Senior Hurling Championship 2022
June 28: Ferns St. Aidans 1-17, Oylegate-Glenbrien 0-11
Paul Morris produced a masterclass and dangerman Diarmuid Doyle struck for a crucial goal as Ferns St. Aidans saw off the Oylegate-Glenbrien challenge in this opening round Pettitt’s Senior Hurling Championship tie in St. Patrick’s Park on Tuesday evening.
Morris scored three good points but was even more notable in how he was at the heart of almost all good things Ferns did, popping up at different times in positions all over the field. Meanwhile, Doyle’s goal came in the first minute of the second half, extending the Ferns advantage to four points from an interval lead of just 0-8 to 0-7, and really setting them on the way to victory.
Oylegate-Glenbrien had to field without Shane Reck due to a positive Covid diagnosis, with Peter Rowley filling in for him at midfield. Brother Damien performed well from his centre-back position though, while up front, they had enough firepower to stay in touch for much of the game. Jamie Reck had perhaps the pick of their opening period scores with a sharp point on ten minutes, while up front, Podge Doran had a right old battle with his marker Niall Murphy all evening long, but finally got the better of him in first half injury time to shoot a good point.
Truthfully though, the Ferns men always had the edge, and they created four clearcut goal chances in that first half, while Oylegate-Glenbrien failed to create any. Doyle was at the heart of two of them in the space of two minutes. The first saw his ground shot saved and then him being bundled over as he chased in the rebound. His come-uppance was even more unceremonious the second time round, as his run towards goal was halted by a nasty chop which saw a yellow card being brandished to an Oylegate-Glenbrien defender – who, incidentally, many felt was not the man actually at fault.
Doyle finally got his reward just after the break when a good ball from Jonny Dwyer found him in space on the left wing, and he raced through to plant the ball in the net. Ferns followed up over the next ten minutes with three points from Ian Byrne placed balls (two frees, one ‘65’), but Oylegate-Glenbrien stayed in touch, thanks to points from Séamus Casey (free), substitute Barry Dunne (two – one from play, one ‘65’), and a good long-range effort from Jack Reck, so that the goal was all that separated the sides on the three-quarter hour mark (1-11 to 0-11).
Ferns finished by far the stronger though, scoring six points in the remainder of the game, and keeping their opponents scoreless. Two of those six were trademark flamboyant scores from substitute Brendan Jordan, and overall, they were good value for their victory, with the only sour note for them coming when Eoin Murphy was dismissed on a second yellow card after 55 minutes.
The game was preceded by a minute’s silence in memory of the late Tom Guinan, a great Ferns clubman who was laid to rest on the day before the game. He would have been proud of their performance.
Ferns St. Aidans: James Lawlor; Patrick Breen, Niall Murphy, Declan Byrne; Ryan Nolan (0-1), Eoin Murphy, Ciarán Roberts; Tommy Dwyer, Rory Scallan; Jonny Dwyer (0-1), Ian Byrne (0-8, 7f, 1 ’65’), Chris Turner; Corey Byrne Dunbar (0-2), Paul Morris (0-3), Diarmuid Doyle (1-1). Subs: Brendan Jordan (0-2) for J. Dwyer (41 mins); James Tonks for N. Murphy (temp., 44-46 mins); Christopher O’Connor for Doyle (47 mins); James Tonks for T. Dwyer (54 mins); Conor Scallan for Turner (58 mins).
Oylegate-Glenbrien: Aaron Duggan; Tomás Cosgrave, Mick Heffernan, Paidí Casey; Ciarán Hourihane, Damien Reck, Mike Kelly; Peter Rowley, Mark Kavanagh; Jim White (0-1), Séamus Casey (0-2), Jack Reck (0-1); Jamie Reck (0-2), Podge Doran (0-1), Fergal Doran (0-2). Subs: Barry Dunne (0-2, 1 ‘65’) for Kavanagh (37 mins); Evan Kelly for Rowley (inj., 49 mins).
July 3: Ferns St. Aidans 2-16, Rapparees 1-16
FERNS ST. Aidans announced themselves as live contenders for the Pettitt’s Senior hurling championship when they defeated Rapparees by 2-16 to 1-16 in Sunday’s keenly-contested second round Group B tussle at a packed Páirc Uí Shíochaín, Gorey.
They looked in considerable peril at half-time, trailing by 1-10 to 0-5 after Kevin Foley pulled home the rebound from Ryan Mahon’s penalty a minute into injury time.
But it’s no exaggeration to say that Ferns dominated proceedings thereafter, with the central spine of Niall and Eoin Murphy thundering into the game along with influential substitute James Tonks.
And special mention must go to wing-back Ciarán Roberts who, despite giving a few inches to Nick Doyle in height, completely nullified him from general play.
The second-half performance must be of some concern to the defending champions. They will need to produce the goods over the hour if they want to defend their crown, and they must be disappointed with the overall return from their forwards, with Foley and Ricky Fox the only two from the starting sextet to find the target.
Fox only needed 15 seconds to open the scoring, with Ryan Mahon adding two frees as Rapparees quietly built a 0-3 to nil lead after eight minutes.
Ian Byrne was a rock-steady presence over frees for Ferns all evening, and he knocked over his first after eleven minutes, only for Mahon to respond with a similar score after a questionable steps call against Ferns.
Jack Kelly struck over a wonderful point soon after to make it 0-5 to 0-1, and that was the first of four points from Rapparees’ half-back line in the first-half alone.
His defensive colleagues James Peare and Ben Edwards followed suit, with Foley also driving over from a tight angle as their lead stretched to 0-8 to 0-2.
Kelly and Fox traded points with Byrne and Chris Turner before Foley was fouled in the square for a penalty. Mahon had his attempt well saved by James Lawlor, but Foley was on hand to sweep the loose ball to the net.
Ferns responded with the first three points after the break, including one from Tonks after some good work from Niall Murphy.
Ryan Mahon struck back with a free to make it 1-11 to 0-8, but change was in the air as Byrne followed with two frees after a foul on Diarmuid Doyle and a throw from Nick Doyle.
Mahon found himself in an ocean of space to float over his first from play, but goalkeeper James Lawlor soon got his name on the scoresheet with an effort from distance.
Mahon hit his second point to make it 1-13 to 0-12, but momentum shifted towards Ferns when Byrne fetched a hopeful ball and was fouled in the square.
He buried the subsequent penalty and also followed up with a point to level proceedings with nine minutes to go.
Foley gave the Rapps the lead one last time, but Ferns finished in style as Roberts and Byrne (free) found the range before substitute Christopher ‘Bitzy’ O’Connor beat goalkeeper Anthony Larkin to the dropping ball for the game-clinching goal.
They faced almost six minutes of injury time to hang on, with Mahon knocking over another free, only for county star Paul Morris to seal the contest with his sole score.
Up next for Rapparees is a tough game versus Shelmaliers on Friday, while Ferns take on win-less Rathnure.
Ferns St. Aidans: James Lawlor (0-1); Declan Byrne (capt.), Niall Murphy, Ryan Nolan; Patrick Breen, Eoin Murphy, Ciarán Roberts (0-1); Tommy Dwyer, Rory Scallan; Corey Byrne-Dunbar, Chris Turner (0-1), Jonny Dwyer; Paul Morris (0-1), Diarmuid Doyle, Ian Byrne (1-11, 0-8 frees, 1-0 pen.). Subs. - Christopher O’Connor (1-0) for J. Dwyer (HT), James Tonks (0-1) for Nolan (HT), Benny Jordan for T. Dwyer (50).
Rapparees: Anthony Larkin; Anthony Roche, Liam Ryan, Dillon Redmond; James Peare (0-1), Ben Edwards (0-1), Jack Kelly (0-2); Ryan Mahon (0-8, 6 frees), Alan Tobin; Ricky Fox (0-2), Kevin Foley (capt., 1-2), Nick Doyle; Lenny Connolly, Oisín Pepper, Tommy Foley. Subs. - Darragh Pepper for O. Pepper (45), Dylan McVeigh for Tobin (45), Óran Carty for Fox (57).
Referee: Niall McDonald (Crossabeg-Ballymurn).
July 9: Ferns St. Aidans 2-25, Rathnure St. Anne’s 2-19
COREY BYRNE-DUNBAR punctuated Saturday’s clash with the pivotal goals which swept Ferns St. Aidans to a fifth successive quarter-final as they completed a third victory on the bounce when thwarting battling Rathnure in this third round Pettitt’s Senior hurling championship Group B clash in O’Kennedy Park, New Ross.
Successive defeats placed added importance on the result from a Rathnure perspective and, after a slow start, Mick O’Leary’s charges got themselves right in the mix, transforming a 0-5 to 0-1 deficit into a 0-10 to 0-9 lead before being stung by teenager Byrne-Dunbar’s first goal.
And just after Michael Redmond brought Rathnure back within 1-16 to 1-13 when netting on 39 minutes, Byrne-Dunbar was threaded through by Rory Scallan to power home and leave Pat Bennett’s men soaring towards maintaining their involvement in the business end of the campaign ever since having visited the relegation decider in 2017.
Rathnure, meanwhile, simply must beat Oylegate-Glenbrien next weekend in an increasingly important fixture for both sides. Rathnure face Shelmaliers in the closing round and Oylegate-Glenbrien are up against Rapparees as they both fight with Shelmaliers to try to make the cut.
The black and ambers’ designs on a first championship success over Ferns in six attempts – stretching back to a round four meeting in 2012 – seemed to be unfurling after seven minutes as Ferns raced 0-5 to 0-1 clear with the aid of pairs from both Byrne-Dunbar and Paul Morris.
Rathnure had changed things up a bit to try to make things happen, including placing regular full-back Eoin Boggan at centre-forward.
And they eventually caught fire to transform matters by 0-8 to 0-7 after 18 minutes, with Boggan hitting the lead score after the Redmond brothers, Jack (four) and Michael (two), had spearheaded their surge.
The plot thickened though as despite Ferns regaining control by 0-9 to 0-8 through Diarmuid Doyle and Conor Scallan, Rathnure got back in front by 0-10 to 0-9 after 22 minutes with a quick brace from Shane Lawlor.
However, Ferns netted for a lead three minutes later which they wouldn’t lose. A turnover around midfield led to Jonny Dwyer finding Paul Morris whose delivery broke inside where Byrne-Dunbar peeled away from his marker to find the dressing-room end net, and a couple of Ian Byrne frees and one from play by Dwyer contributed towards a 1-12 to 0-11 surge at half-time.
Rathnure regained composure to get themselves right in the mix at 1-16 to 1-13 on 39 minutes when Ciarán O’Connor delivered a cross which substitute Seán O’Connor scooped up as Michael Redmond darted through for a morale-boosting goal.
However, and crucially, Ferns boasted the far superior scoring quality, and they immediately struck back with points from Paul Morris and Byrne-Dunbar before the latter was sent haring through the centre as Rory Scallan handpassed inside.
Byrne-Dunbar gathered in space on the edge of the ‘D’ before arrowing a clinical finish that left a sobering sense overwhelming the fixture (2-18 to 1-13).
Rathnure clearly didn’t see it that way as they tried to somehow salvage things, and Shane Lawlor forced a smart save from his namesake between the Ferns sticks, James, when the gap was standing at 2-20 to 1-16 entering the last ten minutes of normal-time.
Lawlor returned with some vengeance on 59 minutes when cutting in from the right and seeing his initial attempt parried. Seán O’Connor let rip on the breaking ball which was blocked before Lawlor tucked home to close to within 2-23 to 2-18.
And with four minutes of added-time still to go, Rathnure couldn’t exactly be ruled out. However, Ferns St. Aidans simply had the required response whenever needed as the 2013 finalists continue to warm nicely into this 2022 chase.
Ferns St. Aidans: James Lawlor; James Tonks, Niall Murphy, Declan Byrne; Patrick Breen, Eoin Murphy, Conor Scallan (0-1); Tommy Dwyer, Rory Scallan; Chris Turner (0-2), Paul Morris (0-4), Jonny Dwyer (0-3); Corey Byrne-Dunbar (2-6), Ian Byrne (0-6, 5 frees, 1 ’65), Diarmuid Doyle (0-2). Subs. – Christopher O’Connor (0-1) for Doyle (HT), Benny Jordan for T. Dwyer (43), Ciarán Roberts for C. Scallan (43), Ryan Nolan for Tonks (46), Doyle for O’Connor, inj. (54).
Rathnure: Dermot Flynn; Ciarán Doyle-Maher, Stephen Martin, Paddy Whiteley; Aidan Redmond, A.J. Redmond (0-1 ’65), Eoin Higgins; Micheál O’Connor, Eamon Wickham; Shane Lawlor (1-2), Eoin Boggan (0-1), Ciarán O’Connor; Owen Lennon, Michael Redmond (1-4), Jack Redmond (0-10, 3 frees). Subs. – Seán O’Connor for Lennon, inj. (24), James Tobin for Boggan (43), Conor Somers for M. Redmond (49), Michael Martin (0-1) for Doyle-Maher (55).
Referee: Seán Whelan (St. Martin’s).
July 17: Shelmaliers 1-27, Ferns St. Aidans 3-15
Shelmaliers recovered from gifting Ferns St. Aidans a couple of particularly preventable goals to haul themselves to a precious victory in Sunday’s fourth round Pettitt’s Senior hurling championship Group B showdown in sizzling Bellefield.
A third successive defeat would have left two-time champions Shelmaliers under severe pressure to make the cut with Rathnure to come next weekend.
But Vinny Parker’s charges brought their greater will to the exchanges as they out-hurled a Ferns collective which wasn’t quite humming as they had done in the course of sweeping to three straight victories and qualification.
Yet, Ferns were right in the mix for a long way largely owing to some charitable Shelmaliers defending which provided the Gorey District contenders with their second and third goals.
Shelmaliers actually posed the earliest goal danger, with James Cash forcing a ‘65 which Paul Hearne pointed after three minutes in the course of clawing their way to a 0-5 to 0-3 advantage.
Joe Kelly forced another smart save from Ferns netminder James Lawlor, with Hearne making it a double-scores margin from the resultant ‘65 in the eleventh minute.
But Shelmaliers were rocked when the puck-out translated into a route-one goal, as Diarmuid Doyle gathered and lashed a stinger which struck off the ‘keeper’s body onto the right upright before pinging in across the goal-line to level at 1-3 to 0-6.
Shelmaliers were demonstrating the greater urgency as they bounced back into a 0-10 to 1-3 lead courtesy of Joe Kelly, Paul Hearne (two frees) and Ross Banville.
However, despite such fine work in the sapping conditions, the black and ambers were stung again when Corey Byrne-Dunbar fed Benny Jordan in the right corner, from where the latter worked enough space to deliver a cross that Diarmuid Doyle banged home after ghosting in at the far post to cut the gap to 0-10 to 2-3.
