Naomh Eoin Hurling Club notes

Back 16/07/2017 @ 22:59 | clubnotes | Naomh Eoin Hurling Club notes

Our u10s competed in a three-team hurling blitz in Easkey on Wednesday, recording one win and one loss. Patrick Brady and Roughan O'Neill were our chief scorers. Conor Murray and Liam Hargadon impressed. The next U10 hurling blitz is scheduled for Wednesday 26th July.

In the first round of the U14 hurling championship, we were defeated by Castleconnor 6-4 to 4-3 in a windy St Brendan's Park on Friday. Castleconnor made the most of their wind advantage to open up a 12 point lead in the opening half. Although our lads upped their game in the second half, with Robert O'Kelly-Lynch netting four times to add to his three pointed frees, it wasn't our night. As we have a bye in Round 2, our next U14 game will be the Round 3 fixture versus Tourlestrane on 11th August. 

Our Minor Hurlers were edged out by Tubbercurry on Wednesday evening in the first Round of the MHC at Kent Park. We got off to a flying start and were 0-9 to 0-1 up after 20 minutes with some excellent blocking and hooking and a succession of great scores from midfield duo, team captain Niall Feehily and Donal Fidgeon, centre forward Roan Conneely and half forward Aaron Mulvey. Michael Kilcoyne coordinated the young back line with great prowess in which Darragh Cawley and Donal Keaveney were especially prominent. Tubbercurry recovered and at the break the score was 0-9 to 0-4.

In the second half the spectators witnessed a goal fest with the away team also sending over a number of points, equalising early in the half at 0-11 to 1-9. However, despite a further Tubbercurry goal,  a number of pointed frees and a Fergal O'Kelly-Lynch goal midway through the half brought the game level again at 1-13 to 2-10. Unfortunately we ran out of steam and Tubbercurry added three additional goals to a solitary Donal Fidgeon goal to conclude an exciting game. At the final whistle we ended up on the wrong side of a 2-15 to 5-11 scoreline. Roan Conneely finished as our top-scorer with 0-7. 

Hard luck also to our youthful senior hurling team who were narrowly beaten by reigning county champions Calry St Josephs 2-16 to 2-12 in the SHC after an eventful and exciting game. We were left to rue a number of wides in the first half and despite being on top for much of the half we were 1-7 to 1-6 down at half-time with Niall Feehily getting the goal for our senior team on his championship debut.

Fellow debutant Donal Fidgeon also sent over two excellent points and Gerard O'Kelly-Lynch (3 frees) and Conor McGovern completed the first period scoring. Early in the second half we lost county U-21 and senior midfielder Tony O'Kelly-Lynch through injury and despite three early points from Gerard O'Kelly-Lynch, Paul Kilcoyne and centre-back Cathal Jordan we conceded a succession of scores midway through the half as Calry fought back and were 2-13 to 1-11 down when the game was held up due to a back injury to sub Anthony Kinane. On the restart we traded scores with the opposition but a late Conor McGovern goal was not enough to pull back the deficit. Speedy recovery to Tony and Anthony.

Best wishes to our five players, Cathal Jordan, Gerard and Tony O'Kelly-Lynch, Paul Kilcoyne and Niall Feehily on the county U-21 team panel who contest the All Ireland Final v Donegal in Markievicz Park on Saturday at 4pm (note change of time). Please support our players and this well-prepared team with Declan Loughnane and our own Michael Burke having put in excellent work.