing over under pressure with the stopwatch reading 32 minutes and twelve seconds.
There was still a chance for Fethard to win it, after Garrett Foley was fouled between his own 45- and 65-metre lines. Young Cian Byrne had to endure a long wait before taking the free, as referee Niall McDonald was called to the town end goal by his umpires and ended up booking a Ferns defender.
Byrne’s valiant effort flew narrowly to the wrong side of the left-hand post, and full-time duly arrived after 34 minutes and 50 seconds (1-19 each).
There was no let-up in drama in the first added period, with the scores coming with such a frequency that twelve were added – 1-4 for a Ferns side restored to 15 again with the addition of Ryan Nolan as sweeper, and 0-7 for their equally determined opponents.
Diarmuid Doyle gave his side the lead for the first time since the sixth minute, only for Cian Byrne to equalise from a free before the Dwyer brothers came into their own, with Mikie and Ciarán (two) posting points of a high quality to leave Fethard ahead by 1-23 to 1-20.
Influential substitute Jonny Dwyer pulled one back directly from the puck-out, and a replacement who made an even bigger impact then stepped forward to punish a Fethard error.
Christopher O’Connor only made his return to hurling with the Juniors six days earlier, scoring 1-5 off the bench against Ballyhogue.
And this time around his haul of 1-3 was even more precious, especially the goal that will haunt the St. Mogue’s men in the days to come.
Darren Foley had been a most reliable sweeper throughout, but one stray handpass from him in front of his own posts was seized upon by Diarmuid Doyle, who in turn picked out the diminutive but deadly ‘Bitzy’ for a pulled goal to put Ferns ahead by 2-21 to 1-23.
Fethard still remained defiant, with Cian Byrne (play and free) posting points before O’Connor and Corey Byrne-Dunbar matched his efforts at the other end.
It was gripping stuff, and still impossible to predict after a solo score from Mikie Dwyer just before the extra-time interval made it 1-26 to 2-23.
Diarmuid Doyle and O’Connor nailed two vital points for Ferns on the restart, but Dwyer replied with a brace before Tommy Dwyer and Ian Byrne (free) restored that two-point margin.
Four extra minutes were announced, after a long delay when Dylan Whelan was treated for cramp, and it was almost halfway through that spell when Garrett Foley reduced the gap to the minimum.
Chris Turner was very influential near the end for Ferns, and he hit back with a point before starting a move that also featured Diarmuid Doyle, ending with Ian Byrne making it 2-29 to 1-29.
Substitute Adam Swan hit the last point for Fethard, but they needed more at that stage and ran out of time to create another opening.
It was a cruel game for either team to lose, and the second week running for Ferns to come out on the right side of a really top-quality encounter, after their previous victory over St. Martin’s.
The two opposing Byrnes, Ian (Ferns) and Cian (Fethard), both registered 1-13 apiece, while it was remarkable to note that a player of the quality of Paul Morris didn’t score for the second game running.
That was largely down to the excellent marking work of Daire Barden and later Richie Waters, along with the eagerness of the Fethard collective as they hunted relentlessly in packs and displayed a savage workrate.
At one point in the second-half, there was a sequence of quickfire plays where Ferns were blocked repeatedly around their own 45-metre line, and it typified the spirit coursing through the losers’ veins.
County footballer John Tubritt was simply magnificent in midfield, and Garrett Foley was a willing accomplice beside him, but that only makes the Ferns feat in saving the day and then going on to win it all the more praiseworthy.
Already without injured county man Gavin Bailey, they lost another defender arising from Rory Scallan’s midweek dismissal in the Under-20 final loss to Buffers Alley.
It left them seriously depleted, but the little man with number 29 on his back, ‘Bitzy’ O’Connor, showed that he still has so much to offer at this level and underlined why he has been one of the deadliest opportunists in Wexford for a decade and more.
Ferns had started well, with Chris Turner, Ian Byrne (free) and Corey Byrne-Dunbar posting points before a long-range response from Garrett Foley was followed by a quality individual goal for Fethard.
Cian Byrne beat Ciarán Roberts in the left corner and darted across before finishing directly off his stick and beating James Lawlor from close range (1-1 to 0-3).
Ferns did draw level once, at 1-3 to 0-6, but the seasiders were narrowly in front at the water break (1-6 to 0-8) after Joe Sutton, Mikie (two) and Ciarán Dwyer plus John Tubritt added points.
The sides were deadlocked twice again in the second quarter, but late points from Tubritt and Byrne (free) left Fethard ahead by 1-10 to 0-11 at half-time.
Netminder Seán Foley had kept out a Diarmuid Doyle shot from a tight angle in between, while it was the turn of the leaders to miss a goal chance midway through the third quarter when Bryan Power’s effort was smothered after a block and handpass inside by Tubritt.
The initiative looked to be firmly with Fethard when Ferns full-back Niall Murphy received his second yellow card of the half in the 41st minute for stopping Cian Byrne in his tracks, with the teenager slotting over the free to make it 1-13 to 0-12.
The gap fluctuated between three and four points for a long spell thereafter, narrowing to two for the first time when ‘Bitzy’ registered his opener in the 56th minute (1-16 to 0-17).
Cian and Ian Byrne exchanged points from frees, with Garrett Foley and the former (’65) going on to make it 1-19 to 0-18 for Fethard before Ferns performed their late heroics.
It was super stuff to the neutral eye, after an insipid encounter between St. Anne’s and Oulart-The Ballagh earlier in the day, and fair play to both teams for providing such memorable entertainment.
