Lough Lene Gaels and Clonkill serve up a dramatic drawn encounter 

 

Clonkill......................4.12 (24)

Lough Lene Gaels.....1.21 (24)

 

(AET)

 

Lough Lene Gaels and Clonkill served up a pulsating and drama filled excellent and exciting Slevins Coaches Junior A Hurling Championship final, played in front of a large attendance of spectators at Collinstown's Decotek Park on Saturday afternoon November 30th. On the day that was in it, it was not so much the counting of votes, but actually the registering quality and quantity of scores that mattered in this, a high scoring contest. A late pointed free for Lough Lene Gaels brought this match, not to a recount, but to extra time, moments after Clonkill had scored their third goal, a score which looked to have declared the Loughegar based Club to the position of match winners. Extra time, played in the clearly early vestages of darkness, failed to separate the teams.

Immediately following the conclusion of extra time, it seemed that there was a discussion, amidst an aura of confusion and uncertainty, about possibly adjourning to the neighbouring lights equipped Darren Mortimer memorial pitch to decide this fixture on penalties. However that option was not explored any further, and a replay will now be required to divide the teams, and decide a winner.

 

A facet of this sporting contest that could be subsequently debated is that were it not for the freetaking ability of the Lough Lene Gaels No8 Alex Little, scoring 0.15 from 15 placed balls throughout this contest, including a match levelling score in a tension filled moment at the end of normal playing time, it is a theoretical possibility that match victory would have belonged to Clonkill!

 

Lough Lene Gaels opened match scoring via Alex Little (free), Clonkill responding when Oisin Murray first timed the ball to the Lough Lene Gaels net, following a Clonkill 65m award. After the teams had then swapped wides, Jordan Williams availed of a Marcus Kennedy pass to fire over a second Lough Lene Gaels point. The pace and standard of match play continued to be superb as Lough Lene Gaels drew level, via another Alex Little pointed free, before edging ahead, Jordan Williams pointing, after availing of a Callum Burns pass. Clonkill then struck the next two points of this fixture, to move ahead by a one pont margin, Oisin Murray (free) and Robert Cleary the pointscorers, two scores that bookended a brace of Lough Lene Gaels wides. Clonkill were then guilty themselves of striking wides, three in quick succession, prior to Lough Lene Gaels drawing level when Alex Little pointed a free for the third time in this contest. Moments later Lough Lene Gaels moved ahead, Marcus Kennedy hitting over a brilliant point. Clonkill went on to close out first half match, via a point each from Oisin Murray and Michael McGrath.

 

Clonkill.....................1.04 (07) 

Lough Lene Gaels...0.06 (06)

 

Lough Lene Gaels tied up matters in the opening minute of the second half with yet another pointed free from Alex Little, the Purple and Golds then quickly thereafter striking two wides in quick succession. Clonkill then punished Lough Lene Gaels for both a lack of a quick mind and fast movement in a defensive situation, Michael McGrath scoring a goal for the Green and Golds, with a low angled close range shot. Oisin Murray followed up with a point and suddenly a margin of four points, (2.05 to 0.07), now separated the teams. A quick response was required for and by Lough Lene Gaels, if this match was not to start to suddenly slip away from them! That response did come less than a minute after Clonkill had moved in front by a margin of four points, Warren Williams dispatching the ball to the left of Andrew Mitchell to the Clonkill net with a 30 metres angled drive, the ball taking a deflection while in flight from the parting drive of the Lough Lene Gaels No12. That same player then fired over a point to bring Lough Lene Gaels to parity. 

