Result: 1 20 to 1 16

Minor A team have second win – An Fear Ionad reports from 12th Lock

(Ciarán O’ Reilly in action V Lucan)

Like the roads around  Lucan at the moment this Boden minor team is very much a work in progress….mixing some sublime scores and excellent teamwork with errors that left the result in the balance until far too close to the end.
On a cold & blustery morning the Boden lads started well. An early point by Luke McDwyer was cancelled out but three unanswered scores from Adam Kelleher & Pearse Christie gave Boden a firm foothold in the game.
Then out of nothing, a Lucan goal saw them roar back and a couple of further points left everyone in blue under no illusions but that this was going to be a battle.
Lucan are a big physical side and the Boden full back line of Joe McGrath, Conor Lowe and Sean O’Donnell were under significant pressure. The line was rarely breached – with most of the Lucan scores coming from out the field – but when it was, Jack Lambert in goal wasn’t found wanting. One fine save in particular, reacting quickly to an attempted lob – kept the gap from widening when Lucan were on top.

(Kevin Desmond strikes for goal!)

At the other end the lads kept tipping away. A point from the battling Kevin Desmond bringing the sides level before points from Feargal Ryan (from a free), and Ciaran O’Reilly put Boden in front – a lead they would not relinquish til the end.
A couple of positional changes – with Cillian Kirwan and Jack Kenny switching  stabilised the middle third and Boden went in at half time two points ahead – the pick of the late scores from Malachy Codd, striking off the hurl under severe pressure from out on the left.
An early second half point from Luke McDwyer was again cancelled out. Then, another Lucan score had the gap down to the minimum.
Changes were needed – not least because the midfield dynamo, Pearse Christie was limping badly. Eoin Behan came on and contributed two fine points, and another u16, Joe Maguire put in a really solid shift in defence.
Intentional or not, the changes paid dividends and Boden were quickly on the front foot. Kevin Desmond ran on to a breaking ball and pulled to the net. The gap was now four.
The reshuffled defence with Ciaran McDonnell and Joe Maguire hurling well in the corners alongside the ever-solid Conor Lowe repelled all Lucan attempts at goal.
Outside them the halfback line – where Enda Cashman again looked composed in his favoured code – were limiting the Lucan supply but the gap was still only three with minutes remaining.
Luke Mulligan Lynch came on for Ciaran O’Reilly and he joined Peter Gannon in a battling full forward line that helped close out the game with Boden winning by four points.

(Luke McDwyer in action V Lucan)

It’s a win that comes at a cost though with the bench having to be emptied to cover for injuries. An anxious wait on Malachy Codd and Pearse Christie in particular before the next match in a fortnight.

Two wins from two guarantees Boden a semi-final place. The final group game – against Cuala – will decide who tops the table.

With the senior hurlers and the u13 Camogie team already into their semi-finals, hopes are rising it could be a great year for the club.

Photos, by John Kirwan, from the Lucan v Boden Minor Hurling Championship match, Sunday 30/9/2018 can be found here.

https://www.facebook.com/pg/BodenGAA/photos/?tab=album&album_id=10155843463492205