Ferns St. Aidan’s: James Lawlor; Ciarán Roberts, Niall Murphy, John Breen (0-1); Patrick Breen, Conor Scallan, Eoin Murphy; Tommy Dwyer (0-1), Benny Jordan; Ian Byrne (1-13, 1-9 frees), Paul Morris, Chris Turner (0-2); James Tonks (0-1), Diarmuid Doyle (0-3), Corey Byrne-Dunbar (0-3). Subs. – Jonny Dwyer (0-2, 1 line ball) for Jordan (HT), Christopher O’Connor (1-3) for Tonks (47), Ryan Nolan 15th man for extra-time, Tonks for Roberts (69).
Fethard: Seán Foley; Daniel Mullan, Richie Waters, Dylan Whelan (0-1); Joe Sutton (0-1), Daire Barden (capt.), Jimmy Sutton; John Tubritt (0-2), Garrett Foley (0-3); Ciarán Dwyer (0-3), Mikie Dwyer (0-6), Graham O’Grady; Darren Foley, Bryan Power, Cian Byrne (1-13, 0-11 frees, 0-1 ’65). Subs. – Mark Wallace for Power (52), Power for O’Grady (HT ET), Adam Swan (0-1) for Whelan, inj. (74), O’Grady for Joe Sutton, temp. (80-FT).
Referee: Niall McDonald (Crossabeg-Ballymurn).
September 4, quarter-final: Rapparees 2-21, Ferns St. Aidans 1-21
THE TIMING of Oisín Pepper’s opportunist 52nd-minute goal was absolutely priceless for Rapparees in Chadwicks Wexford Park on Saturday, when they advanced to a fourth Pettitt’s Senior hurling championship semi-final in five years with a narrow victory over near neighbours Ferns St. Aidan’s in a lively and entertaining tussle.
The red and whites had been purring like a well-oiled machine since the water break, reeling off four points on the trot to leave their Enniscorthy town rivals clinging to a 1-19 to 1-18 lead but looking vulnerable.
‘Bitzy’ O’Connor had pointed with his first touch after being sprung from the bench, before Jonny Dwyer’s handpass teed up Corey Byrne-Dunbar for another score.
And that smooth Ferns rhythm continued as Byrne-Dunbar fed Diarmuid Doyle for a point directly from the puck-out, before the biggest inspiration of all when substitute Benny Jordan landed the third of his excellent scores from the left half-back position.
The momentum was firmly on the Ferns side, although it faltered somewhat when Chris Turner dropped a shot short before Jordan and Tommy Dwyer posted wides.
Still, Rapparees needed a big moment to regain control, and it arrived to end that barren spell lasting almost eight minutes when they were clearly struggling.
Netminder Anthony Larkin advanced from goal to deliver a long free around the town end square, and when it broke at the feet of Oisín Pepper he did the instinctive thing by pulling first-time into the left corner of the net (2-19 to 1-18).
The winning and losing of the game was essentially wrapped up in that score, although a lot of hurling remained and the Rapps were in no position to relax until the final whistle.
Paul Morris pulled back a point – his fourth of the evening – and, having made note of his failure to score in the previous two games, it should be noted that his confidence appeared to be back and that was a pleasing sight on an otherwise disappointing evening for Ferns.
Nick Doyle caught the puck-out that followed and supplied the pass for Lenny Connolly to also pick off his fourth point, but an Ian Byrne free left a goal between them again before knee injury victim Gavin Bailey was sprung from the Ferns bench.
He took up a position in the attack rather than his normal centre-back role, availing of a poor Rapps clearance to register a point in his first involvement (2-20 to 1-21).
And they had subsequent chances to draw level, as goalkeeper James Lawlor struck a wide after advancing to his own ’45 before Ian Byrne was off target from a long-range free.
At a time when their full focus needed to be on the field, some of their mentors became involved in a sideline spat with fourth official Gearóid McGrath that hardly helped their cause.
And the four added minutes yielded just one score – a Tomás Mahon free driven high and handsome between the town end posts after the veteran intercepted a poorly-directed Ferns line ball and was fouled.
Rapparees went into this game with an injury doubt hanging over Liam Ryan, although he survived for the full hour, while they welcomed back Alan Tobin after his one-game suspension.
Along with Bailey’s inability to start, Ferns were also without the suspended Rory Scallan for the second successive weekend. With Rapparees deploying their usual formation – Tommy ‘Tucker’ Foley dropping back immediately as a seventh defender to leave Lenny Connolly and Oisín Pepper forming a two-man inside attacking line – that left Ferns full-back Niall Murphy in a non-marking role in front of his own goal.
Rapps captain Kevin Foley needed only seven seconds to register the first point, and they set up at the back with Anthony Roche on Corey Byrne-Dunbar, Dillon Redmond marking Paul Morris, and James Peare shadowing Chris Turner.
Ian Byrne levelled from a free before Foley sent a sweet line ball between the posts from under the stand. And although Ryan Mahon made it 0-3 to 0-1 from a free, Ferns hit the front in the fifth minute with a route one goal.
James Lawlor’s long puck-out was gathered by Diarmuid Doyle to the left of the posts, and he dodged his way beyond Liam Ryan and Tommy Foley before Anthony Larkin got something on his shot but couldn’t prevent it from crossing the line (1-1 to 0-3).
The sides were on level terms on a further three occasions in that opening quarter, although when Kevin Foley made it 0-6 to 1-3 in the tenth minute, it was the first of four points in a row for the Rapps as Oisín Pepper, Ryan Mahon and the impressive Ben Edwards also obliged.
Ferns narrowed the gap back to two before the water break, courtesy of Paul Morris and Ian Byrne (free), but Rapparees were the superior side in the second quarter and outscored the opposition by 0-7 to 0-4 to go in at the break with a 0-16 to 1-9 advantage.
