Baile Buadáin Naomh Éanna 1-17  Na Fianna 3-10

Roimh an gcluiche, bhí slua mór bailithe don chluiche réitigh i bPáirc Uí Mhurchú i gcoinne Na Fianna. An duais: ardú céime do AHL3.  Cé go raibh báisteach throm an oíche roimh ré, bhí an pháirc ag féachaint go hálainn, ár mbuíochas le Frank Brooks, Vivien Ruddy agus Martin Durkan. Biggest mistake JR made on the day was not to charge on the gate – it would have been worth the fee alone to see the silken skills of Adam Kelleher back to his best. I measc an tslua bhí ana chuid imreoirí ó na foirne Sinsear A agus B. Bhí Colm Basquel i láthair, checking that his DEFY range of clothing was fitting well on various mentors and players. Go n-éirí leat a Choilm. Liam Carter put his hand up to do umpire but was stood down as Simo and Matthew Nolan got there before him.

Roimh an gcluiche, bhí ionadh ar an slua nuair a chonaic siad Finn McGarry sa chúl. Bhí Ronan Sharkey gortaithe agus Eoin Mac Pháidín ar a laethanta saoire. In the absence of our two regular keepers, Finn’s eligibility was double checked, and he answered the call to add to his legend as a great Boden clubman.

Ó thus an chluiche, bhí luas agus fuinneamh ag baint leis an imirt. A cracking game of hurling ensued. Played in the right spirit, both teams went about their business with intent. Boden got off to a great start as Finn found Adam Kelleher directly from the puck out for the first score of the game. With the team playing like a well-oiled machine, they fired into a 0-10 to 1-0 lead after twenty minutes. Adam Kelleher was getting perfect supply and that’s all he needs. He finished the game with a personal tally of 0-12, including three frees and one 65. Just before halftime, and despite a neat jersey pull by the Na Fianna full-back, Wiggy slipped the ball off to Chris Lambert for a first time pull and a sublime goal. No pressure on Chris to provide a goal per game! Ag leathama bhí Boden chun tosaigh 1-12 go 2-3.

Na Fianna came storming into the game in the second half. A Ballyboden stalwart years ago was asked how the game went and he replied, ‘we lost due to a couple of scuttery goals’. On this occasion, a couple of scuttery goals brought Na Fianna right back into it and teams were level with time just up. However, referee Chris Mooney rightly played 7 minutes of injury time, and this is where Boden showed true heart and determination. With the 7 minutes gone, and the score still level, Adam Kelleher stood up to slot over the coolest 65 you will ever see, and the ref blew the final whistle on the restart. A brilliant win by a great bunch of lads. Cad é mar chluiche?

A couple of players in particular merit honourable mention. Ruairí Hestor and Owen Wigglesworth had their best games of the season. Hestor gobbled up every ball that came his way in a performance of pure grit and determination, repelling wave after wave of Na Fianna attacks. Wiggy at full forward made every ball stick and led the assists by a country mile. Others to shine were Conor Lowe, Ruairí Mac Mathúna and Andy Hand in the backs. Ben Kelly covered a lot of ground at midfield, as well as bagging a brace of points. Apart from Kelleher and Wiggy, Chris Lambert was the pick of the forwards. Subs Enda Cashman, Jason Devery, Connell McGlynn and Dan Nugent brought the energy to finish the game out.

Beidh Baile Buadáin Naomh Éanna ag imirt i Roinn AHL 1, 2 agus 3 an bhliain seo chugainn. This is a unique achievement, and we must check with the resident archivist to see if it has happened before. This achievement is testament to the hard work of all the players involved and the hurling committee, led by JR.

Laoch na hImeartha: Ruairí Hestor

Ár mbuíochas leis na maoir chúil, Simon Lambert agus Matthew Nolan, Séan Gilheany do na griangraif, Rónan Cleary don obair leis an uisce, Dave Conway agus JR, na maoir líne agus Susan Creed don First Aid, Video Analysis agus post match grub. Rinne Chris Mooney jab ana mhaith mar réiteoir.

A big talking point after the game was that Keith O’Donnell was missing for the first time this season for Susan Creed’s grub. Rumour has it that he has taken to the pizza.

Painéal

Finn McGarry, Conor Lowe, Des O Sullivan, Ruairi Mac Mathúna, Ruairi Hestor, Karl Weldon, Andy Hand, Ruairi Kirwan, (Captaen), Ben Kelly (0-2), Chris Lambert (1-1), James Enright, Malachy Codd, Adam Kelleher (0-12, 3 F, 1 65), Owen Wigglesworth, Eamon Gorman (0-1), Alan McGrath, Enda Cashman, Josh Corcoran, Connell McGlynn, Jason Devery (0-1), Dan Nugent, Ciaran Cashman.

Click here for more photos from Seán Gilheany