 

Clonkill regained the match lead with a Christopher Austin point, Lough Lene Gaels in turn quickly levelling with another Alex Little point from a placed ball. The Lough Lene Gaels No8 then pointed from yet another free to put his team ahead. But such was the now playing trend of this high speed match, Clonkill restored parity via a Oisin Murray point. The points exchange continued as Alex Little (free) and Jamie Coffey were on target for Lough Lene Gaels and Clonkill respectively. With this contest inside its last five minutes of normal playing time, Lough Lene Gaels moved 1.13 to 2.08 ahead after Alex Little, from another placed ball, and Daniel Buckley had both pointed. Clonkill replied via a Oisin Murray point (Free), before Alex Little (free) pointed, leaving Lough Lene Gaels 1.14 to 2.09 in front as the end of normal playing time concluded.

As the vanguard of the encroaching darkness arrived, Clonkill looked to have hit a match winning goal via Senan O'Driscoll, bringing scenes of jubilation from the Clonkill team management and substitutes, jubilation which did actually seemed fully merited and justified at the point reached in this pulsating Hurling drama. There was though late, late drama to follow, Alex Little calmness personified as he hit over a match levelling point from a 40m free, sending this by now sporting epic into extra time.

 

Lough Lene Gaels....1.15 (18)

Clonkill......................3.09 (18)

 

Extra time got underway, with a concern very much over the clearly obvious fading light, Clonkill striking a wide before moving in front with a point from Christopher Austin. Lough Lene Gaels responded with a Warren Williams point at the midway point of the first half of extra time. The Purple and Golds with another pointed free from Alex Little moved in front. Clonkill finished match scoring for the first half of extra time in dramatic fashion, Christopher Austin taking advantage of of fudging on the part of Lough Lene Gaels in defence, to crispy hit the ball to the Lough Lene Gaels net to claim his team's fourth goal.

 

Clonkill....................4.10 (22)

Lough Lene Gaels...1.17 (20)

 

Clonkill added a point to their total in the opening minute of the second half with Senan O'Driscoll the pointscorer. Leading now by a margin of three points, Clonkill were certainly looking in a good position to go on to claim victory. Lough Lene Gaels rallied, with two long range pointed frees from Alex Little reducing their deficit by the midway point of the second half of extra time to that of a single point. That Same Lough Lene Gaels player then levelled matters by pointing a 70m free. The Lough Lene Gaels No8 then incredibly in the now glaringly all too obvious advancing darkness, fired over a point from another placed ball of a distance of 80m, putting his team ahead. It was left to Clonkill's Oisin Murray to close out match scoring by pointing a free, leaving the teams deadlocked, and another future occasion required to divide them.

 

Scorers - Clonkill

Oisin Murray 1.06 (0.03 frees)

Christopher Austin 1.02

Michael McGrath 1.01

Senan O'Driscoll 1.01

Robert Cleary 0.01

Jamie Coffey 0.01

 

Lough Lene Gaels - Scorers

Alex Little 0.15 (Frees)

Warren Williams 1.02

Jordan Williams 0.02

Marcus Kennedy 0.01

Daniel Buckley 0.01

 

Clonkill:

Andrew Mitchell, Scott Murtagh, Luke Kelly, Ciaran Morrison, Brian Gaffney, Alan McGrath, Ciaran Nooney, Shane Power, Riley Sheahan, Robert Cleary, Oisin Murphy, Matthew Glynn, Oisin Murray, Michael McGrath, Christopher Austin.

 

Substitutes 

Jamie Coffey for Shane Power,

Eoin Kenny for Robert Cleary,

Mark Keegan for Brian Gaffney,

Ciaran Egerton for Ciaran Morrison

 

Lough Lene Gaels:

Paul Murtagh, John Dermody, Eric Fitzpatrick, Kevin Hogan, Philip Reilly, Jason Malone, Fergal Moran, Alex Little, Aaron Kennedy, Marcus Kennedy, Warren Williams, Jordan Williams, Kian Reilly. Mark McNicholas, Callum Burns.

 

Substitutes:

Daniel Buckley for Callum Burns,

Brian Caffrey for Fergal Tiernan,

Callum Burns for Aaron Kennedy.

 

Referee

James McGrath - Turin Hurling Club

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