The leaders’ last three points in that spell were all recorded by Lenny Connolly, after Ryan Mahon (two frees), Jack Kelly and Oisín Pepper had earlier obliged, while Jonny Dwyer, Ian Byrne (free), Corey Byrne-Dunbar and Paul Morris kept Ferns in touch.
There was one contentious moment on the stroke of half-time, and it angered the Ferns contingent. Benny Jordan delivered a long ball that went to the right and wide, but Paul Morris ended on the ground and the question was: had he been the victim of a third-man tackle?
Referee Justin Heffernan spent a long time in discussion with umpires John O’Brien and Pat Curran before deciding that there was nothing in the challenge, and instead blew his whistle for half-time. However, that incident was remembered in the frosty reception he received from the losers’ supporters after the match.
Although Jack Kelly posted his second point after 22 seconds on the restart, Ferns were the marginally better side over the first twelve minutes.
Ryan Mahon scored the 18th Rapps point from a free, but that was sandwiched by two beforehand from the inspired Benny Jordan and Diarmuid Doyle, plus a brace afterwards via Jordan and Paul Morris.
It meant that the Rapps were faltering somewhat but – in a carbon copy of what would follow when Pepper netted – they also claimed their opening goal at the ideal time to stop that slide.
Alan Tobin’s strong running from midfield was a feature throughout, and he was both the creator and finisher in the 43rd minute.
He passed to Pepper whose shot was saved by James Lawlor, but Tobin followed through and tucked away the rebound to make it 1-18 to 1-13.
Chris Turner and Tobin swapped points before the water break, and then the Rapps endured another rocky patch and conceded four on the bounce before Oisín Pepper stepped up to put Declan Ruth’s charges back on course for the semi-final draw.
Ferns St. Aidan’s: James Lawlor; John Breen, Niall Murphy, Ciarán Roberts; Eoin Murphy, Conor Scallan, Patrick Breen; Jonny Dwyer (0-1), Tommy Dwyer; Paul Morris (0-4), Ian Byrne (0-5 frees), Chris Turner (0-2); James Tonks (capt.), Diarmuid Doyle (1-2), Corey Byrne-Dunbar (0-2). Subs. – Benny Jordan (0-3) for Roberts (27), Christopher O’Connor (0-1) for Tonks (46), Gavin Bailey (0-1) for Doyle (56), Ryan Nolan for Turner (60+2).
Rapparees: Anthony Larkin; Anthony Roche, Liam Ryan, Ben Edwards (0-1); James Peare (0-1), Jack Kelly (0-2), Dillon Redmond; Kevin Foley (capt., 0-3, 1 line ball), Alan Tobin (1-2); Ricky Fox, Ryan Mahon (0-5, 4 frees), Nick Doyle; Lenny Connolly (0-4), Tommy Foley, Oisín Pepper (1-2). Subs. – Kevin Ryan for Fox (43), Tomás Mahon (0-1 free) for R. Mahon (49), Oran Carty for Pepper (54), Nathan O’Connor for Redmond (60).
Referee: Justin Heffernan (Blackwater).
Glynn/Barntown became the first team to qualify for the quarter-finals of the Pettitt’s Senior hurling championship in a damp and miserable Chadwicks Wexford Park on Saturday, but that feat was overshadowed completely by the explosive row that unfolded deep into added time.
A minimum of three extra minutes had been announced in this dour Group D battle, but we were into the sixth when Glynn-Barntown attacker Shane Wilde fell victim to the type of challenge from a Ferns St. Aidan’s opponent that has no place in the game.
That was the cue for all hell to break loose, and it didn’t help that the original incident occurred reasonably close to the middle of the stand. Players were invariably drawn towards the baying crowd, and some of the worst scenes occurred when the combatants were pressed against the sideline hoardings which is always a recipe for disaster.
All the while referee Niall McDonald blew continuously on his whistle, and to no avail. What was slightly different about this incident than the usual bust-up was that it appeared to be dying down on a couple of occasions, only to erupt again.
McDonald was assisted by near-side linesman Dan Crosby, and Thomas Furlong who arrived from the opposite flank, along with fourth official Gearóid McGrath.
And when the protagonists finally ran out of the energy to fight, he first showed straight red cards to Glynn-Barntown pair Frankie Hynes and Craig Doyle, before dealing with Ferns and issuing the same sanction to Jonny Dwyer and Ryan Nolan.
With that, he blew for full-time with the stopwatch reading 42 minutes and 4 seconds, after six minutes of mayhem, but it was very disappointing to note that the player who started it all with that sickening challenge on Shane Wilde escaped without so much as a warning. As a neutral onlooker, I found that hard to believe.
McDonald was booed off the field by supporters of both sides, and I reckon that had as much to do with his general handling of the game as his response to the row. He awarded 33 frees throughout, 17 to Glynn-Barntown, and several were of the questionable variety.
In the circumstances, it wasn’t surprising that a placed ball specialist should play such an influential part in the outcome, and that’s where Mark Fanning stepped forward to do his stuff.
The county goalkeeper arrowed over seven frees as well as one ’65 in a near-faultless display, with just one first-half attempt into the breeze falling short. That included six in the second-half when every venture downfield from his goal also had the added bonus of killing some precious seconds.
Ferns St. Aidan’s had shipped a heavy blow when Gavin Bailey, whose right knee was causing him problems, was unable to resume play after the first water break.
Despite that immense loss, and the fact that they trailed by 1-11 to 0-9 at the same stage in the second-half, they really made Glynn-Barntown earn the win with a strong burst of five points on the trot between the 48th and 55th minutes to draw level.