And the sides shared the next six points before Ferns cheered the most gift-wrapped of goals – with the Shelmaliers’ ‘keeper going out to the left of his goal to seek out a pass from the opposite corner, only for the poorly measured delivery to be latched upon by Ian Byrne as he nabbed a 3-6 to 0-13 transformation after 25 minutes.
Shelmaliers merit credit for never allowing such sucker-punches to deflate them, and they eventually balanced matters on 1-15 to 3-9 at half-time when Conor Hearne made no mistake as he was sent through by Seán Keane-Carroll to bag the equalising goal.
Paul Hearne (free) and Ross Banville helped Shelmaliers edge ahead by 1-17 to 3-10 on the resumption before Ian Byrne’s third of the half for Ferns (his second free on the trot) had them shading it by 3-12 to 1-17 after 42 minutes.
Then came the decisive surge, with five Shelmaliers scores without interruption from Eoin Doyle, Simon Donohoe (two), Joe Kelly and Paul Hearne shifting the pendulum back towards a vital black and amber victory (1-22 to 3-12).
Corey Byrne-Dunbar with his first after being picked out from a free by substitute Tommy Dwyer, and two more Ian Byrne submissions (one free), kept Ferns in with a shout after 59 minutes (1-23 to 3-15).
But a fourth score from ever-adventurous defender Simon Donohoe – and he used such liberty wisely here – together with frees from Joe Kelly and Paul Hearne helped safeguard a crucial victory as Shelmaliers keep themselves in the frame to make it a sixth campaign on the trot to make the business-end of the hurling chase.
Ferns St. Aidans: James Lawlor; Patrick Breen (0-1), Niall Murphy (capt.), Conor Scallan; James Tonks, Eoin Murphy, Ciarán Roberts; Rory Scallan, Benny Jordan (0-2); Ian Byrne (1-10, 6 frees, 1 ‘65), Chris Turner (0-1), Corey Byrne-Dunbar (0-1); Paul Morris, Diarmuid Doyle (2-0), Jonny Dwyer. Subs. – Ryan Nolan for Morris, inj. (HT), Tommy Dwyer for J. Dwyer (51), John Breen for Byrne-Dunbar (59).
Shelmaliers: Adam Howlin; Aidan Cash (0-1), Brian Malone, Jody Donohoe; Glen Malone, Simon Donohoe (0-5), Eoin Doyle (0-1); Conor Hearne (1-1), Ciarán O’Shaughnessy; Seán Keane-Carroll, Aaron Murphy, James Cash; Ross Banville (0-4), Joe Kelly (0-6, 1 free), Paul Hearne (0-9, 4 frees, 2 ‘65s). Subs. – Dylan O’Neill for J. Cash (39), Cian Doyle for Murphy (57), Luke Roche for P. Hearne, inj. (60).
Referee: John O’Loughlin (Monageer-Boolavogue).
July 24: Ferns St. Aidans 3-16, St. Martin’s 2-19
ST. MARTIN’S and Ferns St. Aidans shared the spoils in an entertaining clash in Group B of the Pettitt’s Senior hurling championship in O’Kennedy Park, New Ross on Sunday.
With neither team guaranteed safe passage to the knockout stages before throw-in, the point apiece, along with other results going in favour of St. Martin’s, ensured that both sides made it safely through to the quarter-finals.
It’s hard to argue that a draw wasn’t the fair result in this tie. In general, the game ebbed and flowed and, like a boxing match, when one side would land a punch, the other would quickly retaliate and produce one of their own.
Ferns were far sharper out of the blocks and arguably could have made the St. Martin’s task almost insurmountable had they been slightly more clinical in the opening ten minutes.
Former county player Ian Byrne and the wily Benny Jordan got their points tally moving either side of a Ryan Nolan rocket off the crossbar as they dominated the early exchanges.
The fast start continued in the sixth minute. Byrne surprisingly fired his free low, only for it to be batted away, but he soon regained possession and made no mistake with his second effort, firing past Dylan Byrne in the St. Martin’s goal.
Byrne capped off an impressive opening ten minutes with another point to push Ferns into a 1-3 to nil lead.
St. Martin’s gradually kicked into gear and found some rhythm after their opening score in the eleventh minute through Jack O’Connor.
They followed up with five more points in just six minutes. Joe Barrett, David Codd and Jack Devereux all found the target, while the reliable Joe Coleman pointed twice from dead balls.
Jonny Dwyer had scored for Ferns during this mini Martin’s renaissance, and it was soon their turn to have another spell of supremacy. A Byrne double and a Diarmuid Doyle single extended their lead back to four by the 28th minute (1-7 to 0-6).
Importantly, St. Martin’s closed out the half well. Coleman, O’Connor and Kyle Firman added points in the final moments to reduce the deficit again.
Whatever was said at half-time worked a treat for the Piercestown and Murrintown outfit. Mikey Coleman had the ball in the net just 15 seconds after the restart after a great turn and run.
Coleman, Luke Kavanagh and O’Connor fired over soon after to turn the tie on its head (1-12 to 1-8).
As quickly as they went behind, Ferns brought it back level. Byrne capitalised on a parried shot from Doyle to pull into the net before Doyle himself pointed moments later.
Goals continued to fly in. Kyle Firman finished into the bottom left having been fed by Mikey Coleman, and Joe Coleman and Jack O’Connor pointed either side of this goal to give St. Martin’s another sizeable cushion (2-14 to 2-9).
It was at this point that the leaders looked to have settled into a comfortable advantage. They exchanged a few points with Ferns but tried to keep them at arm’s length.
Joe Coleman and Kyle Firman kept St. Martin’s ticking over, but bit by bit Byrne began to reel them back in with a fine display of sharpshooting.
The lead eventually changed hands again with six minutes left to play, when substitute Christopher O’Connor pulled into the net after a fantastic John Breen catch (3-15 to 2-16).
St. Martin’s dug in and scored three in a row through Zac and Kyle Firman along with Joe Coleman, only to be denied victory with the last puck of the game from Ferns talisman Byrne.
St. Martin’s will face neighbours St. Anne’s on Saturday at 5 p.m. while Ferns St. Aidans will meet Glynn-Barntown on Monday at the same time, with both quarter-finals in Chadwicks Wexford Park.
Ferns St. Aidans: James Lawlor; Conor Scallan, Niall Murphy, Declan Byrne; Patrick Breen, Eoin Murphy, James Tonks; Ciarán Roberts, Rory Scallan; Chris Turner, Ian Byrne (2-9, 0-6 frees), Jonny Dwyer (0-1); Diarmuid Doyle (0-3), Ryan Nolan, Benny Jordan (0-2). Subs. - Christopher O’Connor (1-1) for Roberts (41), John Breen for Doyle (43).
St. Martin’s: Dylan Byrne; Joe Barrett (0-1), Patrick O’Connor, Philip Dempsey; Diarmuid O’Leary, Conor Firman, Jake Firman; Mark Maloney, Luke Kavanagh (0-1); David Codd (0-1), Jack O’Connor (0-4), Mikey Coleman (1-0); Jack Devereux (0-1), Kyle Firman (1-3), Joe Coleman (0-7, 5 frees). Subs. - Zac Firman (0-1) for M. Coleman (52), Daithí Waters for Devereux (54).
Referee: Dan Crosby (Kilmore).
August 1, quarter-final: Ferns St. Aidans 2-18, Glynn-Barntown 1-14
THE ONLY team to beat Rapparees in the current campaign will get another crack at them in the semi-final after Ferns St. Aidan’s turned in a very solid performance to end Glynn-Barntown’s interest in the Pettitt’s Senior hurling championship by a seven-point margin as the rain teemed down in Chadwicks Wexford Park on Monday.
In the process they overturned last season’s one-goal group stage loss to the Wexford District side in a fractious tie at the same venue, and their success was certainly fully merited on this occasion.
They had left themselves with the best possible chance when they went in at half-time with a slender 1-8 to 0-10 advantage after facing the elements first.
And while they caused some anxious moments for their supporters by striking six of their ten wides in the third quarter, the introduction of skilful veteran Benny Jordan settled the team as he rifled over three sweet points and daylight finally appeared between the sides.
It was clear that dogged hard work would get the job done in a truly miserable setting weather-wise, and the Ferns men approached that task with relish as they now bid to atone for last year’s quarter-final exit to the Rapps.
Paul Morris looked like he was going to completely dominate in the early stages, scoring two of the first five Ferns points as well as having a direct hand in the other three.
And although his influence gradually faded, the most consistent performers for the winners were smack bang in the middle of their defence.
The forceful Eoin Murphy attacked the greasy ball with a welcome relish from centre-back, and most of what went in over his head to the full-forward line was dealt with in an equally capable manner by the impressive Niall Murphy who was very strong in the tackle.
Glynn-Barntown’s bid to reach a third semi-final on the trot was given a lifeline when Rowan White appeared to get his stick to a head-high John Leacy free that zipped in around the danger zone in the 57th minute, reducing the deficit they faced to 1-16 to 1-13.
Ian Byrne went on to put his body in the way of a Craig Doyle shot at the Clonard end, and his next involvement saw him earn and convert a free that left four between them and leave Ferns within touching distance of progress.
They had been the better team without a shadow of doubt, and the outcome was finally put to bed at the start of the three additional minutes when a point-scoring effort from Tommy Dwyer dropped short but ended up in the net via Mark Fanning’s fingertips.
Paul Morris had joined Ian Byrne and Ryan Nolan in the full-forward line from the off, and he got off the mark after a mere eleven seconds following Rory Scallan’s delivery.
Gary Moore levelled from distance before Matt Doyle put Glynn-Barntown in front, but a Morris handpass set up the accurate Jonny Dwyer for a fifth-minute equaliser.
Rowan White and Moore stretched the wind-aided Glynn-Barntown’s advantage to two, but another Morris assist led to a Corey Byrne-Dunbar point from the right flank before Ferns created a clearcut goalscoring chance.
Chris Turner popped a pass inside to the inrushing Rory Scallan who bore down on Mark Fanning, but the county netminder showed why he has held that position for so long with a top-class save.
It didn’t deter Ferns all the same, as Ian Byrne was fouled after gathering a Paul Morris cross and sent over the free for the equaliser.
Morris made it 0-5 to 0-4 in the twelfth minute and, after being marked at the outset by Brendan Doyle, the Glynn-Barntown mentors reacted to his threat by bringing captain and county colleague David Clarke back from midfield in a bid to keep him quiet.
A heavy knock late in the first-half restricted the influence of Morris on the remainder of the game, but he more than played his part with that outstanding opening quarter display.
Two John Leacy points, the second from a free after a cynical but necessary foul from a Ferns point of view on the goal-bound Rowan White, edged Glynn-Barntown ahead, but it was shortlived.
Their goal was breached in the 17th minute when Ryan Nolan lifted his head and sent a sweet pass from left to right to the unmarked Jonny Dwyer, who had the time and the necessary composure to crash a shot beyond Fanning (1-5 to 0-6).
Fanning (free) and Michael Doyle ensured parity once again before Ian Byrne fired over two more frees.
And Ferns went on to lead by 1-8 to 0-10 at half-time after Conor Scallan came forward to avail of a Chris Turner pass into space in between Glynn-Barntown points from Matt and Thomas Doyle.
Ferns may have added the first two points on the restart via Jonny Dwyer and a Byrne free, but they also kept Glynn-Barntown in the game with a series of missed opportunities and poor shot selection.
Brendan Doyle pulled a point back to leave two in it (1-10 to 0-11), just as Ferns sent for one of their most experienced players in Benny Jordan to provide some fresh legs and a little bit of his customary cuteness.
And he certainly didn’t disappoint, intercepting a Glynn-Barntown puck-out to arrow over the first of those three points in the 40th minute.
Gary Moore hit back, and it was still too close for comfort from a Ferns viewpoint after another exchange between free-takers Byrne and Leacy midway through the half (1-12 to 0-13).
Significantly, the Gorey District side struck four points without reply between the 49th and 56th minutes, and it was no surprise that Jordan should set the example with a glorious score from under the stand after a Niall Murphy handpass.
James Lawlor was called upon to make a smart save to foil Rowan White before half-time substitute Diarmuid Doyle split the posts with a classy over-the-shoulder effort.
Ian Byrne then pointed via the crossbar with a looping shot that at one stage appared to be going wide before Jordan completed his hat-trick, popping up on the opposite left wing this time to finish off a Tommy Dwyer pass.
Those scores were precious as they still left Ferns in the driving seat despite conceding that late goal.
And while their own second green flag can be attributed to the slippery ball rather than any ingenuity on their own part, it did emphasise a superiority that was clear on such a tough evening for hurling.
Ferns St. Aidan’s: James Lawlor; Conor Scallan (0-1), Niall Murphy, Declan Byrne (capt.); Patrick Breen, Eoin Murphy, James Tonks; Tommy Dwyer (1-0), Rory Scallan; Chris Turner, Corey Byrne-Dunbar (0-1), Jonny Dwyer (1-2); Ryan Nolan, Ian Byrne (0-7, 6 frees), Paul Morris (0-2). Subs. – Diarmuid Doyle (0-1) for Turner (HT), Benny Jordan (0-3) for J. Dwyer (38), Ciarán Roberts for D. Byrne (47), Christopher O’Connor (0-1) for Nolan (48), John Breen for Morris (57).
Glynn-Barntown: Mark Fanning (0-1 free); Brendan Doyle (0-1), Michael O’Regan, Pádraig Donnelly; Darragh Carley, Ger Dempsey, Thomas Doyle (0-1); David Clarke (capt.), Craig Doyle; Matt Doyle (0-2), Michael Doyle (0-1), Rowan White (1-1); John Leacy (0-4, 3 frees), Gary Moore (0-3, 1 line ball), Matthew Joyce. Subs. – Fionn Cooney for Carley (41), Shane Wilde for Michael Doyle (49), Daragh Murphy for Joyce (55), Cormac Cooney for Matt Doyle (60).
Referee: Eamonn Furlong (Rapparees).
August 7, semi-final: Ferns St. Aidans 1-23, Rapparees 0-25 (after extra time)
The excitement was off the charts in sun-baked Chadwicks Wexford Park on Sunday as Ferns St. Aidan’s put a horrible third quarter behind them to dethrone Rapparees after extra-time in a pulsating finish to the second Pettitt’s Senior hurling championship semi-final.
A nine-year gap since their last appearance on the biggest day was bridged in the process, and it was evident how much it meant to them at the final whistle as substitutes and supporters swarmed on to the field to embrace their heroes.
Rapparees went down fighting to their immense credit, but they will wonder how they let it slip after leading by 0-16 to 0-10 with less than seven minutes of regulation time remaining.
