Result: 5 19 to 4 11

Gal Fest in Senior B Championship….Wordsworth reports

If it was goals you wanted, Sancta Maria was the place to be on Sunday morning 24th April as Ballyboden Senior B hurlers commenced their championship season against St Sylvesters. Boden signalled their intent early on and were a goal and a point to a point ahead on ten minutes, the goal coming from Dublin star Conor Dooley, finding himself further upfield than usual these days. A key feature of the first quarter was some excellent half-back play, particularly by Keith McCarron who won a brace of Sylvesters’ puckouts and sent the ball back in to his forwards. In fact, all Boden lines were going well, including keeper Keith Robinson, who made a fine save and when the full forward line found space they punished the men from Malahide. One such move found Jonathon O’Driscoll in space and he picked his spot to put the home side 2-4 to 0-3 ahead on 15 minutes.  Whenever Sylvesters did attack, Tim Sweeney was solid as a rock at the back, ably assisted by Darragh O’Gorman, Eoin Small and Jamie Desmond. A series of frees kept Sylvesters ticking over and at half-time the score was Boden 2-8 to Sylvesters 0-8.

A comfortable lead but no complacency was the message for the second half. Boden got the message and had the first three points of the half thanks to a free & 65 by Dooley and an O’Driscoll point. Naoise Maguire, Matty Weldon and Adam Jermyn were toiling well in the engine room and the supply continued. Sean Mc Donnell, a half-time substitute, was one such beneficiary, when he latched on to a good clearance and drilled the ball to the net after ten minutes. Sylvesters had to go for goals at this point and they were successful in the next attack. A magnificent Finnian McDonagh point from the right sideline and a Dooley free had Boden ahead by nine as the final quarter beckoned. Another Dooley 65 and an Austen Lynch point improved the point difference but then Boden lost concentration and leaked a second three-pointer. Immediately from the puckout, the ball went to Eoin McKenna in space – he took a few strides forward and gave the keeper no chance. Matty Weldon won the resultant puckout and fired the ball in to space. Jonathon O’Driscoll was again on the same wavelength, timed his run well and with the most delicate of flicks, sent the ball over the advancing keeper. Sylvesters policy of seeking goals again proved successful in the final few minutes as they found the net twice but Boden had the final say with a closing point by Weldon to leave the crowd warmed on a score of Boden 5-19 to Sylvesters 4-11.