Paul Morris got little room to manoeuvre from the tenacious David Clarke throughout, but he sent two frees over the bar before Tommy Dwyer, Diarmuid Doyle and Chris Turner followed suit, after good work from James Tonks, Jonny Dwyer and Eoin Murphy in the respective build-ups.
Glynn-Barntown needed a calming influence, and it was provided by Fanning who restored their lead from a free inside his own 65-metre line. He had missed some as well as nailing four eight days earlier against St. Martin’s, but on this occasion – when his team’s need was greatest – his finishing was superb.
He did it again after a chop on Rowan White to make it 1-13 to 0-14 in the 59th minute, before Paul Morris missed the target from a scoreable free at the other end.
John Leacy – who has continued where he left off last year with two outstanding performances thus far – stretched on the ground to get a vital touch and set up Shane Wilde to create a three-point gap after Fanning’s puck-out.
Two added minutes had elapsed when Morris pulled one back from play, and Ferns still had hope. The amateur whistlers among the Glynn-Barntown contingent were doing their thing after Fanning closed the scoring following a foul on Gary Moore, with the stopwatch showing 34 minutes and 28 seconds.
Of course, hindsight is wonderful, and Niall McDonald would have done himself a huge favour if he had, indeed, called a halt at that stage.
There was a delay when Darragh Carley was treated for an injury before leaving the field, but not to the extent that demanded so much additional time.
With the rain intensifying during the day, and the pitch cutting up after the Shels versus Anne’s clash earlier, it was no surprise to see scores so hard to come by early on.
John Leacy converted a free after 65 seconds, but the game was in its ninth minute before Mark Fanning doubled Glynn-Barntown’s lead from a ’65 after James Lawlor denied Shane Wilde at his near post.
Paul Morris got Ferns off the mark from a crossfield Benny Jordan pass, but the key score of the half arrived from the subsequent Glynn-Barntown attack.
Gary Moore’s delivery broke off the hand of Gavin Bailey and into the path of John Leacy, who availed of the open ground ahead of him at the Clonard end before planting the sliothar in the net (1-2 to 0-1).
Chris Turner had a chance to hit back, but he had more space than he realised and missed his attempted flick on a lovely pass over the top by captain James Tonks when he could have caught and shot.
It was 1-3 to 0-2 at the water break, and Ferns did well to pare that gap down to 1-5 to 0-7 by half-time, with a mere four of those 13 scores overall arriving from play.
Apart from Leacy’s goal and Fionn Cooney’s point after a Matthew Joyce catch and handpass, plus Ferns points from Morris and Turner, it was an evening when free-takers kept the scoreboard ticking over.
Fanning also foiled Diarmuid Doyle when he went in search of a goal in the 23rd minute, with a follow-up pull by Morris deflected out for a ’65.
Glynn-Barntown’s best sustained spell arrived in the third quarter when they outscored their rivals by 0-6 to 0-2 to drive into a pretty commanding 1-11 to 0-9 lead.
A good catch and kicked clearance by Michael O’Regan led to an early foul on Shane Wilde and the first of another three pointed Fanning frees.
In addition, John Leacy added a brace, with the second coming at the end of a super move in the 42nd minute. It started when Murtagh Joyce emerged with possession from a throw-in, with Leacy swapping passes with Rowan White before splitting the posts.
It was looking good for Glynn-Barntown when Matthew Joyce caught a Leacy delivery and made it 1-11 to 0-9 just before the water break, but Ferns deserve credit for their spirited response before those ugly incidents at the death left both teams with a heavy price to pay in terms of lost personnel for their next matches.
Ferns St. Aidan’s: James Lawlor; John Breen, Conor Scallan, Niall Murphy; Ciarán Roberts, Gavin Bailey, Eoin Murphy; Tommy Dwyer (0-1), Benny Jordan; Chris Turner (0-2), James Tonks (capt., 0-1), Jonny Dwyer; Paul Morris (0-10, 8 frees), Diarmuid Doyle (0-1), Corey Byrne-Dunbar. Subs. – Patrick Breen for Bailey, inj. (16), Ryan Nolan for Scallan, temp. (30+2-HT), Nolan for Byrne-Dunbar (60).
Glynn-Barntown: Mark Fanning (0-8, 7 frees, 1 ’65); Ger Dempsey, Jack Fenlon, David Clarke (capt.); Murtagh Joyce, Michael O’Regan, Craig Doyle; Darragh Carley, Rowan White; Shane Wilde (0-1), John Leacy (1-4, 0-2 frees), Gary Moore; Matthew Joyce (0-1), Fionn Cooney (0-1), Matt Doyle. Subs. – Brendan Doyle for M. Doyle (48), Michael Laffan for Matthew Joyce (60), Frankie Hynes for Carley, inj. (60+4).
Referee: Niall McDonald (Crossabeg-Ballymurn).
August 22: Ferns St. Aidans 3-16, St. Martins 3-15
Young Corey Byrne-Dunbar announced his arrival to the Senior hurling stage with a brace of top-quality first-half goals as Ferns St. Aidan’s held on in a tight and tense finale to deservedly pip St. Martin’s by one point in a lively ending to Group D of the Pettitt’s championship in Chadwicks Wexford Park on Sunday.
The lively corner-forward, a county Minor last year and member of the Under-20 team earlier this summer, hadn’t scored on a quiet debut against Glynn-Barntown, but it was an entirely different story this time around.
He finished with an impressive 2-2 to his name from play, with those well-taken goals in the 22nd and 26th minutes making the world of difference.
If you were told beforehand that Gavin Bailey was out through injury, and a crystal ball then revealed that Paul Morris was destined not to register a score, a victory for Ferns St. Aidan’s would have sounded like a fanciful notion.