Even more so, they will be asking serious questions as to why a long-range strike by excellent wing-back Jack Kelly didn’t result in a point at the death.
Ferns sharpshooter Ian Byrne had converted a free to leave his team trailing by 0-17 to 1-13, with Rapparees netminder Anthony Larkin resuming quickly and Kelly receiving the ball in space on the left flank.
From my vantage point, his shot looked to have gone over the bar at the town end, and supporters behind the ball on the uncovered stand side were even more adamant afterwards.
There was no reaction whatsoever initially from the umpires – looking into a strong sun – and then it was waved wide.
The equaliser that forced extra-time arrived when Ferns captain Declan Byrne, who was introduced at the start of the last quarter, drove the ball into a packed goalmouth, with Ian Byrne latching on to it and firing over after a sharp turn.
The point arrived more than seven minutes into additional time, and at a stage when Ferns were down to 14 men. An extra five had been announced initially, but a delay ensued for treatment to Oisín Pepper after defender Conor Scallan was red-carded for a high challenge close to the main stand as the excitement intensified.
While a lot of the play had been pretty uninspiring beforehand, that all-action finish certainly provided ample compensation, and the best was yet to come.
Indeed, the standard of score-taking in the first period of extra-time – with James Tonks returning as the 15th Ferns man – was off the charts given the sweltering conditions and the effort already expended.
The teams shared ten points in that spell that ended 1-19 to 0-22, and it looked like it would be impossible to divide them.
Similar to the second-half of regulation time, Rapparees were attacking the town end again, but Ian Byrne drew first blood from a free before the outstanding and inspiring Darragh Pepper replied.
Oisín Pepper then had an effort on goal stopped and, with no advantage accruing, a free was awarded for an earlier foul on Nick Doyle and the impressive Ryan Mahon duly nudged the Rapps into a 0-19 to 1-15 lead.
An incredible sequence of scoring followed in an all-action ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ spell. Corey Byrne-Dunbar levelled, only for Anthony Roche to reply instantly from an Oisín Pepper pass.
Niall Murphy teed up Paul Morris to make it 1-17 to 0-20, and 45 seconds later Darragh Pepper posted a brilliant point under heavy pressure.
Ian Byrne equalised before effective substitute John Breen hit a fine lead score from a James Lawlor clearance, but Darragh Pepper’s third extra-time point ensured they remained deadlocked at the break (0-22 to 1-19).
Rapparees – who missed the injured Alan Tobin out of their midfield engine room – started to falter on the restart as Ferns gained a telling edge with three points inside five minutes.
Ian Byrne pointed two frees, the second one after Liam Ryan made a fine catch in his own square but then spoiled it with a stray short pass.
When a Christopher O’Connor handpass located Diarmuid Doyle to make it 1-22 to 0-22, Ferns were looking good, but Rapparees showed a burning desire in a bid to become the first Enniscorthy town team to reach back-to-back finals since Shamrocks in 1970.
Darragh Pepper earned a free for Ryan Mahon to convert before he hit his fifth point from play, and the leveller arrived after Jack Kelly was fouled deep in his own half.
Ryan Mahon hit it crossfield to the unmarked Anthony Murphy, and the Senior newcomer showed nerves of steel with a cool long-range strike that just about made it over the bar (0-25 to 1-22).
The winner arrived directly from the puck-out, with Paul Morris securing possession close to the left sideline and striking a beauty between the town-end posts.
However, Rapparees came agonisingly close to forcing parity, as a James Peare strike was bravely blocked before the breaking ball arrived to veteran substitute Tomás Mahon, but his second wide was followed by the long whistle from referee Barry Redmond.
The holders had shown serious intent from the off, surging into a 0-4 to 0-1 lead after 13 minutes thanks to points from Liam Ryan, Ryan Mahon (free) and Kevin Foley after an initial exchange between Oisín Pepper and Ian Byrne.
It was 0-6 to 0-2 at the water break, after Corey Byrne-Dunbar’s first score led to responses from Mahon and Ryan, who was eager to surge forward into advanced attacking positions at every opportunity.
The brief half to proceedings seemed to do Ferns the world of good, because they resumed with three scores from Ciarán Roberts, Chris Turner and Ian Byrne (free) to make it a one-point game.
And although Rapparees kept their noses in front at all times and led by 0-9 to 0-8 at the break, they missed out on a golden opportunity to crash home a goal in the 29th minute.
Kevin Foley was upended for a penalty by the yellow-carded Niall Murphy and, after receiving treatment, perhaps he wasn’t the best candidate to take it. Certainly, his strike to the right and wide was out of character, and Rapparees went on to have a let-off in additional time when Corey Byrne-Dunbar opted to take a safe point when a goal looked on the cards.
The third quarter was a disaster for Ferns, as they shot eight wides without scoring whereas the Rapps reeled off five points from Ryan Mahon (free), Lenny Connolly, Kevin Foley (two) and Ricky Fox.
Ferns had to wait until the 49th minute for their opening second-half point, from an Ian Byrne free. And although Diarmuid Doyle added one from play, Rapparees halted their march when Ben Edwards made a vital interception after the short puck-out that followed went awry.
Ryan Mahon (’65) and Lenny Connolly made it 0-16 to 0-10, but the turning point arrived in the 55th minute.
Ferns had introduced Christopher O’Connor and John Breen to form a two-man inside attacking line, with Paul Morris and Ian Byrne drifting outfield after both had alternated on the edge of the square beforehand.
And the experienced Breen was the man of the moment when he finished off a Patrick Breen pass with a goal that filled Ferns with new-found hope (0-16 to 1-10).
Ian Byrne (free) and Paul Morris tacked on points, with Darragh Pepper nailing his first before the game moved into additional time and Ferns were soon reduced to 14 players.
Getting the two points that forced extra-time has to be fully commended in the circumstances but, after St. Anne’s had good reason to be aggrieved one week earlier, this time around Rapparees appear to have equally sound grounds for annoyance after that late unrewarded strike from Jack Kelly.
Ferns St. Aidan’s: James Lawlor; Ciarán Roberts (0-1), Niall Murphy, Conor Scallan; Rory Scallan, Eoin Murphy, James Tonks; Tommy Dwyer, Patrick Breen; Chris Turner (0-1), Paul Morris (0-3), Jonnny Dwyer; Corey Byrne-Dunbar (0-3), Ian Byrne (0-12, 9 frees), Ryan Nolan. Subs. – Diarmuid Doyle (0-2) for Nolan, inj. (30+2), Benny Jordan for J. Dwyer (43), Declan Byrne (capt.) for Tonks (47), John Breen (1-1) for T. Dwyer (53), Christopher O’Connor for Turner (53), James Tonks (15th man for extra-time), Tommy Dwyer for R. Scallan (71), Turner for Tonks, inj. (80), Jonny Dwyer for Breen (80+2).
Rapparees: Anthony Larkin; Kevin Courtney, Liam Ryan (0-2), Dillon Redmond; James Peare, Ben Edwards, Jack Kelly; Anthony Roche (0-1), Kevin Foley (capt., 0-3); Ricky Fox (0-1), Nick Doyle, Ryan Mahon (0-9, 6 frees, 1 ’65); Lenny Connolly (0-2), Oisín Pepper (0-1), Tommy Foley. Subs. – Orán Carty for Redmond (HT), Darragh Pepper (0-5) for Carty (55), Tomás Mahon for Courtney (70), Anthony Murphy (0-1) for Roche (74).
Referee: Barry Redmond (Na Fianna Clonard).
August 14, County Final: Ferns St. Aidans 1-20, St. Martin's 0-22
A moment the good folk of Ferns St. Aidan’s have been waiting for all their lives finally arrived in Chadwicks Wexford Park on Sunday, and it’s one that they will remember forever.
There’s nothing as special in a sporting context as winning a major title for the first time, and that last blast of referee Eamonn Furlong’s whistle resonated with partisans and neutrals alike – signifying history being made.
This was an engrossing and extremely entertaining Pettitt’s Senior hurling championship decider, with Ferns St. Aidan’s joining the ranks of title winners by the minimum margin against a St. Martin’s side that pushed them to their very limits.
Coming through on the right side after such a titanic battle makes their marvellous achievement all the sweeter, and they will look back with pride on several moments of inspiration and magic that ultimately decided the outcome.
However, it was the collective effort of the fantastic Ferns St. Aidan’s players that really shone through, with mighty contributions from all over the field and off the bench as their veterans made up for the disappointment of losing at the same stage to Oulart-The Ballagh in 2013.
They all realised that this was an opportunity that simply had to be seized, and that message was clearly hammered home to their younger colleagues too as a supreme united effort ensured a new name was added to the prestigious roll of honour.
Ten of the players used on Sunday were survivors from nine years earlier, and every club hurling follower in the county will be delighted that these stalwarts of the game have finally received such rich rewards for their never-ending efforts.
TG4 man of the match Paul Morris led that inspiring group that also features captain Declan Byrne, James Tonks, Ciarán ‘Bertie’ Roberts, Benny Jordan, Tommy Dwyer, Ian Byrne, Jonny Dwyer, John Breen and Christopher ‘Bitzy’ O’Connor – a roll call of magnificent servants who have now entered the pantheon of all-time Ferns St. Aidan’s greats.
That figure would have numbered eleven but for the cruciate ligament injury that ruled the talented Gavin Bailey out of this campaign, and it was a classy touch by Declan Byrne to ensure the pair lifted the Dr. R.J. Bowe Cup together.
If the elder statesmen more than played their part, then the same holds true for the rest of their colleagues.
Patrick Breen’s spectacular booted goal near the end of the first-half was a priceless piece of individual magic, with only one thing on his mind when the ground opened up in front of him as he bolted towards the town end goal.
James Lawlor was safety personified between the posts, while Niall and Eoin Murphy will have to enter the conversation for starting places with Wexford given the quality defending both displayed throughout this memorable campaign.
The same holds true for Corey Byrne-Dunbar who outlined once again why he is such an exciting attacking prospect, while the top-notch contributions of Rory Scallan, Chris Turner and Diarmuid Doyle, plus late substitute Ryan Nolan in earlier games, must also be acknowledged. The club’s unsuccessful efforts to have Conor Scallan freed from suspension continued until Saturday night, but he had certainly played his part too in previous rounds.
While it’s only natural that the entire focus is on the new champions, the first-class effort of St. Martin’s also deserves the highest praise.
It will be cold comfort for the losers to realise that they left it all on the field and tried everything possible to win against the odds. Indeed, it was one of the best performances by a losing side that I can recall on county final day, considering the absence of Rory O’Connor and his brother Jack being restricted to a late appearance off the bench.
Not for the first time in this campaign, several of their younger players displayed leadership traits beyond their tender years. Gritty defender Joe Barrett stood tall in that regard, never shying away from the battle he underwent with Paul Morris for long stages after the Ferns talisman moved out to the ’40, while attacking ace Kyle Firman added five points from play to the six he struck in the semi-final.
Rest assured that a full-strength St. Martin’s team will be a formidable force in the years to come, and they more than played their part in a final that lived up to all expectations that it would be a very tight contest.
The 2019 champions got off the mark when Joe Coleman pointed from under the stand after 49 seconds, with Ian Byrne hitting the first of seven Ferns wides from a free he had earned before they levelled in the fourth minute.
A long delivery by James Lawlor broke off Byrne into the path of Paul Morris, and he opened his account from the left flank.
Morris turned provider for the lead score, latching on to a diagonal Tommy Dwyer line ball and handpassing out to wing-back James Tonks who slotted over.
Joe Coleman levelled from a free, with St. Martin’s putting Conor Firman on Morris initially while Joe Barrett kept tabs on Byrne before the Ferns pair swapped positions. When that happened, Barrett remained at centre-back and his fascinating duel with Morris unfolded.
Corey Byrne-Dunbar cleverly won a ’65 on the endline in a tussle with Diarmuid O’Leary that was pointed by Byrne for a 0-3 to 0-2 lead in the eighth minute.
Tommy Dwyer and Rory Scallan then combined to create the first of Jonny Dwyer’s three points from play, but Kyle Firman hit back after controlling a long Dylan Byrne free.
Ian Byrne made it 0-5 to 0-3 from a free after a rampaging run by Rory Scallan, and that’s how it remained at the first water break.
And although a Joe Coleman placed ball reduced arrears to the minimum on the restart, Ferns hit a bright patch that yielded three points without reply in a very fruitful 58-second period.
Another foul on Scallan was converted by Byrne, with the puck-out sent straight to Jonny Dwyer who returned it over the bar with interest. And when Corey Byrne-Dunbar dinked a lovely pass into the path of Diarmuid Doyle, for a split second it looked like he might put the head down and go for goal, before opting for a point instead (0-8 to 0-4).
Aaron Maddock picked out Joe Coleman from the restart and the St. Martin’s top scorer surged forward with a goal on his mind, but James Lawlor made a super save at the expense of a ’65 that Coleman missed for the first of just three wides from the losers.
However, that marked the beginning of a spell of Martin’s dominance that yielded six points on the bounce in a mere eight minutes.
Coleman atoned from a long-range free after a foul on Joe Barrett, and he sent over his next ’65 after Ferns full-back Niall Murphy blocked an Aaron Maddock shot.
Mark Maloney sprayed a neat pass into space for Kyle Firman to register his second score, and the equaliser came from Luke Kavanagh after Conor Firman won the puck-out (0-8 each).
Maloney was again the provider for Jack Devereux to shoot the lead point, and the young corner-forward quickly added another after a crossfield Kyle Firman pass.
Just when it looked like Ferns were losing their way, they came up with a spectacular response from the most unlikely of sources.
Patrick Breen started in the full-back line but had drifted outfield when he produced the moment that will mark him down as a hero of the red and white jersey for the rest of his life.
A long James Lawlor clearance down the left wing was caught by Corey Byrne-Dunbar and played outside to Jonny Dwyer. He in turn got the call from Breen who was running off his right shoulder, with the handpass collected on the 45-metre line.
Breen could see the Martin’s defence parting in front of him, and he didn’t need any further encouragement. Although David Codd and Philip Dempsey tried their best, they couldn’t get a tackle in and the Ferns flyer bore down on Dylan Byrne’s goal before kicking home powerfully off the back staunchion – a natural way to finish for a man who spent four consecutive campaigns with the county’s Minor and Under-21 footballers from 2011 to 2014.
That rousing moment edged Ferns in front again (1-8 to 0-10), and Jonny Dwyer added his third point for good measure before Aaron Maddock pulled one back before the break.
Paul Morris doubled his own account on the restart after intercepting a stray Martin’s pass, but the Firmans combined at the other end as Jake fed Kyle who made it a one-point game again (1-10 to 0-12).
And although Conor Firman made one fine catch over the head of Ian Byrne, there was a different outcome when James Lawlor sprayed a long ball towards the Clonard end in the 34th minute.
