Senior 1 Championship Round 2
Ballyboden St Endas 1 23 St. Vincents 3 13
Long Fella Reports from Parnell Park
A first-half goal from Boden’s Paul Ryan helped the southsiders to a second win in their group of the senior A hurling championship at a poorly attended Parnell Park on Tuesday evening. Those who absented themselves missed out on an entertaining and competitive contest between two eternal rivals. The win has Boden on four points and very much in the groove to compete for the top of their group. This outcome seemed unlikely during the first quarter when the Marino side bagged a brace of goals from the menacing John Hetherton. “Hedgo” did his thing on the bounce with two possessions and finishes that should have sent his side towards the top of the group (already on a win over Na Fianna).
Boden’s response was a gradual erosion of Vinnies confidence with some really good points from long range, topped by the goal after Niall McMorrow worked “his socks off” on the city whitewash. The game opened with Vincents finding the pace of the game early on. James Mulcahy opened his account with the first of three points. Ryan responded for Boden with a pointed free. Vincents Conor Burke, normally a defender, added a point, only for Conor Dooley to equalise after McMorrow had laid on the pass. McMorrow was quickly on hand to win the ball and lay it on for Adam Kelleher to send Boden into the lead. The goal action came next when Boden’s Conor O’Donoghue was forced into action to keep a green flag off the score-board. However, he was helpless a minute later when Hedgo finished up in the horizontal position slapping the ball to the Boden net. Vincent’s Sean Lambe and McMorrow traded points to keep the difference at a goal. Vincent’s followed up with more points from Callum Walsh and Mulcahy, and continued their siege on the Boden defence with another Hedgo goal after a fine catch under pressure. Fifteen minutes gone and Boden are eight points behind. Some positional switches were called for and tide turned in favour of the Firhouse Road side.Dublin Midfielder Aidan Mellett took a Luke Mulligan-Lynch pass to reduce the gap. Ryan and Jack
Lambert (a LML pass) kept the fight-back going, only to see Mulcahy respond for Vincent’s with a classy point. Boden got back on the fight-back with Ryan hitting three placed balls, two frees and a side cut. Shane Durkin made it four in a row after Simon Lambert laid on the final pass of a very long play. Against the background of the “Boden roar” from a small group of supporters, all young and mostly from the Ryan clan (all refused to divulge their names and ages to officials), Dooley sent a ball into attack, finding Mellett with a spectacular catch and he was fouled in the process. Ryan converted and almost immediately goaled after McMorrow persisted on the side-line with a
“nothing” ball. After a hugely entertaining half, Boden unexpectedly found themselves in the lead at half-time by 1.12 to 2.08. The second half opened with O’Donoghue again alert to save from Mulcahy, Hedgo gained some compensation with the equalising point. Boden then hit three in a row, Ryan (f), a sweet one from McMorrow after Simo and Durkin combined, and Hammersley (Mellett pass). Mulcahy pulled one back for Vinnies. The next play had Mellett steamrolling towards the Vins square, brought down, Ryan on hand again to tag on the point. Vins Mark Sweeney and Boden’s Luke McDwyer (an O’Donoghue puck-out, catch and strike from seventy) traded points to bring the score to 1.17 to 2.11 in Boden’s favour. Dooley, showing no ill-effects from his recent nuptials, took a Simo pass and hit one from “Diarmuid Byrne’s country”. The Marino side’s response came after Niall Ryan fed off
Dooley for a trade-mark score. First it was Hedgo from a free, followed by a Sean Lambe goal, with the Boden defence stretched. 3.13 to 1.19. Boden dug in with more attacks, one of which had Durkin with a great high fetch and fouled. Ryan converted, and followed with one from play, a McMorrow pass. The final scores of the evening came from Hedgo (f), Boden substitute Eoin Behan (a McMorrow pass after some tasty work along the stand white-line, and as if to emphasise his immaculate performance from frees, Ryan hit a monster from a ton in yards.
On a perfect evening for hurling, Boden can take plenty of confidence for their “no panic” recovery from being eight points adrift. That said, the concession of three goals leaves them with plenty of seasonal homework. Vincents are left to pick over their failure to raise their game when the chips were down. The best for Boden were Ryan (just one missed free), McMorrow for his link play in particular, Mellett, showing a return to top form, and particularly Sean McDonnell who, arguably, deserves the MVP tag after a gutsy and fluent display along the forty. He kept a clean copy-book of catches, tackles, accurate passes and positional barriers.
Squad: Conor O’Donoghue, James Madden, Paddy Dunleavy, Luke Mulligan-Lynch, Jack Lambert (1),
Simon Lambert, Sean McDonnell, Niall Ryan (1), Aidan Mellett (1), Conor Dooley (2), Niall McMorrow
(2), Luke Mc Dwyer (1), Paul Ryan (1.11, 1.02p and nine placed balls), Shane Durkin (1), Adam
Kelleher (1), Rob Leddy, Stephen O’Connor, Timmy Hammersley (1), Mattie Nolan, Eoin Behan (1),
Cillian Kirwan, Kevin Desmond, Conal Keaney, Pearse Christie, Peter English, Fergal Ryan.
Thanks to John Kirwan for the photos. Click here