And yet, that’s exactly how it unfolded, with their winning tally of 3-16 remarkably shared by a mere four players. Byrne-Dunbar had a willing accomplice in the full-forward line in Diarmuid Doyle, the one-time Marshalstown-Castledockrell player, who was also buzzing and picked off 1-2 from play.
The loss of Bailey was offset to a large degree by the return from injury of the experienced Ian Byrne, who compiled all bar one of his crucial nine-point haul from frees.
That just leaves three points to account for, and they were drilled over by that small man with the giant heart, Benny Jordan, who worked like a Trojan around midfield and offered ample cover to his colleagues in defence when St. Martin’s threatened a late revival.
The saints welcomed back their captain, Joe O’Connor, who missed the Glynn-Barntown game through injury. Ciarán Lyng also successfully appealed against his suspension arising from the straight red card he received in that clash, but he didn’t feature here until the dying stages and made an instant impact.
Indeed, there was a nervy finish for Ferns as they conceded two late goals to substitutes Mikey Coleman and Lyng, but the last of Ian Byrne’s pointed frees in between proved precious in guiding them to the win their overall performance merited.
The sides were level on four occasions early on before Ferns’ young sharpshooters combined for a well-worked goal to push them into a 1-4 to 0-4 lead after twelve minutes.
James Lawlor’s puck-out after a St. Martin’s wide was caught by Corey Byrne-Dunbar, shortly after he had boosted his confidence with a lovely point from tight to the left sideline.
He spotted the run of Diarmuid Doyle and the full-forward gathered his pass at full pace, making further ground on a solo before giving Dylan Byrne no chance to make a save (1-4 to 0-4).
Ferns almost added a second goal just before the water break, as a long Lawlor free broke close to the opposing goal and Benny Jordan flicked it a matter of inches over rather than under the bar.
Joe Coleman (free) and Diarmuid O’Leary pulled back two points early in the second quarter, but a nightmare spell followed for St. Martin’s as they conceded 2-3 without reply in under seven minutes.
The space they afforded to the Ferns inside line was staggering, with first Eoin O’Leary and then Ben Maddock struggling to deal with the huge threat posed by Byrne-Dunbar in particular.
An Ian Byrne free was followed by the second goal for the Gorey District men, as he won the break from another Lawlor puck-out and handpassed inside to Byrne-Dunbar who shook off Maddock before driving the sliothar to the net for a 2-6 to 0-6 lead.
Ferns were flying at this stage, and Byrne knocked over two more frees before their ace number 15 pounced again in the 26th minute. This time Chris Turner supplied the pass, with Byrne-Dunbar turning inside Philip Dempsey before firing past Dylan Byrne to leave his side with an eleven-point advantage (3-8 to 0-6).
Fortunately for St. Martin’s, they managed to eat into that lead with an unanswered 1-3 before the interval, because their rivals may well have been completely out of sight otherwise.
They replied to that third Ferns goal inside 90 seconds, with Conor Coleman netting from a Jack O’Connor pass, and Joe Coleman added three pointed frees to narrow the gap to 3-8 to 1-9 at half-time.
Interestingly, all seven frees awarded to St. Martin’s in that first-half were within scoring range, and Coleman boasted a one hundred per cent which was just as well given his side’s general difficulties.
Matty Kinnaird was the second Rapparees clubman to make his Senior refereeing debut after Eamonn Furlong earlier in the day, and he too ought to be well pleased with his first major test at this demanding level.
Coleman did surprisingly miss a handy-looking free early in the second-half, with Ferns shading the third quarter scoring by 0-4 to 0-3 to lead by 3-12 to 1-12 at the water break.
Benny Jordan pointed from a Paul Morris handpass, while Corey Byrne-Dunbar brought his tally to 2-2 with a lovely over-the-shoulder effort before Diarmuid Doyle fired over a beauty from the left flank.
Jack O’Connor, Rory O’Connor and Joe Coleman (free) had kept St. Martin’s ticking over, but the last word before the water break went to Jordan after John Breen made a vital interception seconds beforehand.
Conor Coleman went close to doubling his goal tally when the action resumed, only for the combined bravery of Rory Scallan and James Lawlor to deny him twice in quick succession.
It would prove a key incident, although Ferns were still looking good after the first six points of that final quarter were shared. Three Ian Byrne frees were matched by the O’Connor trio of Jack, Rory, and their first cousin, Joe, leaving St. Martin’s chasing a 3-15 to 1-15 deficit in the 57th minute.
Moments later, two cousins combined, with an all-Coleman passing movement of Conor to Mikey, back to Conor and then finally once more to Mikey who applied the finish to cut the gap to three.
Mikey looked menacing on the next attack too, only to be penalised for over-carrying, and then the introduction of Ciarán Lyng caught many by surprise as his name wasn’t on the programme and neutrals as well as Ferns folk would have assumed he was suspended.
There was more than a fair share of late drama after his arrival, as he first ended up in the net but the sliothar itself went left and wide after a long St. Martin’s free 60 seconds into the four added minutes.
Ian Byrne went on to send over a priceless final free, because Lyng did beat James Lawlor from the puck-out that followed.
Rory O’Connor doubled on it and Joe Coleman supplied the pass for the wily attacker to rattle the net, but the full-time whistle was blown on the restart to leave Ferns second and St. Martin’s third on the table.
Ferns St. Aidan’s: James Lawlor; John Breen, Niall Murphy, Rory Scallan; Patrick Breen, Conor Scallan, Eoin Murphy; Tommy Dwyer, Benny Jordan (0-3); Chris Turner, Paul Morris, Ian Byrne (0-9, 8 frees); James Tonks (capt.), Diarmuid Doyle (1-2), Corey Byrne-Dunbar (2-2).