This time Byrne grabbed it and, with a goal on his mind, his scorcher flew over the bar but it was his second-last meaningful involvement. He succumbed to injury a short time later after sending over a free in response to one from Joe Coleman, leaving Ferns without the championship’s leading scorer as they faced a battle to the death.
Joe Barrett popped up in an advanced position to accept a Kyle Firman pass and slot it over, but Benny Jordan made an instant impact off the bench, pulling on a ball near the uncovered stand sideline and teeing up Corey Byrne-Dunbar for a lovely point (1-13 to 0-14).
Jake Firman responded from distance, with Paul Morris converting a tricky free from the left flank – the only time he was required after taking over the placed-ball duties from the departed Ian Byrne.
Morris covered an enormous amount of ground and regularly popped up in his own half in fire-fighting mode, and it was from there that he sent a sweet short pass to Benny Jordan for a crowd-rousing point in the 41st minute (1-15 to 0-15).
However, St. Martin’s weren’t going away, and Aaron Maddock picked out Kyle Firman in space for the last score prior to the water break.
A Diarmuid Doyle drive for goal was blocked on the restart, but Corey Byrne-Dunbar ensured the attack ended with something positive as he picked off a point (1-16 to 0-16).
And a costly incident followed for St. Martin’s as they lost a free for retaliation after an initial overcarrying call against Paul Morris. The ball was seized upon by James Tonks from the throw-in, and his crossfield pass was popped over the bar by Diarmuid Doyle.
Mikey Coleman pulled a point back in his last involvement before making way for Jack O’Connor, and an opening for goal was fashioned by the Wexford District men shortly afterwards.
Joe Barrett kept moving forward after his catch started the move that subsequently featured substitute Darren Codd and Kyle Firman. And while Barrett tried a speculative shot on goal, Ciarán Roberts threw his body at it and kept it out for a ’65 that Joe Coleman sent over (1-17 to 0-18).
A clever Tommy Dwyer line ball back to Jonny Dwyer, who popped a short pass over a defender to an unmarked Corey Byrne-Dunbar, resulted in a handy Ferns point, but St. Martin’s drove forward again.
Three points followed in four minutes to equalise, with Kyle Firman hitting the last of his five before Joe Coleman arrowed over two frees (0-21 to 1-18).
With additional time upon us, Ferns hit the front again when a Jonny Dwyer line ball into the goalmouth was finished over the bar by substitute Christopher O’Connor.
Jack O’Connor was inches away from keeping Dylan Byrne’s puck-out in play, with the line ball that followed under the stand batted out of play by Willie Devereux.
What followed was one of the best moments of this energy-sapping eight-week championship, as Jonny Dwyer stepped up and, from all of 50 yards, he sent a beauty between the posts to leave Ferns with a 1-20 to 0-21 lead.
The finishing line was in sight, but they weren’t quite there yet. Jack O’Connor was fouled from the puck-out and Joe Coleman registered his tenth point, but James Lawlor’s puck-out was the last strike of an afternoon when a long-held dream became a beautiful reality for Ferns St. Aidan’s.
Captain Declan Byrne ticked all the right boxes in a fine speech, acknowledging the huge part played by St. Martin’s in this absorbing game first and foremost before later reserving a special word for the recently-deceased Tom Guinan and Jack Byrne, two club legends. Hopefully they had the best seats in heaven to witness a win that would have meant the world to both inspiring men.
Ferns St. Aidans: James Lawlor; Declan Byrne (capt.), Niall Murphy, Patrick Breen (1-0); Ciarán Roberts, Eoin Murphy, James Tonks (0-1); Rory Scallan, Tommy Dwyer; Chris Turner, Ian Byrne (0-5, 3 frees, 1 ’65), Jonny Dwyer (0-4, 1 line ball); Diarmuid Doyle (0-2), Paul Morris (0-3, 1 free), Corey Byrne-Dunbar (0-3). Subs. – Benny Jordan (0-1) for Byrne, inj. (38), John Breen for Turner (41), Christopher O’Connor (0-1) for Doyle (57), Ryan Nolan for Scallan (60+1), Turner for Byrne-Dunbar, temp. (60+2-60+4), also Michael Walsh, Paddy O’Hagan, Brian O’Neill, Conor O’Toole, Brian Stafford, Peter O’Toole, Seb Rynhart, Peter Nolan, Barry Murphy, Pádraig Kinsella, Conor Scallan, Gavin Bailey.
St. Martin’s: Dylan Byrne; Diarmuid O’Leary, Conor Firman (capt.), Philip Dempsey; Patrick O’Connor, Joe Barrett (0-1), David Codd; Mark Maloney, Jake Firman (0-1); Luke Kavanagh (0-1), Aaron Maddock (0-1), Joe Coleman (0-10, 7 frees, 2 ’65s); Kyle Firman (0-5), Jack Devereux (0-2), Mikey Coleman (0-1). Subs. – Darren Codd for Devereux (42), Willie Devereux for Kavanagh (49), Jack O’Connor for M. Coleman (52), Daithí Waters for Maloney (54), also Christopher Ryan, Eoin O’Leary, Conor Kelly, Paudie Kelly, Zac Firman, Jamie Berry, Shane Walsh, Zach Breslin, Rory Devereux, Brian Codd, Joe Mernagh.
Referee: Eamonn Furlong (Rapparees).
November 13, Leinster Club Championship: St. Mullins 1-19, Ferns St. Aidans 1-17
The maiden voyage of Ferns St. Aidans into the AIB Leinster Club Senior hurling championship ended in a frustrating two-point defeat to St. Mullins in Netwatch Cullen Park, Carlow on Sunday.
And the bitter regret will surely linger as the more seasoned victors now go forward to a mouth-watering clash with Kilmacud Crokes in the provincial semi-final to be held in Croke Park on a November 27 double bill along with the meeting of Ballyhale Shamrocks and Naas.
Trailing by 0-12 to 1-6 at half-time, Ferns shipped a huge blow in the 47th minute when a solo goal from St. Mullins midfielder Conor Kehoe widened the gap to six points (1-16 to 1-10).
However, the unerring free-taking of Ian Byrne ensured that advantage was gradually whittled down. And when he nailed his eighth placed ball, and seventh of the half, almost 90 seconds into the four additional minutes, the margin was shaved to the minimum (1-18 to 1-17).
Ferns didn’t help their cause by conceding a string of needless frees though, and the last chance afforded to ace marksman Marty Kavanagh was converted to leave the Wexford men requiring a goal with only seconds remaining.
Centre-back and sweeper Eoin Murphy – who had a fine game – launched a long ball towards the scoreboard end goal and although James Tonks connected with a pull, it was safely gathered by netminder Kevin Kehoe who then lost possession as he tried to clear his lines.
It was left to captain Michael Walsh to drive the ball downfield just before referee Seán Cleere brought the curtain down on yet another disappointing early exit from the Leinster race by our county champions.
The Wexford representatives haven’t cleared the first hurdle since Naomh Éanna beat Camross of Laois by five points in 2018 (there was no competition in 2020), and they were subsequently hammered by Ballyhale Shamrocks.
The Kilkenny kingpins easily dismissed St. Martin’s in 2019, and last year Rapparees found Clough-Ballacolla of Laois too hot to handle.
Sunday’s outcome wouldn’t be regarded as a shock by anyone with even a basic knowledge of the club scene, which bears no correlation to the inter-county game.
St. Mullins made the provincial final on their last sojourn outside Carlow three years ago, and they are well accustomed to taking big scalps in their happy hunting ground of Netwatch Cullen Park.
And the old chicken and egg scenario springs to mind in trying to identify why the Wexford winners are struggling to make a lasting impression, certainly in relation to our two most recent champions at least.
The Leinster competition is usually brimming with clubs who boast loads of prior experience at this level, and that can only be gained by repetitive success on the local front. It’s a huge step up as Ferns will readily attest to after Sunday, but the sole way they can build on this bitter experience and have another go is to retain their county crown which will be a tall order in itself.
There was a time when club hurling games between Wexford and Carlow teams were no contests. Indeed, St. Mullins only scored one point and conceded 2-17 to Buffers Alley in the latter’s first defence of their Leinster and All-Ireland titles at Sunday’s venue in November of 1989.
While the standard in Carlow has improved immensely since then, we should be more concerned with the stark reality that our own main club hurling competition isn’t nearly as strong as many would claim.
The proof of that is in those underwhelming recent performances outside the county.
One ongoing coaching issue that continues to haunt us was crystal clear again in this defeat. St. Mullins were vastly superior in the air, and also held the edge in terms of winning primary possession, leading me to wonder – not for the first time – if we are getting the balance wrong between strength and conditioning and the game’s basic, but essential, skills.
In a contest of very fine margins, the winners will look back in particular on a four-point swing that occurred midway through the last quarter, at a stage when they were ahead by 1-16 to 1-12.
For once, their teamwork let them down as an attempted handpass out of defence was intercepted by Corey Byrne-Dunbar who slipped a quick pass inside to Ian Byrne.
The Ferns free-taker displayed a steely resolve throughout the second-half from a string of chances, but on this occasion his attempt on goal was expertly kept out by Kevin Kehoe.
The clearance that followed led to a foul on substitute Oisín Ryan, and Marty ‘Mouse’ Kavanagh did what he does best to make it 1-17 to 1-12 when the scoreboard might have read 1-16 to 2-12 instead.
St. Mullins showed their intent from the off, with Paddy Boland popping a handpass out to Kavanagh to register his sole point from play after 48 seconds.
He added his second from a long-range free, after James Doyle did very well to prevent the ball from going over the sideline before being fouled.
However, the early lift Ferns needed was provided as the game moved into its fourth minute. Chris Turner found Corey Byrne-Dunbar who darted in from the left flank before crossing unselfishly to Paul Morris, and he planted a firm shot beyond Kevin Kehoe for a 1-0 to 0-2 lead.
Diarmuid Doyle followed up with a good solo point directly off his hurl, and the lively Byrne-Dunbar stretched the lead to three after solid work by Morris and Ian Byrne.
Two Marty Kavanagh frees – with Byrne missing one in between for the first of Ferns’ six wides – were followed by the leveller from James Doyle from distance in the twelfth minute (0-5 to 1-2).
Chris Turner restored the Ferns lead before Eoin Murphy came to their rescue, making a goal-line clearance after big corner-forward John Doyle caught a line ball driven in from the right and delivered a shot.
The lead was widened to 1-4 to 0-5 just over 20 seconds later, courtesy of Jonny Dwyer, but Ferns were outscored in the second quarter by seven points to two as St. Mullins moved the ball with greater cohesion through the lines and also posed a more rounded threat in a well-drilled attack.
A Michael Walsh delivery inside was finished by Paddy Boland before the eventual winners registered the first of their five wides, but their next attempt at the posts was a high shot that yielded the equaliser from full-forward Jason O’Neill (0-7 to 1-4).
It was the second of five scores on the trot for St. Mullins between the 17th and 22nd minutes, with James Doyle, Marty Kavanagh (free) and wing-back Páidí O’Shea also obliging.
Diarmuid Doyle stopped the rot with a Ferns point, but Kavanagh tacked on two more from frees at the other end before Ian Byrne punished a foul on himself in additional time to leave his side trailing by 0-12 to 1-6 at the break.
They had been fortunate not to concede a goal one minute earlier, after James Doyle blocked Jonny Dwyer and then played a handpass inside to Jason O’Neill who was only denied with a perfectly-timed hook from Conor Scallan.
The respective free-takers were even more prominent in the second-half, with Byrne accounting for 0-7 of the Ferns haul of 0-11, while Kavanagh hit 0-5 from St. Mullins’ 1-7.
Sweepers Eoin Murphy and Jack Kavanagh were on the ball more than the rest in the general exchanges, and both made significant contributions and were still going strong at the finish.
Ferns drew first blood when Jonny Dwyer caught a Tommy Dwyer free and pointed in the 33rd minute, but Marty Kavanagh responded from a couple of frees before Paul Morris and Ian Byrne (two frees) left St. Mullins clinging to a narrow 0-14 to 1-10 lead.
Ciarán Roberts got a vital touch near his own posts to prevent a potential goal chance, but the Carlow side continued to press and reacted very well to the mounting pressure.
Indeed, the 1-2 they scored without reply from the 44th to the 47th minutes made an immense difference to the outcome, at a stage when it looked like either team might seize the initiative.
James Doyle and Paddy Boland posted points before a Páidí O’Shea clearance found the former, and he popped a handpass to midfielder Conor Kehoe. The open ground in front of him looked very inviting, and he put his pace to good use by racing away from his pursuers and beating James Lawlor to leave St. Mullins looking good (1-16 to 1-10).
It’s a credit to Ferns that they didn’t wilt at that stage, far from it in fact as they rallied initially with points from Jonny Dwyer (whose withdrawal soon after was a surprise, unless he was injured) and free-taker Ian Byrne.
And even after that big momentum-shifter, when Byrne’s goal miss was followed by another Marty Kavanagh point, Ferns drove forward again and two fouls on Eoin Murphy were punished by Byrne.
Kavanagh made it 1-18 to 1-14 in the 58th minute, before a crossfield pass by Paul Morris led to substitute Benny Jordan landing a point from midfield.
And when James Tonks was fouled from the puck-out, Byrne retreated beyond midfield and made no mistake from the free. He did the very same from his own 65-metre line after Patrick Breen was impeded, and extra-time was a live possibility.
Unfortunately, Kavanagh was presented with a more straightforward chance that he took with confidence, and St. Mullins survived that last Ferns attack as the county title-winners from 14 weeks earlier beat the side that savoured success in Wexford for the first time 13 weeks ago.
Ferns St. Aidans: James Lawlor; Conor Scallan, Niall Murphy, Patrick Breen; James Tonks, Eoin Murphy, Ciarán Roberts; Rory Scallan, Tommy Dwyer; Chris Turner (0-1), Paul Morris (1-1), Jonny Dwyer (0-3); Diarmuid Doyle (0-2), Ian Byrne (0-8 frees), Corey Byrne-Dunbar (0-1). Subs. – Declan Byrne (capt.) for C. Scallan (35), Benny Jordan (0-1) for Turner (46), John Breen for J. Dwyer (53), Ryan Nolan for R. Scallan (58).
St. Mullins: Kevin Kehoe; Paul Doyle, Paudie Kehoe, John Doran; Páidí O’Shea (0-1), Michael Walsh (capt.), Ger Coady; Jack Kavanagh, Conor Kehoe (1-0); James Doyle (0-3), Marty Kavanagh (0-12, 11 frees), Philip Connors; John Doyle, Jason O’Neill (0-1), Paddy Boland (0-2). Subs. – Oisín Ryan for O’Neill (44), Seamus Murphy for John Doyle (60).
