Result: 2 13 to 0 26
Minor A Championship Group – Le Fear Bog Reports from Shanganagh Park
Ballyboden St Enda’s 2-13 Cuala 0-26
This tie always had a banana skin feel to it and Ballyboden slipped badly in this tie played at Shanganagh Park on a bright balmy September Sunday morning. This one I’m afraid has to be put in to the” beaten by the better team” category. It leaves Ballyboden on a championship precipice as they head northside to play a rampant Na Fianna side where in all possibility a win will be a must if advancement to the semi-finals is to be achieved.
Ballyboden started this game brightly and were 3 points up in as many minutes thanks to 2 frees from Luke McDwyer and a Daniel O’Riordan point from play after he had been superbly picked out by a Conor O’Donoghue puck out. Exchanges remained tight until the 17th minute when McDwyer blasted to the Cuala net to open up a 2 point lead. McDwyer repeated the dose in the 25th minute after being put through by a sublime Ciarán Cashman hand pass. McDwyer would finish the match with a total of 2-8, 2-4 of which came from play. A resilient Cuala side, who themselves were fighting for their championship future, kept in touch and the sides went for tea with Boden 3 points in ascendancy 2-9 to 0-12.
Unfortunately from the restart the story from a Ballyboden perspective was all downhill from here to the finish line. Within 3 minutes of the half Cuala had wiped out Ballyboden’s advantage and by the mid-way point of the half they had eked out a significant 5 point advantage. Their ace marks man, Liam Murphy, was pucking frees from all distances and angles while Ballyboden were finding it difficult to get past the midfield shield set up by Cuala’s Diarmuid O’ Floinn and Michael Conroy. It meant the supply line to Ballyboden’s forwards was reduced to a trickle and three late points took the bare look off the final scoreline.
Scorers: Luke McDwyer 2-8 (4 frees), Conor O’Donoghue 0-1 (free), Daniel O Riordan 0-1, Kevin Desmond 0-1, Shane Kennedy 0-1, James Madden 0-1.
Team: Conor O’Donoghue, Ruari MacMathuna, Jacques Dalton, Ronan Wallace, Karl Reddy, Tommy Glynn, Sam Lally, Cillian Kirwan, Kevin Lalor, Daniel O’Riordan, Shane Kennedy, Kevin Desmond, Ciarán Cashman, Luke McDwyer, Ben Kelly. Subs Conor Fallon, James Madden, Ruari Hester, Pearse Christie, Cillian Wall.