St. Martin’s: Dylan Byrne; Eoin O’Leary, Ben Maddock, Philip Dempsey; Daithí Waters, Conor Firman, Patrick O’Connor; Jack O’Connor (0-2), Luke Kavanagh; Diarmuid O’Leary (0-1), Joe Coleman (0-8 frees), Joe O’Connor (capt., 0-1); Conor Coleman (1-0), Rory O’Connor (0-3), Darren Codd. Subs. – Jack Devereux for Firman, inj. (38), Mikey Coleman (1-0) for D. O’Leary (44), Ciarán Lyng (1-0) for Kavanagh (59).
Referee: Matty Kinnaird (Rapparees).
August 28, Preliminary quarter-final: Ferns St. Aidans 2-29, Fethard 1-30 (after extra time)
Championship hurling at its exhilarating and electrifying best was served up in Chadwicks Wexford Park on Saturday, with Ferns St. Aidan’s rescuing a potential lost cause late on to force extra-time before edging past Fethard in this gripping Pettitt’s-sponsored preliminary quarter-final.
This game had so many talking points and thrilling moments that it’s difficult to pinpoint the best place to start, but the closing stages of the regulation 60 minutes are as good a spot as any.
After leading by 1-10 to 0-11 at half-time, Fethard were clear by 1-14 to 0-13 at the water break and still looking good even when Ian Byrne pulled back a pointed free to leave 14-man Ferns trailing by 1-17 to 0-18 with under two minutes of normal time remaining.
And when the inspiring Garrett Foley caught the puck-out and split the posts, Ferns – who had lost Niall Murphy to a second yellow in the 41st minute - were staring a dreaded relegation play-off in the face.
And it got worse before it got better for the Gorey District men, as talented teenager Cian Byrne nailed a ’65 to make it 1-19 to 0-18. In hindsight, the save made by James Lawlor seconds beforehand – denying Mikie Dwyer who cut in from the right and bore down on goal after receiving a Graham O’Grady pass – was of immense importance to the winners.
Two extra minutes were announced, and anyone relying solely on the stadium clock for guidance would have been thrown by the fact that it didn’t stop, as is the norm, for the second water break.
Almost 60 seconds of that time had elapsed when Diarmuid Doyle was fouled, and Ian Byrne stepped up to face seven men on the line. Only a goal would suffice, and his strike from inside the ‘D’ saw the net bulge to leave the minimum between them.
There was more to come from Byrne, as he proved his side’s saviour with the equaliser. Diarmuid Doyle’s long ball was batted out by Seán Foley, with Byrne claiming it to the right of the Clonard end posts and firing over under pressure with the stopwatch reading 32 minutes and twelve seconds.
There was still a chance for Fethard to win it, after Garrett Foley was fouled between his own 45- and 65-metre lines. Young Cian Byrne had to endure a long wait before taking the free, as referee Niall McDonald was called to the town end goal by his umpires and ended up booking a Ferns defender.
Byrne’s valiant effort flew narrowly to the wrong side of the left-hand post, and full-time duly arrived after 34 minutes and 50 seconds (1-19 each).
There was no let-up in drama in the first added period, with the scores coming with such a frequency that twelve were added – 1-4 for a Ferns side restored to 15 again with the addition of Ryan Nolan as sweeper, and 0-7 for their equally determined opponents.
Diarmuid Doyle gave his side the lead for the first time since the sixth minute, only for Cian Byrne to equalise from a free before the Dwyer brothers came into their own, with Mikie and Ciarán (two) posting points of a high quality to leave Fethard ahead by 1-23 to 1-20.
Influential substitute Jonny Dwyer pulled one back directly from the puck-out, and a replacement who made an even bigger impact then stepped forward to punish a Fethard error.
Christopher O’Connor only made his return to hurling with the Juniors six days earlier, scoring 1-5 off the bench against Ballyhogue.
And this time around his haul of 1-3 was even more precious, especially the goal that will haunt the St. Mogue’s men in the days to come.
Darren Foley had been a most reliable sweeper throughout, but one stray handpass from him in front of his own posts was seized upon by Diarmuid Doyle, who in turn picked out the diminutive but deadly ‘Bitzy’ for a pulled goal to put Ferns ahead by 2-21 to 1-23.
Fethard still remained defiant, with Cian Byrne (play and free) posting points before O’Connor and Corey Byrne-Dunbar matched his efforts at the other end.
It was gripping stuff, and still impossible to predict after a solo score from Mikie Dwyer just before the extra-time interval made it 1-26 to 2-23.
Diarmuid Doyle and O’Connor nailed two vital points for Ferns on the restart, but Dwyer replied with a brace before Tommy Dwyer and Ian Byrne (free) restored that two-point margin.
Four extra minutes were announced, after a long delay when Dylan Whelan was treated for cramp, and it was almost halfway through that spell when Garrett Foley reduced the gap to the minimum.
Chris Turner was very influential near the end for Ferns, and he hit back with a point before starting a move that also featured Diarmuid Doyle, ending with Ian Byrne making it 2-29 to 1-29.
Substitute Adam Swan hit the last point for Fethard, but they needed more at that stage and ran out of time to create another opening.
It was a cruel game for either team to lose, and the second week running for Ferns to come out on the right side of a really top-quality encounter, after their previous victory over St. Martin’s.
The two opposing Byrnes, Ian (Ferns) and Cian (Fethard), both registered 1-13 apiece, while it was remarkable to note that a player of the quality of Paul Morris didn’t score for the second game running.
That was largely down to the excellent marking work of Daire Barden and later Richie Waters, along with the eagerness of the Fethard collective as they hunted relentlessly in packs and displayed a savage workrate.