Referee: Seán Cleere (Kilkenny).
Paul Morris produced a masterclass and dangerman Diarmuid Doyle struck for a crucial goal as Ferns St. Aidans saw off the Oylegate-Glenbrien challenge in this opening round Pettitt’s Senior Hurling Championship tie in St. Patrick’s Park on Tuesday evening.
Morris scored three good points but was even more notable in how he was at the heart of almost all good things Ferns did, popping up at different times in positions all over the field. Meanwhile, Doyle’s goal came in the first minute of the second half, extending the Ferns advantage to four points from an interval lead of just 0-8 to 0-7, and really setting them on the way to victory.
Oylegate-Glenbrien had to field without Shane Reck due to a positive Covid diagnosis, with Peter Rowley filling in for him at midfield. Brother Damien performed well from his centre-back position though, while up front, they had enough firepower to stay in touch for much of the game. Jamie Reck had perhaps the pick of their opening period scores with a sharp point on ten minutes, while up front, Podge Doran had a right old battle with his marker Niall Murphy all evening long, but finally got the better of him in first half injury time to shoot a good point.
Truthfully though, the Ferns men always had the edge, and they created four clearcut goal chances in that first half, while Oylegate-Glenbrien failed to create any. Doyle was at the heart of two of them in the space of two minutes. The first saw his ground shot saved and then him being bundled over as he chased in the rebound. His come-uppance was even more unceremonious the second time round, as his run towards goal was halted by a nasty chop which saw a yellow card being brandished to an Oylegate-Glenbrien defender – who, incidentally, many felt was not the man actually at fault.
Doyle finally got his reward just after the break when a good ball from Jonny Dwyer found him in space on the left wing, and he raced through to plant the ball in the net. Ferns followed up over the next ten minutes with three points from Ian Byrne placed balls (two frees, one ‘65’), but Oylegate-Glenbrien stayed in touch, thanks to points from Séamus Casey (free), substitute Barry Dunne (two – one from play, one ‘65’), and a good long-range effort from Jack Reck, so that the goal was all that separated the sides on the three-quarter hour mark (1-11 to 0-11).
Ferns finished by far the stronger though, scoring six points in the remainder of the game, and keeping their opponents scoreless. Two of those six were trademark flamboyant scores from substitute Brendan Jordan, and overall, they were good value for their victory, with the only sour note for them coming when Eoin Murphy was dismissed on a second yellow card after 55 minutes.
The game was preceded by a minute’s silence in memory of the late Tom Guinan, a great Ferns clubman who was laid to rest on the day before the game. He would have been proud of their performance.
Ferns St. Aidans: James Lawlor; Patrick Breen, Niall Murphy, Declan Byrne; Ryan Nolan (0-1), Eoin Murphy, Ciarán Roberts; Tommy Dwyer, Rory Scallan; Jonny Dwyer (0-1), Ian Byrne (0-8, 7f, 1 ’65’), Chris Turner; Corey Byrne Dunbar (0-2), Paul Morris (0-3), Diarmuid Doyle (1-1). Subs: Brendan Jordan (0-2) for J. Dwyer (41 mins); James Tonks for N. Murphy (temp., 44-46 mins); Christopher O’Connor for Doyle (47 mins); James Tonks for T. Dwyer (54 mins); Conor Scallan for Turner (58 mins).
Oylegate-Glenbrien: Aaron Duggan; Tomás Cosgrave, Mick Heffernan, Paidí Casey; Ciarán Hourihane, Damien Reck, Mike Kelly; Peter Rowley, Mark Kavanagh; Jim White (0-1), Séamus Casey (0-2), Jack Reck (0-1); Jamie Reck (0-2), Podge Doran (0-1), Fergal Doran (0-2). Subs: Barry Dunne (0-2, 1 ‘65’) for Kavanagh (37 mins); Evan Kelly for Rowley (inj., 49 mins).
July 3: Ferns St. Aidans 2-16, Rapparees 1-16
FERNS ST. Aidans announced themselves as live contenders for the Pettitt’s Senior hurling championship when they defeated Rapparees by 2-16 to 1-16 in Sunday’s keenly-contested second round Group B tussle at a packed Páirc Uí Shíochaín, Gorey.
They looked in considerable peril at half-time, trailing by 1-10 to 0-5 after Kevin Foley pulled home the rebound from Ryan Mahon’s penalty a minute into injury time.
But it’s no exaggeration to say that Ferns dominated proceedings thereafter, with the central spine of Niall and Eoin Murphy thundering into the game along with influential substitute James Tonks.
And special mention must go to wing-back Ciarán Roberts who, despite giving a few inches to Nick Doyle in height, completely nullified him from general play.
The second-half performance must be of some concern to the defending champions. They will need to produce the goods over the hour if they want to defend their crown, and they must be disappointed with the overall return from their forwards, with Foley and Ricky Fox the only two from the starting sextet to find the target.
Fox only needed 15 seconds to open the scoring, with Ryan Mahon adding two frees as Rapparees quietly built a 0-3 to nil lead after eight minutes.
Ian Byrne was a rock-steady presence over frees for Ferns all evening, and he knocked over his first after eleven minutes, only for Mahon to respond with a similar score after a questionable steps call against Ferns.
Jack Kelly struck over a wonderful point soon after to make it 0-5 to 0-1, and that was the first of four points from Rapparees’ half-back line in the first-half alone.
His defensive colleagues James Peare and Ben Edwards followed suit, with Foley also driving over from a tight angle as their lead stretched to 0-8 to 0-2.
Kelly and Fox traded points with Byrne and Chris Turner before Foley was fouled in the square for a penalty. Mahon had his attempt well saved by James Lawlor, but Foley was on hand to sweep the loose ball to the net.
Ferns responded with the first three points after the break, including one from Tonks after some good work from Niall Murphy.
Ryan Mahon struck back with a free to make it 1-11 to 0-8, but change was in the air as Byrne followed with two frees after a foul on Diarmuid Doyle and a throw from Nick Doyle.
Mahon found himself in an ocean of space to float over his first from play, but goalkeeper James Lawlor soon got his name on the scoresheet with an effort from distance.
Mahon hit his second point to make it 1-13 to 0-12, but momentum shifted towards Ferns when Byrne fetched a hopeful ball and was fouled in the square.
He buried the subsequent penalty and also followed up with a point to level proceedings with nine minutes to go.
Foley gave the Rapps the lead one last time, but Ferns finished in style as Roberts and Byrne (free) found the range before substitute Christopher ‘Bitzy’ O’Connor beat goalkeeper Anthony Larkin to the dropping ball for the game-clinching goal.
They faced almost six minutes of injury time to hang on, with Mahon knocking over another free, only for county star Paul Morris to seal the contest with his sole score.
Up next for Rapparees is a tough game versus Shelmaliers on Friday, while Ferns take on win-less Rathnure.
Ferns St. Aidans: James Lawlor (0-1); Declan Byrne (capt.), Niall Murphy, Ryan Nolan; Patrick Breen, Eoin Murphy, Ciarán Roberts (0-1); Tommy Dwyer, Rory Scallan; Corey Byrne-Dunbar, Chris Turner (0-1), Jonny Dwyer; Paul Morris (0-1), Diarmuid Doyle, Ian Byrne (1-11, 0-8 frees, 1-0 pen.). Subs. - Christopher O’Connor (1-0) for J. Dwyer (HT), James Tonks (0-1) for Nolan (HT), Benny Jordan for T. Dwyer (50).
Rapparees: Anthony Larkin; Anthony Roche, Liam Ryan, Dillon Redmond; James Peare (0-1), Ben Edwards (0-1), Jack Kelly (0-2); Ryan Mahon (0-8, 6 frees), Alan Tobin; Ricky Fox (0-2), Kevin Foley (capt., 1-2), Nick Doyle; Lenny Connolly, Oisín Pepper, Tommy Foley. Subs. - Darragh Pepper for O. Pepper (45), Dylan McVeigh for Tobin (45), Óran Carty for Fox (57).
Referee: Niall McDonald (Crossabeg-Ballymurn).
July 9: Ferns St. Aidans 2-25, Rathnure St. Anne’s 2-19
COREY BYRNE-DUNBAR punctuated Saturday’s clash with the pivotal goals which swept Ferns St. Aidans to a fifth successive quarter-final as they completed a third victory on the bounce when thwarting battling Rathnure in this third round Pettitt’s Senior hurling championship Group B clash in O’Kennedy Park, New Ross.
Successive defeats placed added importance on the result from a Rathnure perspective and, after a slow start, Mick O’Leary’s charges got themselves right in the mix, transforming a 0-5 to 0-1 deficit into a 0-10 to 0-9 lead before being stung by teenager Byrne-Dunbar’s first goal.
And just after Michael Redmond brought Rathnure back within 1-16 to 1-13 when netting on 39 minutes, Byrne-Dunbar was threaded through by Rory Scallan to power home and leave Pat Bennett’s men soaring towards maintaining their involvement in the business end of the campaign ever since having visited the relegation decider in 2017.
Rathnure, meanwhile, simply must beat Oylegate-Glenbrien next weekend in an increasingly important fixture for both sides. Rathnure face Shelmaliers in the closing round and Oylegate-Glenbrien are up against Rapparees as they both fight with Shelmaliers to try to make the cut.
The black and ambers’ designs on a first championship success over Ferns in six attempts – stretching back to a round four meeting in 2012 – seemed to be unfurling after seven minutes as Ferns raced 0-5 to 0-1 clear with the aid of pairs from both Byrne-Dunbar and Paul Morris.
Rathnure had changed things up a bit to try to make things happen, including placing regular full-back Eoin Boggan at centre-forward.
And they eventually caught fire to transform matters by 0-8 to 0-7 after 18 minutes, with Boggan hitting the lead score after the Redmond brothers, Jack (four) and Michael (two), had spearheaded their surge.
The plot thickened though as despite Ferns regaining control by 0-9 to 0-8 through Diarmuid Doyle and Conor Scallan, Rathnure got back in front by 0-10 to 0-9 after 22 minutes with a quick brace from Shane Lawlor.
However, Ferns netted for a lead three minutes later which they wouldn’t lose. A turnover around midfield led to Jonny Dwyer finding Paul Morris whose delivery broke inside where Byrne-Dunbar peeled away from his marker to find the dressing-room end net, and a couple of Ian Byrne frees and one from play by Dwyer contributed towards a 1-12 to 0-11 surge at half-time.
Rathnure regained composure to get themselves right in the mix at 1-16 to 1-13 on 39 minutes when Ciarán O’Connor delivered a cross which substitute Seán O’Connor scooped up as Michael Redmond darted through for a morale-boosting goal.
However, and crucially, Ferns boasted the far superior scoring quality, and they immediately struck back with points from Paul Morris and Byrne-Dunbar before the latter was sent haring through the centre as Rory Scallan handpassed inside.
Byrne-Dunbar gathered in space on the edge of the ‘D’ before arrowing a clinical finish that left a sobering sense overwhelming the fixture (2-18 to 1-13).
Rathnure clearly didn’t see it that way as they tried to somehow salvage things, and Shane Lawlor forced a smart save from his namesake between the Ferns sticks, James, when the gap was standing at 2-20 to 1-16 entering the last ten minutes of normal-time.
Lawlor returned with some vengeance on 59 minutes when cutting in from the right and seeing his initial attempt parried. Seán O’Connor let rip on the breaking ball which was blocked before Lawlor tucked home to close to within 2-23 to 2-18.
And with four minutes of added-time still to go, Rathnure couldn’t exactly be ruled out. However, Ferns St. Aidans simply had the required response whenever needed as the 2013 finalists continue to warm nicely into this 2022 chase.
Ferns St. Aidans: James Lawlor; James Tonks, Niall Murphy, Declan Byrne; Patrick Breen, Eoin Murphy, Conor Scallan (0-1); Tommy Dwyer, Rory Scallan; Chris Turner (0-2), Paul Morris (0-4), Jonny Dwyer (0-3); Corey Byrne-Dunbar (2-6), Ian Byrne (0-6, 5 frees, 1 ’65), Diarmuid Doyle (0-2). Subs. – Christopher O’Connor (0-1) for Doyle (HT), Benny Jordan for T. Dwyer (43), Ciarán Roberts for C. Scallan (43), Ryan Nolan for Tonks (46), Doyle for O’Connor, inj. (54).
Rathnure: Dermot Flynn; Ciarán Doyle-Maher, Stephen Martin, Paddy Whiteley; Aidan Redmond, A.J. Redmond (0-1 ’65), Eoin Higgins; Micheál O’Connor, Eamon Wickham; Shane Lawlor (1-2), Eoin Boggan (0-1), Ciarán O’Connor; Owen Lennon, Michael Redmond (1-4), Jack Redmond (0-10, 3 frees). Subs. – Seán O’Connor for Lennon, inj. (24), James Tobin for Boggan (43), Conor Somers for M. Redmond (49), Michael Martin (0-1) for Doyle-Maher (55).
Referee: Seán Whelan (St. Martin’s).
July 17: Shelmaliers 1-27, Ferns St. Aidans 3-15
Shelmaliers recovered from gifting Ferns St. Aidans a couple of particularly preventable goals to haul themselves to a precious victory in Sunday’s fourth round Pettitt’s Senior hurling championship Group B showdown in sizzling Bellefield.
A third successive defeat would have left two-time champions Shelmaliers under severe pressure to make the cut with Rathnure to come next weekend.
But Vinny Parker’s charges brought their greater will to the exchanges as they out-hurled a Ferns collective which wasn’t quite humming as they had done in the course of sweeping to three straight victories and qualification.
Yet, Ferns were right in the mix for a long way largely owing to some charitable Shelmaliers defending which provided the Gorey District contenders with their second and third goals.
Shelmaliers actually posed the earliest goal danger, with James Cash forcing a ‘65 which Paul Hearne pointed after three minutes in the course of clawing their way to a 0-5 to 0-3 advantage.
Joe Kelly forced another smart save from Ferns netminder James Lawlor, with Hearne making it a double-scores margin from the resultant ‘65 in the eleventh minute.
But Shelmaliers were rocked when the puck-out translated into a route-one goal, as Diarmuid Doyle gathered and lashed a stinger which struck off the ‘keeper’s body onto the right upright before pinging in across the goal-line to level at 1-3 to 0-6.
Shelmaliers were demonstrating the greater urgency as they bounced back into a 0-10 to 1-3 lead courtesy of Joe Kelly, Paul Hearne (two frees) and Ross Banville.
However, despite such fine work in the sapping conditions, the black and ambers were stung again when Corey Byrne-Dunbar fed Benny Jordan in the right corner, from where the latter worked enough space to deliver a cross that Diarmuid Doyle banged home after ghosting in at the far post to cut the gap to 0-10 to 2-3.
And the sides shared the next six points before Ferns cheered the most gift-wrapped of goals – with the Shelmaliers’ ‘keeper going out to the left of his goal to seek out a pass from the opposite corner, only for the poorly measured delivery to be latched upon by Ian Byrne as he nabbed a 3-6 to 0-13 transformation after 25 minutes.
Shelmaliers merit credit for never allowing such sucker-punches to deflate them, and they eventually balanced matters on 1-15 to 3-9 at half-time when Conor Hearne made no mistake as he was sent through by Seán Keane-Carroll to bag the equalising goal.
Paul Hearne (free) and Ross Banville helped Shelmaliers edge ahead by 1-17 to 3-10 on the resumption before Ian Byrne’s third of the half for Ferns (his second free on the trot) had them shading it by 3-12 to 1-17 after 42 minutes.
Then came the decisive surge, with five Shelmaliers scores without interruption from Eoin Doyle, Simon Donohoe (two), Joe Kelly and Paul Hearne shifting the pendulum back towards a vital black and amber victory (1-22 to 3-12).
Corey Byrne-Dunbar with his first after being picked out from a free by substitute Tommy Dwyer, and two more Ian Byrne submissions (one free), kept Ferns in with a shout after 59 minutes (1-23 to 3-15).
But a fourth score from ever-adventurous defender Simon Donohoe – and he used such liberty wisely here – together with frees from Joe Kelly and Paul Hearne helped safeguard a crucial victory as Shelmaliers keep themselves in the frame to make it a sixth campaign on the trot to make the business-end of the hurling chase.
Ferns St. Aidans: James Lawlor; Patrick Breen (0-1), Niall Murphy (capt.), Conor Scallan; James Tonks, Eoin Murphy, Ciarán Roberts; Rory Scallan, Benny Jordan (0-2); Ian Byrne (1-10, 6 frees, 1 ‘65), Chris Turner (0-1), Corey Byrne-Dunbar (0-1); Paul Morris, Diarmuid Doyle (2-0), Jonny Dwyer. Subs. – Ryan Nolan for Morris, inj. (HT), Tommy Dwyer for J. Dwyer (51), John Breen for Byrne-Dunbar (59).
Shelmaliers: Adam Howlin; Aidan Cash (0-1), Brian Malone, Jody Donohoe; Glen Malone, Simon Donohoe (0-5), Eoin Doyle (0-1); Conor Hearne (1-1), Ciarán O’Shaughnessy; Seán Keane-Carroll, Aaron Murphy, James Cash; Ross Banville (0-4), Joe Kelly (0-6, 1 free), Paul Hearne (0-9, 4 frees, 2 ‘65s). Subs. – Dylan O’Neill for J. Cash (39), Cian Doyle for Murphy (57), Luke Roche for P. Hearne, inj. (60).
Referee: John O’Loughlin (Monageer-Boolavogue).
July 24: Ferns St. Aidans 3-16, St. Martin’s 2-19
ST. MARTIN’S and Ferns St. Aidans shared the spoils in an entertaining clash in Group B of the Pettitt’s Senior hurling championship in O’Kennedy Park, New Ross on Sunday.
With neither team guaranteed safe passage to the knockout stages before throw-in, the point apiece, along with other results going in favour of St. Martin’s, ensured that both sides made it safely through to the quarter-finals.
It’s hard to argue that a draw wasn’t the fair result in this tie. In general, the game ebbed and flowed and, like a boxing match, when one side would land a punch, the other would quickly retaliate and produce one of their own.
Ferns were far sharper out of the blocks and arguably could have made the St. Martin’s task almost insurmountable had they been slightly more clinical in the opening ten minutes.
Former county player Ian Byrne and the wily Benny Jordan got their points tally moving either side of a Ryan Nolan rocket off the crossbar as they dominated the early exchanges.
The fast start continued in the sixth minute. Byrne surprisingly fired his free low, only for it to be batted away, but he soon regained possession and made no mistake with his second effort, firing past Dylan Byrne in the St. Martin’s goal.
Byrne capped off an impressive opening ten minutes with another point to push Ferns into a 1-3 to nil lead.
St. Martin’s gradually kicked into gear and found some rhythm after their opening score in the eleventh minute through Jack O’Connor.
They followed up with five more points in just six minutes. Joe Barrett, David Codd and Jack Devereux all found the target, while the reliable Joe Coleman pointed twice from dead balls.
Jonny Dwyer had scored for Ferns during this mini Martin’s renaissance, and it was soon their turn to have another spell of supremacy. A Byrne double and a Diarmuid Doyle single extended their lead back to four by the 28th minute (1-7 to 0-6).
Importantly, St. Martin’s closed out the half well. Coleman, O’Connor and Kyle Firman added points in the final moments to reduce the deficit again.
Whatever was said at half-time worked a treat for the Piercestown and Murrintown outfit. Mikey Coleman had the ball in the net just 15 seconds after the restart after a great turn and run.
Coleman, Luke Kavanagh and O’Connor fired over soon after to turn the tie on its head (1-12 to 1-8).
As quickly as they went behind, Ferns brought it back level. Byrne capitalised on a parried shot from Doyle to pull into the net before Doyle himself pointed moments later.
Goals continued to fly in. Kyle Firman finished into the bottom left having been fed by Mikey Coleman, and Joe Coleman and Jack O’Connor pointed either side of this goal to give St. Martin’s another sizeable cushion (2-14 to 2-9).
It was at this point that the leaders looked to have settled into a comfortable advantage. They exchanged a few points with Ferns but tried to keep them at arm’s length.
Joe Coleman and Kyle Firman kept St. Martin’s ticking over, but bit by bit Byrne began to reel them back in with a fine display of sharpshooting.
The lead eventually changed hands again with six minutes left to play, when substitute Christopher O’Connor pulled into the net after a fantastic John Breen catch (3-15 to 2-16).
St. Martin’s dug in and scored three in a row through Zac and Kyle Firman along with Joe Coleman, only to be denied victory with the last puck of the game from Ferns talisman Byrne.
St. Martin’s will face neighbours St. Anne’s on Saturday at 5 p.m. while Ferns St. Aidans will meet Glynn-Barntown on Monday at the same time, with both quarter-finals in Chadwicks Wexford Park.
Ferns St. Aidans: James Lawlor; Conor Scallan, Niall Murphy, Declan Byrne; Patrick Breen, Eoin Murphy, James Tonks; Ciarán Roberts, Rory Scallan; Chris Turner, Ian Byrne (2-9, 0-6 frees), Jonny Dwyer (0-1); Diarmuid Doyle (0-3), Ryan Nolan, Benny Jordan (0-2). Subs. - Christopher O’Connor (1-1) for Roberts (41), John Breen for Doyle (43).
St. Martin’s: Dylan Byrne; Joe Barrett (0-1), Patrick O’Connor, Philip Dempsey; Diarmuid O’Leary, Conor Firman, Jake Firman; Mark Maloney, Luke Kavanagh (0-1); David Codd (0-1), Jack O’Connor (0-4), Mikey Coleman (1-0); Jack Devereux (0-1), Kyle Firman (1-3), Joe Coleman (0-7, 5 frees). Subs. - Zac Firman (0-1) for M. Coleman (52), Daithí Waters for Devereux (54).
Referee: Dan Crosby (Kilmore).
August 1, quarter-final: Ferns St. Aidans 2-18, Glynn-Barntown 1-14
THE ONLY team to beat Rapparees in the current campaign will get another crack at them in the semi-final after Ferns St. Aidan’s turned in a very solid performance to end Glynn-Barntown’s interest in the Pettitt’s Senior hurling championship by a seven-point margin as the rain teemed down in Chadwicks Wexford Park on Monday.
In the process they overturned last season’s one-goal group stage loss to the Wexford District side in a fractious tie at the same venue, and their success was certainly fully merited on this occasion.
They had left themselves with the best possible chance when they went in at half-time with a slender 1-8 to 0-10 advantage after facing the elements first.
And while they caused some anxious moments for their supporters by striking six of their ten wides in the third quarter, the introduction of skilful veteran Benny Jordan settled the team as he rifled over three sweet points and daylight finally appeared between the sides.
It was clear that dogged hard work would get the job done in a truly miserable setting weather-wise, and the Ferns men approached that task with relish as they now bid to atone for last year’s quarter-final exit to the Rapps.
Paul Morris looked like he was going to completely dominate in the early stages, scoring two of the first five Ferns points as well as having a direct hand in the other three.
And although his influence gradually faded, the most consistent performers for the winners were smack bang in the middle of their defence.
The forceful Eoin Murphy attacked the greasy ball with a welcome relish from centre-back, and most of what went in over his head to the full-forward line was dealt with in an equally capable manner by the impressive Niall Murphy who was very strong in the tackle.
Glynn-Barntown’s bid to reach a third semi-final on the trot was given a lifeline when Rowan White appeared to get his stick to a head-high John Leacy free that zipped in around the danger zone in the 57th minute, reducing the deficit they faced to 1-16 to 1-13.
Ian Byrne went on to put his body in the way of a Craig Doyle shot at the Clonard end, and his next involvement saw him earn and convert a free that left four between them and leave Ferns within touching distance of progress.
They had been the better team without a shadow of doubt, and the outcome was finally put to bed at the start of the three additional minutes when a point-scoring effort from Tommy Dwyer dropped short but ended up in the net via Mark Fanning’s fingertips.
Paul Morris had joined Ian Byrne and Ryan Nolan in the full-forward line from the off, and he got off the mark after a mere eleven seconds following Rory Scallan’s delivery.
Gary Moore levelled from distance before Matt Doyle put Glynn-Barntown in front, but a Morris handpass set up the accurate Jonny Dwyer for a fifth-minute equaliser.
Rowan White and Moore stretched the wind-aided Glynn-Barntown’s advantage to two, but another Morris assist led to a Corey Byrne-Dunbar point from the right flank before Ferns created a clearcut goalscoring chance.
Chris Turner popped a pass inside to the inrushing Rory Scallan who bore down on Mark Fanning, but the county netminder showed why he has held that position for so long with a top-class save.
It didn’t deter Ferns all the same, as Ian Byrne was fouled after gathering a Paul Morris cross and sent over the free for the equaliser.
Morris made it 0-5 to 0-4 in the twelfth minute and, after being marked at the outset by Brendan Doyle, the Glynn-Barntown mentors reacted to his threat by bringing captain and county colleague David Clarke back from midfield in a bid to keep him quiet.
A heavy knock late in the first-half restricted the influence of Morris on the remainder of the game, but he more than played his part with that outstanding opening quarter display.
Two John Leacy points, the second from a free after a cynical but necessary foul from a Ferns point of view on the goal-bound Rowan White, edged Glynn-Barntown ahead, but it was shortlived.
Their goal was breached in the 17th minute when Ryan Nolan lifted his head and sent a sweet pass from left to right to the unmarked Jonny Dwyer, who had the time and the necessary composure to crash a shot beyond Fanning (1-5 to 0-6).
Fanning (free) and Michael Doyle ensured parity once again before Ian Byrne fired over two more frees.
And Ferns went on to lead by 1-8 to 0-10 at half-time after Conor Scallan came forward to avail of a Chris Turner pass into space in between Glynn-Barntown points from Matt and Thomas Doyle.
Ferns may have added the first two points on the restart via Jonny Dwyer and a Byrne free, but they also kept Glynn-Barntown in the game with a series of missed opportunities and poor shot selection.
Brendan Doyle pulled a point back to leave two in it (1-10 to 0-11), just as Ferns sent for one of their most experienced players in Benny Jordan to provide some fresh legs and a little bit of his customary cuteness.
And he certainly didn’t disappoint, intercepting a Glynn-Barntown puck-out to arrow over the first of those three points in the 40th minute.
Gary Moore hit back, and it was still too close for comfort from a Ferns viewpoint after another exchange between free-takers Byrne and Leacy midway through the half (1-12 to 0-13).
Significantly, the Gorey District side struck four points without reply between the 49th and 56th minutes, and it was no surprise that Jordan should set the example with a glorious score from under the stand after a Niall Murphy handpass.
James Lawlor was called upon to make a smart save to foil Rowan White before half-time substitute Diarmuid Doyle split the posts with a classy over-the-shoulder effort.
Ian Byrne then pointed via the crossbar with a looping shot that at one stage appared to be going wide before Jordan completed his hat-trick, popping up on the opposite left wing this time to finish off a Tommy Dwyer pass.
Those scores were precious as they still left Ferns in the driving seat despite conceding that late goal.
And while their own second green flag can be attributed to the slippery ball rather than any ingenuity on their own part, it did emphasise a superiority that was clear on such a tough evening for hurling.
Ferns St. Aidan’s: James Lawlor; Conor Scallan (0-1), Niall Murphy, Declan Byrne (capt.); Patrick Breen, Eoin Murphy, James Tonks; Tommy Dwyer (1-0), Rory Scallan; Chris Turner, Corey Byrne-Dunbar (0-1), Jonny Dwyer (1-2); Ryan Nolan, Ian Byrne (0-7, 6 frees), Paul Morris (0-2). Subs. – Diarmuid Doyle (0-1) for Turner (HT), Benny Jordan (0-3) for J. Dwyer (38), Ciarán Roberts for D. Byrne (47), Christopher O’Connor (0-1) for Nolan (48), John Breen for Morris (57).
Glynn-Barntown: Mark Fanning (0-1 free); Brendan Doyle (0-1), Michael O’Regan, Pádraig Donnelly; Darragh Carley, Ger Dempsey, Thomas Doyle (0-1); David Clarke (capt.), Craig Doyle; Matt Doyle (0-2), Michael Doyle (0-1), Rowan White (1-1); John Leacy (0-4, 3 frees), Gary Moore (0-3, 1 line ball), Matthew Joyce. Subs. – Fionn Cooney for Carley (41), Shane Wilde for Michael Doyle (49), Daragh Murphy for Joyce (55), Cormac Cooney for Matt Doyle (60).
Referee: Eamonn Furlong (Rapparees).
August 7, semi-final: Ferns St. Aidans 1-23, Rapparees 0-25 (after extra time)
The excitement was off the charts in sun-baked Chadwicks Wexford Park on Sunday as Ferns St. Aidan’s put a horrible third quarter behind them to dethrone Rapparees after extra-time in a pulsating finish to the second Pettitt’s Senior hurling championship semi-final.
A nine-year gap since their last appearance on the biggest day was bridged in the process, and it was evident how much it meant to them at the final whistle as substitutes and supporters swarmed on to the field to embrace their heroes.
Rapparees went down fighting to their immense credit, but they will wonder how they let it slip after leading by 0-16 to 0-10 with less than seven minutes of regulation time remaining.
Even more so, they will be asking serious questions as to why a long-range strike by excellent wing-back Jack Kelly didn’t result in a point at the death.