At one point in the second-half, there was a sequence of quickfire plays where Ferns were blocked repeatedly around their own 45-metre line, and it typified the spirit coursing through the losers’ veins.
County footballer John Tubritt was simply magnificent in midfield, and Garrett Foley was a willing accomplice beside him, but that only makes the Ferns feat in saving the day and then going on to win it all the more praiseworthy.
Already without injured county man Gavin Bailey, they lost another defender arising from Rory Scallan’s midweek dismissal in the Under-20 final loss to Buffers Alley.
It left them seriously depleted, but the little man with number 29 on his back, ‘Bitzy’ O’Connor, showed that he still has so much to offer at this level and underlined why he has been one of the deadliest opportunists in Wexford for a decade and more.
Ferns had started well, with Chris Turner, Ian Byrne (free) and Corey Byrne-Dunbar posting points before a long-range response from Garrett Foley was followed by a quality individual goal for Fethard.
Cian Byrne beat Ciarán Roberts in the left corner and darted across before finishing directly off his stick and beating James Lawlor from close range (1-1 to 0-3).
Ferns did draw level once, at 1-3 to 0-6, but the seasiders were narrowly in front at the water break (1-6 to 0-8) after Joe Sutton, Mikie (two) and Ciarán Dwyer plus John Tubritt added points.
The sides were deadlocked twice again in the second quarter, but late points from Tubritt and Byrne (free) left Fethard ahead by 1-10 to 0-11 at half-time.
Netminder Seán Foley had kept out a Diarmuid Doyle shot from a tight angle in between, while it was the turn of the leaders to miss a goal chance midway through the third quarter when Bryan Power’s effort was smothered after a block and handpass inside by Tubritt.
The initiative looked to be firmly with Fethard when Ferns full-back Niall Murphy received his second yellow card of the half in the 41st minute for stopping Cian Byrne in his tracks, with the teenager slotting over the free to make it 1-13 to 0-12.
The gap fluctuated between three and four points for a long spell thereafter, narrowing to two for the first time when ‘Bitzy’ registered his opener in the 56th minute (1-16 to 0-17).
Cian and Ian Byrne exchanged points from frees, with Garrett Foley and the former (’65) going on to make it 1-19 to 0-18 for Fethard before Ferns performed their late heroics.
It was super stuff to the neutral eye, after an insipid encounter between St. Anne’s and Oulart-The Ballagh earlier in the day, and fair play to both teams for providing such memorable entertainment.
Ferns St. Aidan’s: James Lawlor; Ciarán Roberts, Niall Murphy, John Breen (0-1); Patrick Breen, Conor Scallan, Eoin Murphy; Tommy Dwyer (0-1), Benny Jordan; Ian Byrne (1-13, 1-9 frees), Paul Morris, Chris Turner (0-2); James Tonks (0-1), Diarmuid Doyle (0-3), Corey Byrne-Dunbar (0-3). Subs. – Jonny Dwyer (0-2, 1 line ball) for Jordan (HT), Christopher O’Connor (1-3) for Tonks (47), Ryan Nolan 15th man for extra-time, Tonks for Roberts (69).
Fethard: Seán Foley; Daniel Mullan, Richie Waters, Dylan Whelan (0-1); Joe Sutton (0-1), Daire Barden (capt.), Jimmy Sutton; John Tubritt (0-2), Garrett Foley (0-3); Ciarán Dwyer (0-3), Mikie Dwyer (0-6), Graham O’Grady; Darren Foley, Bryan Power, Cian Byrne (1-13, 0-11 frees, 0-1 ’65). Subs. – Mark Wallace for Power (52), Power for O’Grady (HT ET), Adam Swan (0-1) for Whelan, inj. (74), O’Grady for Joe Sutton, temp. (80-FT).
Referee: Niall McDonald (Crossabeg-Ballymurn).
September 4, quarter-final: Rapparees 2-21, Ferns St. Aidans 1-21
THE TIMING of Oisín Pepper’s opportunist 52nd-minute goal was absolutely priceless for Rapparees in Chadwicks Wexford Park on Saturday, when they advanced to a fourth Pettitt’s Senior hurling championship semi-final in five years with a narrow victory over near neighbours Ferns St. Aidan’s in a lively and entertaining tussle.
The red and whites had been purring like a well-oiled machine since the water break, reeling off four points on the trot to leave their Enniscorthy town rivals clinging to a 1-19 to 1-18 lead but looking vulnerable.
‘Bitzy’ O’Connor had pointed with his first touch after being sprung from the bench, before Jonny Dwyer’s handpass teed up Corey Byrne-Dunbar for another score.
And that smooth Ferns rhythm continued as Byrne-Dunbar fed Diarmuid Doyle for a point directly from the puck-out, before the biggest inspiration of all when substitute Benny Jordan landed the third of his excellent scores from the left half-back position.
The momentum was firmly on the Ferns side, although it faltered somewhat when Chris Turner dropped a shot short before Jordan and Tommy Dwyer posted wides.
Still, Rapparees needed a big moment to regain control, and it arrived to end that barren spell lasting almost eight minutes when they were clearly struggling.
Netminder Anthony Larkin advanced from goal to deliver a long free around the town end square, and when it broke at the feet of Oisín Pepper he did the instinctive thing by pulling first-time into the left corner of the net (2-19 to 1-18).
The winning and losing of the game was essentially wrapped up in that score, although a lot of hurling remained and the Rapps were in no position to relax until the final whistle.
Paul Morris pulled back a point – his fourth of the evening – and, having made note of his failure to score in the previous two games, it should be noted that his confidence appeared to be back and that was a pleasing sight on an otherwise disappointing evening for Ferns.