Ferns sharpshooter Ian Byrne had converted a free to leave his team trailing by 0-17 to 1-13, with Rapparees netminder Anthony Larkin resuming quickly and Kelly receiving the ball in space on the left flank.
From my vantage point, his shot looked to have gone over the bar at the town end, and supporters behind the ball on the uncovered stand side were even more adamant afterwards.
There was no reaction whatsoever initially from the umpires – looking into a strong sun – and then it was waved wide.
The equaliser that forced extra-time arrived when Ferns captain Declan Byrne, who was introduced at the start of the last quarter, drove the ball into a packed goalmouth, with Ian Byrne latching on to it and firing over after a sharp turn.
The point arrived more than seven minutes into additional time, and at a stage when Ferns were down to 14 men. An extra five had been announced initially, but a delay ensued for treatment to Oisín Pepper after defender Conor Scallan was red-carded for a high challenge close to the main stand as the excitement intensified.
While a lot of the play had been pretty uninspiring beforehand, that all-action finish certainly provided ample compensation, and the best was yet to come.
Indeed, the standard of score-taking in the first period of extra-time – with James Tonks returning as the 15th Ferns man – was off the charts given the sweltering conditions and the effort already expended.
The teams shared ten points in that spell that ended 1-19 to 0-22, and it looked like it would be impossible to divide them.
Similar to the second-half of regulation time, Rapparees were attacking the town end again, but Ian Byrne drew first blood from a free before the outstanding and inspiring Darragh Pepper replied.
Oisín Pepper then had an effort on goal stopped and, with no advantage accruing, a free was awarded for an earlier foul on Nick Doyle and the impressive Ryan Mahon duly nudged the Rapps into a 0-19 to 1-15 lead.
An incredible sequence of scoring followed in an all-action ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ spell. Corey Byrne-Dunbar levelled, only for Anthony Roche to reply instantly from an Oisín Pepper pass.
Niall Murphy teed up Paul Morris to make it 1-17 to 0-20, and 45 seconds later Darragh Pepper posted a brilliant point under heavy pressure.
Ian Byrne equalised before effective substitute John Breen hit a fine lead score from a James Lawlor clearance, but Darragh Pepper’s third extra-time point ensured they remained deadlocked at the break (0-22 to 1-19).
Rapparees – who missed the injured Alan Tobin out of their midfield engine room – started to falter on the restart as Ferns gained a telling edge with three points inside five minutes.
Ian Byrne pointed two frees, the second one after Liam Ryan made a fine catch in his own square but then spoiled it with a stray short pass.
When a Christopher O’Connor handpass located Diarmuid Doyle to make it 1-22 to 0-22, Ferns were looking good, but Rapparees showed a burning desire in a bid to become the first Enniscorthy town team to reach back-to-back finals since Shamrocks in 1970.
Darragh Pepper earned a free for Ryan Mahon to convert before he hit his fifth point from play, and the leveller arrived after Jack Kelly was fouled deep in his own half.
Ryan Mahon hit it crossfield to the unmarked Anthony Murphy, and the Senior newcomer showed nerves of steel with a cool long-range strike that just about made it over the bar (0-25 to 1-22).
The winner arrived directly from the puck-out, with Paul Morris securing possession close to the left sideline and striking a beauty between the town-end posts.
However, Rapparees came agonisingly close to forcing parity, as a James Peare strike was bravely blocked before the breaking ball arrived to veteran substitute Tomás Mahon, but his second wide was followed by the long whistle from referee Barry Redmond.
The holders had shown serious intent from the off, surging into a 0-4 to 0-1 lead after 13 minutes thanks to points from Liam Ryan, Ryan Mahon (free) and Kevin Foley after an initial exchange between Oisín Pepper and Ian Byrne.
It was 0-6 to 0-2 at the water break, after Corey Byrne-Dunbar’s first score led to responses from Mahon and Ryan, who was eager to surge forward into advanced attacking positions at every opportunity.
The brief half to proceedings seemed to do Ferns the world of good, because they resumed with three scores from Ciarán Roberts, Chris Turner and Ian Byrne (free) to make it a one-point game.
And although Rapparees kept their noses in front at all times and led by 0-9 to 0-8 at the break, they missed out on a golden opportunity to crash home a goal in the 29th minute.
Kevin Foley was upended for a penalty by the yellow-carded Niall Murphy and, after receiving treatment, perhaps he wasn’t the best candidate to take it. Certainly, his strike to the right and wide was out of character, and Rapparees went on to have a let-off in additional time when Corey Byrne-Dunbar opted to take a safe point when a goal looked on the cards.
The third quarter was a disaster for Ferns, as they shot eight wides without scoring whereas the Rapps reeled off five points from Ryan Mahon (free), Lenny Connolly, Kevin Foley (two) and Ricky Fox.
Ferns had to wait until the 49th minute for their opening second-half point, from an Ian Byrne free. And although Diarmuid Doyle added one from play, Rapparees halted their march when Ben Edwards made a vital interception after the short puck-out that followed went awry.
Ryan Mahon (’65) and Lenny Connolly made it 0-16 to 0-10, but the turning point arrived in the 55th minute.
Ferns had introduced Christopher O’Connor and John Breen to form a two-man inside attacking line, with Paul Morris and Ian Byrne drifting outfield after both had alternated on the edge of the square beforehand.
And the experienced Breen was the man of the moment when he finished off a Patrick Breen pass with a goal that filled Ferns with new-found hope (0-16 to 1-10).
Ian Byrne (free) and Paul Morris tacked on points, with Darragh Pepper nailing his first before the game moved into additional time and Ferns were soon reduced to 14 players.
Getting the two points that forced extra-time has to be fully commended in the circumstances but, after St. Anne’s had good reason to be aggrieved one week earlier, this time around Rapparees appear to have equally sound grounds for annoyance after that late unrewarded strike from Jack Kelly.
Ferns St. Aidan’s: James Lawlor; Ciarán Roberts (0-1), Niall Murphy, Conor Scallan; Rory Scallan, Eoin Murphy, James Tonks; Tommy Dwyer, Patrick Breen; Chris Turner (0-1), Paul Morris (0-3), Jonnny Dwyer; Corey Byrne-Dunbar (0-3), Ian Byrne (0-12, 9 frees), Ryan Nolan. Subs. – Diarmuid Doyle (0-2) for Nolan, inj. (30+2), Benny Jordan for J. Dwyer (43), Declan Byrne (capt.) for Tonks (47), John Breen (1-1) for T. Dwyer (53), Christopher O’Connor for Turner (53), James Tonks (15th man for extra-time), Tommy Dwyer for R. Scallan (71), Turner for Tonks, inj. (80), Jonny Dwyer for Breen (80+2).
Rapparees: Anthony Larkin; Kevin Courtney, Liam Ryan (0-2), Dillon Redmond; James Peare, Ben Edwards, Jack Kelly; Anthony Roche (0-1), Kevin Foley (capt., 0-3); Ricky Fox (0-1), Nick Doyle, Ryan Mahon (0-9, 6 frees, 1 ’65); Lenny Connolly (0-2), Oisín Pepper (0-1), Tommy Foley. Subs. – Orán Carty for Redmond (HT), Darragh Pepper (0-5) for Carty (55), Tomás Mahon for Courtney (70), Anthony Murphy (0-1) for Roche (74).
Referee: Barry Redmond (Na Fianna Clonard).
August 14, County Final: Ferns St. Aidans 1-20, St. Martin's 0-22
A moment the good folk of Ferns St. Aidan’s have been waiting for all their lives finally arrived in Chadwicks Wexford Park on Sunday, and it’s one that they will remember forever.
There’s nothing as special in a sporting context as winning a major title for the first time, and that last blast of referee Eamonn Furlong’s whistle resonated with partisans and neutrals alike – signifying history being made.
This was an engrossing and extremely entertaining Pettitt’s Senior hurling championship decider, with Ferns St. Aidan’s joining the ranks of title winners by the minimum margin against a St. Martin’s side that pushed them to their very limits.
Coming through on the right side after such a titanic battle makes their marvellous achievement all the sweeter, and they will look back with pride on several moments of inspiration and magic that ultimately decided the outcome.
However, it was the collective effort of the fantastic Ferns St. Aidan’s players that really shone through, with mighty contributions from all over the field and off the bench as their veterans made up for the disappointment of losing at the same stage to Oulart-The Ballagh in 2013.
They all realised that this was an opportunity that simply had to be seized, and that message was clearly hammered home to their younger colleagues too as a supreme united effort ensured a new name was added to the prestigious roll of honour.
Ten of the players used on Sunday were survivors from nine years earlier, and every club hurling follower in the county will be delighted that these stalwarts of the game have finally received such rich rewards for their never-ending efforts.
TG4 man of the match Paul Morris led that inspiring group that also features captain Declan Byrne, James Tonks, Ciarán ‘Bertie’ Roberts, Benny Jordan, Tommy Dwyer, Ian Byrne, Jonny Dwyer, John Breen and Christopher ‘Bitzy’ O’Connor – a roll call of magnificent servants who have now entered the pantheon of all-time Ferns St. Aidan’s greats.
That figure would have numbered eleven but for the cruciate ligament injury that ruled the talented Gavin Bailey out of this campaign, and it was a classy touch by Declan Byrne to ensure the pair lifted the Dr. R.J. Bowe Cup together.
If the elder statesmen more than played their part, then the same holds true for the rest of their colleagues.
Patrick Breen’s spectacular booted goal near the end of the first-half was a priceless piece of individual magic, with only one thing on his mind when the ground opened up in front of him as he bolted towards the town end goal.
James Lawlor was safety personified between the posts, while Niall and Eoin Murphy will have to enter the conversation for starting places with Wexford given the quality defending both displayed throughout this memorable campaign.
The same holds true for Corey Byrne-Dunbar who outlined once again why he is such an exciting attacking prospect, while the top-notch contributions of Rory Scallan, Chris Turner and Diarmuid Doyle, plus late substitute Ryan Nolan in earlier games, must also be acknowledged. The club’s unsuccessful efforts to have Conor Scallan freed from suspension continued until Saturday night, but he had certainly played his part too in previous rounds.
While it’s only natural that the entire focus is on the new champions, the first-class effort of St. Martin’s also deserves the highest praise.
It will be cold comfort for the losers to realise that they left it all on the field and tried everything possible to win against the odds. Indeed, it was one of the best performances by a losing side that I can recall on county final day, considering the absence of Rory O’Connor and his brother Jack being restricted to a late appearance off the bench.
Not for the first time in this campaign, several of their younger players displayed leadership traits beyond their tender years. Gritty defender Joe Barrett stood tall in that regard, never shying away from the battle he underwent with Paul Morris for long stages after the Ferns talisman moved out to the ’40, while attacking ace Kyle Firman added five points from play to the six he struck in the semi-final.
Rest assured that a full-strength St. Martin’s team will be a formidable force in the years to come, and they more than played their part in a final that lived up to all expectations that it would be a very tight contest.
The 2019 champions got off the mark when Joe Coleman pointed from under the stand after 49 seconds, with Ian Byrne hitting the first of seven Ferns wides from a free he had earned before they levelled in the fourth minute.
A long delivery by James Lawlor broke off Byrne into the path of Paul Morris, and he opened his account from the left flank.
Morris turned provider for the lead score, latching on to a diagonal Tommy Dwyer line ball and handpassing out to wing-back James Tonks who slotted over.
Joe Coleman levelled from a free, with St. Martin’s putting Conor Firman on Morris initially while Joe Barrett kept tabs on Byrne before the Ferns pair swapped positions. When that happened, Barrett remained at centre-back and his fascinating duel with Morris unfolded.
Corey Byrne-Dunbar cleverly won a ’65 on the endline in a tussle with Diarmuid O’Leary that was pointed by Byrne for a 0-3 to 0-2 lead in the eighth minute.
Tommy Dwyer and Rory Scallan then combined to create the first of Jonny Dwyer’s three points from play, but Kyle Firman hit back after controlling a long Dylan Byrne free.
Ian Byrne made it 0-5 to 0-3 from a free after a rampaging run by Rory Scallan, and that’s how it remained at the first water break.
And although a Joe Coleman placed ball reduced arrears to the minimum on the restart, Ferns hit a bright patch that yielded three points without reply in a very fruitful 58-second period.
Another foul on Scallan was converted by Byrne, with the puck-out sent straight to Jonny Dwyer who returned it over the bar with interest. And when Corey Byrne-Dunbar dinked a lovely pass into the path of Diarmuid Doyle, for a split second it looked like he might put the head down and go for goal, before opting for a point instead (0-8 to 0-4).
Aaron Maddock picked out Joe Coleman from the restart and the St. Martin’s top scorer surged forward with a goal on his mind, but James Lawlor made a super save at the expense of a ’65 that Coleman missed for the first of just three wides from the losers.
However, that marked the beginning of a spell of Martin’s dominance that yielded six points on the bounce in a mere eight minutes.
Coleman atoned from a long-range free after a foul on Joe Barrett, and he sent over his next ’65 after Ferns full-back Niall Murphy blocked an Aaron Maddock shot.
Mark Maloney sprayed a neat pass into space for Kyle Firman to register his second score, and the equaliser came from Luke Kavanagh after Conor Firman won the puck-out (0-8 each).
Maloney was again the provider for Jack Devereux to shoot the lead point, and the young corner-forward quickly added another after a crossfield Kyle Firman pass.
Just when it looked like Ferns were losing their way, they came up with a spectacular response from the most unlikely of sources.
Patrick Breen started in the full-back line but had drifted outfield when he produced the moment that will mark him down as a hero of the red and white jersey for the rest of his life.
A long James Lawlor clearance down the left wing was caught by Corey Byrne-Dunbar and played outside to Jonny Dwyer. He in turn got the call from Breen who was running off his right shoulder, with the handpass collected on the 45-metre line.
Breen could see the Martin’s defence parting in front of him, and he didn’t need any further encouragement. Although David Codd and Philip Dempsey tried their best, they couldn’t get a tackle in and the Ferns flyer bore down on Dylan Byrne’s goal before kicking home powerfully off the back staunchion – a natural way to finish for a man who spent four consecutive campaigns with the county’s Minor and Under-21 footballers from 2011 to 2014.
That rousing moment edged Ferns in front again (1-8 to 0-10), and Jonny Dwyer added his third point for good measure before Aaron Maddock pulled one back before the break.
Paul Morris doubled his own account on the restart after intercepting a stray Martin’s pass, but the Firmans combined at the other end as Jake fed Kyle who made it a one-point game again (1-10 to 0-12).
And although Conor Firman made one fine catch over the head of Ian Byrne, there was a different outcome when James Lawlor sprayed a long ball towards the Clonard end in the 34th minute.
This time Byrne grabbed it and, with a goal on his mind, his scorcher flew over the bar but it was his second-last meaningful involvement. He succumbed to injury a short time later after sending over a free in response to one from Joe Coleman, leaving Ferns without the championship’s leading scorer as they faced a battle to the death.
Joe Barrett popped up in an advanced position to accept a Kyle Firman pass and slot it over, but Benny Jordan made an instant impact off the bench, pulling on a ball near the uncovered stand sideline and teeing up Corey Byrne-Dunbar for a lovely point (1-13 to 0-14).
Jake Firman responded from distance, with Paul Morris converting a tricky free from the left flank – the only time he was required after taking over the placed-ball duties from the departed Ian Byrne.
Morris covered an enormous amount of ground and regularly popped up in his own half in fire-fighting mode, and it was from there that he sent a sweet short pass to Benny Jordan for a crowd-rousing point in the 41st minute (1-15 to 0-15).
However, St. Martin’s weren’t going away, and Aaron Maddock picked out Kyle Firman in space for the last score prior to the water break.
A Diarmuid Doyle drive for goal was blocked on the restart, but Corey Byrne-Dunbar ensured the attack ended with something positive as he picked off a point (1-16 to 0-16).
And a costly incident followed for St. Martin’s as they lost a free for retaliation after an initial overcarrying call against Paul Morris. The ball was seized upon by James Tonks from the throw-in, and his crossfield pass was popped over the bar by Diarmuid Doyle.
Mikey Coleman pulled a point back in his last involvement before making way for Jack O’Connor, and an opening for goal was fashioned by the Wexford District men shortly afterwards.
Joe Barrett kept moving forward after his catch started the move that subsequently featured substitute Darren Codd and Kyle Firman. And while Barrett tried a speculative shot on goal, Ciarán Roberts threw his body at it and kept it out for a ’65 that Joe Coleman sent over (1-17 to 0-18).
A clever Tommy Dwyer line ball back to Jonny Dwyer, who popped a short pass over a defender to an unmarked Corey Byrne-Dunbar, resulted in a handy Ferns point, but St. Martin’s drove forward again.
Three points followed in four minutes to equalise, with Kyle Firman hitting the last of his five before Joe Coleman arrowed over two frees (0-21 to 1-18).
With additional time upon us, Ferns hit the front again when a Jonny Dwyer line ball into the goalmouth was finished over the bar by substitute Christopher O’Connor.
Jack O’Connor was inches away from keeping Dylan Byrne’s puck-out in play, with the line ball that followed under the stand batted out of play by Willie Devereux.
What followed was one of the best moments of this energy-sapping eight-week championship, as Jonny Dwyer stepped up and, from all of 50 yards, he sent a beauty between the posts to leave Ferns with a 1-20 to 0-21 lead.
The finishing line was in sight, but they weren’t quite there yet. Jack O’Connor was fouled from the puck-out and Joe Coleman registered his tenth point, but James Lawlor’s puck-out was the last strike of an afternoon when a long-held dream became a beautiful reality for Ferns St. Aidan’s.
Captain Declan Byrne ticked all the right boxes in a fine speech, acknowledging the huge part played by St. Martin’s in this absorbing game first and foremost before later reserving a special word for the recently-deceased Tom Guinan and Jack Byrne, two club legends. Hopefully they had the best seats in heaven to witness a win that would have meant the world to both inspiring men.
Ferns St. Aidans: James Lawlor; Declan Byrne (capt.), Niall Murphy, Patrick Breen (1-0); Ciarán Roberts, Eoin Murphy, James Tonks (0-1); Rory Scallan, Tommy Dwyer; Chris Turner, Ian Byrne (0-5, 3 frees, 1 ’65), Jonny Dwyer (0-4, 1 line ball); Diarmuid Doyle (0-2), Paul Morris (0-3, 1 free), Corey Byrne-Dunbar (0-3). Subs. – Benny Jordan (0-1) for Byrne, inj. (38), John Breen for Turner (41), Christopher O’Connor (0-1) for Doyle (57), Ryan Nolan for Scallan (60+1), Turner for Byrne-Dunbar, temp. (60+2-60+4), also Michael Walsh, Paddy O’Hagan, Brian O’Neill, Conor O’Toole, Brian Stafford, Peter O’Toole, Seb Rynhart, Peter Nolan, Barry Murphy, Pádraig Kinsella, Conor Scallan, Gavin Bailey.
St. Martin’s: Dylan Byrne; Diarmuid O’Leary, Conor Firman (capt.), Philip Dempsey; Patrick O’Connor, Joe Barrett (0-1), David Codd; Mark Maloney, Jake Firman (0-1); Luke Kavanagh (0-1), Aaron Maddock (0-1), Joe Coleman (0-10, 7 frees, 2 ’65s); Kyle Firman (0-5), Jack Devereux (0-2), Mikey Coleman (0-1). Subs. – Darren Codd for Devereux (42), Willie Devereux for Kavanagh (49), Jack O’Connor for M. Coleman (52), Daithí Waters for Maloney (54), also Christopher Ryan, Eoin O’Leary, Conor Kelly, Paudie Kelly, Zac Firman, Jamie Berry, Shane Walsh, Zach Breslin, Rory Devereux, Brian Codd, Joe Mernagh.
Referee: Eamonn Furlong (Rapparees).
November 13, Leinster Club Championship: St. Mullins 1-19, Ferns St. Aidans 1-17
The maiden voyage of Ferns St. Aidans into the AIB Leinster Club Senior hurling championship ended in a frustrating two-point defeat to St. Mullins in Netwatch Cullen Park, Carlow on Sunday.
And the bitter regret will surely linger as the more seasoned victors now go forward to a mouth-watering clash with Kilmacud Crokes in the provincial semi-final to be held in Croke Park on a November 27 double bill along with the meeting of Ballyhale Shamrocks and Naas.
Trailing by 0-12 to 1-6 at half-time, Ferns shipped a huge blow in the 47th minute when a solo goal from St. Mullins midfielder Conor Kehoe widened the gap to six points (1-16 to 1-10).
However, the unerring free-taking of Ian Byrne ensured that advantage was gradually whittled down. And when he nailed his eighth placed ball, and seventh of the half, almost 90 seconds into the four additional minutes, the margin was shaved to the minimum (1-18 to 1-17).
Ferns didn’t help their cause by conceding a string of needless frees though, and the last chance afforded to ace marksman Marty Kavanagh was converted to leave the Wexford men requiring a goal with only seconds remaining.
Centre-back and sweeper Eoin Murphy – who had a fine game – launched a long ball towards the scoreboard end goal and although James Tonks connected with a pull, it was safely gathered by netminder Kevin Kehoe who then lost possession as he tried to clear his lines.
It was left to captain Michael Walsh to drive the ball downfield just before referee Seán Cleere brought the curtain down on yet another disappointing early exit from the Leinster race by our county champions.
The Wexford representatives haven’t cleared the first hurdle since Naomh Éanna beat Camross of Laois by five points in 2018 (there was no competition in 2020), and they were subsequently hammered by Ballyhale Shamrocks.
The Kilkenny kingpins easily dismissed St. Martin’s in 2019, and last year Rapparees found Clough-Ballacolla of Laois too hot to handle.
Sunday’s outcome wouldn’t be regarded as a shock by anyone with even a basic knowledge of the club scene, which bears no correlation to the inter-county game.
St. Mullins made the provincial final on their last sojourn outside Carlow three years ago, and they are well accustomed to taking big scalps in their happy hunting ground of Netwatch Cullen Park.
And the old chicken and egg scenario springs to mind in trying to identify why the Wexford winners are struggling to make a lasting impression, certainly in relation to our two most recent champions at least.
The Leinster competition is usually brimming with clubs who boast loads of prior experience at this level, and that can only be gained by repetitive success on the local front. It’s a huge step up as Ferns will readily attest to after Sunday, but the sole way they can build on this bitter experience and have another go is to retain their county crown which will be a tall order in itself.
There was a time when club hurling games between Wexford and Carlow teams were no contests. Indeed, St. Mullins only scored one point and conceded 2-17 to Buffers Alley in the latter’s first defence of their Leinster and All-Ireland titles at Sunday’s venue in November of 1989.
While the standard in Carlow has improved immensely since then, we should be more concerned with the stark reality that our own main club hurling competition isn’t nearly as strong as many would claim.
The proof of that is in those underwhelming recent performances outside the county.
One ongoing coaching issue that continues to haunt us was crystal clear again in this defeat. St. Mullins were vastly superior in the air, and also held the edge in terms of winning primary possession, leading me to wonder – not for the first time – if we are getting the balance wrong between strength and conditioning and the game’s basic, but essential, skills.
In a contest of very fine margins, the winners will look back in particular on a four-point swing that occurred midway through the last quarter, at a stage when they were ahead by 1-16 to 1-12.
For once, their teamwork let them down as an attempted handpass out of defence was intercepted by Corey Byrne-Dunbar who slipped a quick pass inside to Ian Byrne.
The Ferns free-taker displayed a steely resolve throughout the second-half from a string of chances, but on this occasion his attempt on goal was expertly kept out by Kevin Kehoe.
The clearance that followed led to a foul on substitute Oisín Ryan, and Marty ‘Mouse’ Kavanagh did what he does best to make it 1-17 to 1-12 when the scoreboard might have read 1-16 to 2-12 instead.
St. Mullins showed their intent from the off, with Paddy Boland popping a handpass out to Kavanagh to register his sole point from play after 48 seconds.
He added his second from a long-range free, after James Doyle did very well to prevent the ball from going over the sideline before being fouled.
However, the early lift Ferns needed was provided as the game moved into its fourth minute. Chris Turner found Corey Byrne-Dunbar who darted in from the left flank before crossing unselfishly to Paul Morris, and he planted a firm shot beyond Kevin Kehoe for a 1-0 to 0-2 lead.
Diarmuid Doyle followed up with a good solo point directly off his hurl, and the lively Byrne-Dunbar stretched the lead to three after solid work by Morris and Ian Byrne.
Two Marty Kavanagh frees – with Byrne missing one in between for the first of Ferns’ six wides – were followed by the leveller from James Doyle from distance in the twelfth minute (0-5 to 1-2).
Chris Turner restored the Ferns lead before Eoin Murphy came to their rescue, making a goal-line clearance after big corner-forward John Doyle caught a line ball driven in from the right and delivered a shot.
The lead was widened to 1-4 to 0-5 just over 20 seconds later, courtesy of Jonny Dwyer, but Ferns were outscored in the second quarter by seven points to two as St. Mullins moved the ball with greater cohesion through the lines and also posed a more rounded threat in a well-drilled attack.
A Michael Walsh delivery inside was finished by Paddy Boland before the eventual winners registered the first of their five wides, but their next attempt at the posts was a high shot that yielded the equaliser from full-forward Jason O’Neill (0-7 to 1-4).
It was the second of five scores on the trot for St. Mullins between the 17th and 22nd minutes, with James Doyle, Marty Kavanagh (free) and wing-back Páidí O’Shea also obliging.
Diarmuid Doyle stopped the rot with a Ferns point, but Kavanagh tacked on two more from frees at the other end before Ian Byrne punished a foul on himself in additional time to leave his side trailing by 0-12 to 1-6 at the break.
They had been fortunate not to concede a goal one minute earlier, after James Doyle blocked Jonny Dwyer and then played a handpass inside to Jason O’Neill who was only denied with a perfectly-timed hook from Conor Scallan.
The respective free-takers were even more prominent in the second-half, with Byrne accounting for 0-7 of the Ferns haul of 0-11, while Kavanagh hit 0-5 from St. Mullins’ 1-7.
Sweepers Eoin Murphy and Jack Kavanagh were on the ball more than the rest in the general exchanges, and both made significant contributions and were still going strong at the finish.
Ferns drew first blood when Jonny Dwyer caught a Tommy Dwyer free and pointed in the 33rd minute, but Marty Kavanagh responded from a couple of frees before Paul Morris and Ian Byrne (two frees) left St. Mullins clinging to a narrow 0-14 to 1-10 lead.
Ciarán Roberts got a vital touch near his own posts to prevent a potential goal chance, but the Carlow side continued to press and reacted very well to the mounting pressure.
Indeed, the 1-2 they scored without reply from the 44th to the 47th minutes made an immense difference to the outcome, at a stage when it looked like either team might seize the initiative.
James Doyle and Paddy Boland posted points before a Páidí O’Shea clearance found the former, and he popped a handpass to midfielder Conor Kehoe. The open ground in front of him looked very inviting, and he put his pace to good use by racing away from his pursuers and beating James Lawlor to leave St. Mullins looking good (1-16 to 1-10).
It’s a credit to Ferns that they didn’t wilt at that stage, far from it in fact as they rallied initially with points from Jonny Dwyer (whose withdrawal soon after was a surprise, unless he was injured) and free-taker Ian Byrne.
And even after that big momentum-shifter, when Byrne’s goal miss was followed by another Marty Kavanagh point, Ferns drove forward again and two fouls on Eoin Murphy were punished by Byrne.
Kavanagh made it 1-18 to 1-14 in the 58th minute, before a crossfield pass by Paul Morris led to substitute Benny Jordan landing a point from midfield.
And when James Tonks was fouled from the puck-out, Byrne retreated beyond midfield and made no mistake from the free. He did the very same from his own 65-metre line after Patrick Breen was impeded, and extra-time was a live possibility.
Unfortunately, Kavanagh was presented with a more straightforward chance that he took with confidence, and St. Mullins survived that last Ferns attack as the county title-winners from 14 weeks earlier beat the side that savoured success in Wexford for the first time 13 weeks ago.
Ferns St. Aidans: James Lawlor; Conor Scallan, Niall Murphy, Patrick Breen; James Tonks, Eoin Murphy, Ciarán Roberts; Rory Scallan, Tommy Dwyer; Chris Turner (0-1), Paul Morris (1-1), Jonny Dwyer (0-3); Diarmuid Doyle (0-2), Ian Byrne (0-8 frees), Corey Byrne-Dunbar (0-1). Subs. – Declan Byrne (capt.) for C. Scallan (35), Benny Jordan (0-1) for Turner (46), John Breen for J. Dwyer (53), Ryan Nolan for R. Scallan (58).
St. Mullins: Kevin Kehoe; Paul Doyle, Paudie Kehoe, John Doran; Páidí O’Shea (0-1), Michael Walsh (capt.), Ger Coady; Jack Kavanagh, Conor Kehoe (1-0); James Doyle (0-3), Marty Kavanagh (0-12, 11 frees), Philip Connors; John Doyle, Jason O’Neill (0-1), Paddy Boland (0-2). Subs. – Oisín Ryan for O’Neill (44), Seamus Murphy for John Doyle (60).
Referee: Seán Cleere (Kilkenny).