Nick Doyle caught the puck-out that followed and supplied the pass for Lenny Connolly to also pick off his fourth point, but an Ian Byrne free left a goal between them again before knee injury victim Gavin Bailey was sprung from the Ferns bench.
He took up a position in the attack rather than his normal centre-back role, availing of a poor Rapps clearance to register a point in his first involvement (2-20 to 1-21).
And they had subsequent chances to draw level, as goalkeeper James Lawlor struck a wide after advancing to his own ’45 before Ian Byrne was off target from a long-range free.
At a time when their full focus needed to be on the field, some of their mentors became involved in a sideline spat with fourth official Gearóid McGrath that hardly helped their cause.
And the four added minutes yielded just one score – a Tomás Mahon free driven high and handsome between the town end posts after the veteran intercepted a poorly-directed Ferns line ball and was fouled.
Rapparees went into this game with an injury doubt hanging over Liam Ryan, although he survived for the full hour, while they welcomed back Alan Tobin after his one-game suspension.
Along with Bailey’s inability to start, Ferns were also without the suspended Rory Scallan for the second successive weekend. With Rapparees deploying their usual formation – Tommy ‘Tucker’ Foley dropping back immediately as a seventh defender to leave Lenny Connolly and Oisín Pepper forming a two-man inside attacking line – that left Ferns full-back Niall Murphy in a non-marking role in front of his own goal.
Rapps captain Kevin Foley needed only seven seconds to register the first point, and they set up at the back with Anthony Roche on Corey Byrne-Dunbar, Dillon Redmond marking Paul Morris, and James Peare shadowing Chris Turner.
Ian Byrne levelled from a free before Foley sent a sweet line ball between the posts from under the stand. And although Ryan Mahon made it 0-3 to 0-1 from a free, Ferns hit the front in the fifth minute with a route one goal.
James Lawlor’s long puck-out was gathered by Diarmuid Doyle to the left of the posts, and he dodged his way beyond Liam Ryan and Tommy Foley before Anthony Larkin got something on his shot but couldn’t prevent it from crossing the line (1-1 to 0-3).
The sides were on level terms on a further three occasions in that opening quarter, although when Kevin Foley made it 0-6 to 1-3 in the tenth minute, it was the first of four points in a row for the Rapps as Oisín Pepper, Ryan Mahon and the impressive Ben Edwards also obliged.
Ferns narrowed the gap back to two before the water break, courtesy of Paul Morris and Ian Byrne (free), but Rapparees were the superior side in the second quarter and outscored the opposition by 0-7 to 0-4 to go in at the break with a 0-16 to 1-9 advantage.
The leaders’ last three points in that spell were all recorded by Lenny Connolly, after Ryan Mahon (two frees), Jack Kelly and Oisín Pepper had earlier obliged, while Jonny Dwyer, Ian Byrne (free), Corey Byrne-Dunbar and Paul Morris kept Ferns in touch.
There was one contentious moment on the stroke of half-time, and it angered the Ferns contingent. Benny Jordan delivered a long ball that went to the right and wide, but Paul Morris ended on the ground and the question was: had he been the victim of a third-man tackle?
Referee Justin Heffernan spent a long time in discussion with umpires John O’Brien and Pat Curran before deciding that there was nothing in the challenge, and instead blew his whistle for half-time. However, that incident was remembered in the frosty reception he received from the losers’ supporters after the match.
Although Jack Kelly posted his second point after 22 seconds on the restart, Ferns were the marginally better side over the first twelve minutes.
Ryan Mahon scored the 18th Rapps point from a free, but that was sandwiched by two beforehand from the inspired Benny Jordan and Diarmuid Doyle, plus a brace afterwards via Jordan and Paul Morris.
It meant that the Rapps were faltering somewhat but – in a carbon copy of what would follow when Pepper netted – they also claimed their opening goal at the ideal time to stop that slide.
Alan Tobin’s strong running from midfield was a feature throughout, and he was both the creator and finisher in the 43rd minute.
He passed to Pepper whose shot was saved by James Lawlor, but Tobin followed through and tucked away the rebound to make it 1-18 to 1-13.
Chris Turner and Tobin swapped points before the water break, and then the Rapps endured another rocky patch and conceded four on the bounce before Oisín Pepper stepped up to put Declan Ruth’s charges back on course for the semi-final draw.
Ferns St. Aidan’s: James Lawlor; John Breen, Niall Murphy, Ciarán Roberts; Eoin Murphy, Conor Scallan, Patrick Breen; Jonny Dwyer (0-1), Tommy Dwyer; Paul Morris (0-4), Ian Byrne (0-5 frees), Chris Turner (0-2); James Tonks (capt.), Diarmuid Doyle (1-2), Corey Byrne-Dunbar (0-2). Subs. – Benny Jordan (0-3) for Roberts (27), Christopher O’Connor (0-1) for Tonks (46), Gavin Bailey (0-1) for Doyle (56), Ryan Nolan for Turner (60+2).
Rapparees: Anthony Larkin; Anthony Roche, Liam Ryan, Ben Edwards (0-1); James Peare (0-1), Jack Kelly (0-2), Dillon Redmond; Kevin Foley (capt., 0-3, 1 line ball), Alan Tobin (1-2); Ricky Fox, Ryan Mahon (0-5, 4 frees), Nick Doyle; Lenny Connolly (0-4), Tommy Foley, Oisín Pepper (1-2). Subs. – Kevin Ryan for Fox (43), Tomás Mahon (0-1 free) for R. Mahon (49), Oran Carty for Pepper (54), Nathan O’Connor for Redmond (60).
Referee: Justin Heffernan (Blackwater).
