We bow out of Junior Hurling Championship 2023
September 18, 2023
Killavullen exited the 2023 Junior Hurling championship after a disappointing second half performance against Glanworth, in a very well attended Castletownroche yesterday. Having led by 2 points at the shorts whistle, the wheels came off the bus in the second half, when we only bettered our half time score by 2 points.
Killavullen opened the scoring in the first minute, after a clever block down of a high centre by Padraig Looney, into the hand of Jamie Magner, who made no mistake with a lovely point. Glanworth replied with a free from their talismanic corner forward who popped up everywhere, in their forward division, Stephen Condon. Glanworth took the lead from a long shot on target from midfield in the 4th minute and added to their lead with a point from Stevie Condon again, in the 7th minute, and went further ahead in the 9th minute, with a converted free from the same player. We got a score back from a good conversion from a free, from a difficult angle from Jamie in the 12th minute and then, Liam Cronin drilled a stray clearance from a Glanworth defender under pressure, over the bar from midfield in the 17th minute.
We gained parity on the score sheet from another converted free in the 18th minute and our ability to be out in front of the man, was causing Glanworth some unease. We got another free when Darragh O Grady was fouled, and again Jamie converted to push us into the lead in the 18th minute, only for Glanworth to equalise again, from a free from Steve Condon. Again, we went a point up after Padraig Looney was fouled out on the wing, but Jamie was deadly accurate with his shot on goals. The lead was slender and short-lived and Glanworth equalised with a point from open play, in the 27th minute. The intensity of the game was ferocious at this stage and every ball and decision contested vigorously. Glanworth went ahead again, from a play where the referee allowed an advantage only for Eddie Cotter to score a lovely point from open play in the 32nd minute of the half to bring us level again. We took the lead again from a lovely engineered point from Darragh O Grady and from a crowded ruck style situation, the ball spilled loose to Eoin Birchill, and he sent a looping ball over the bar to give us a two point lead at the interval. We lost our best chance to score a goal when Padraig Looney, inrushing run and shot was saved well by the Glanworth custodian and cleared.
On the resumption, Glanworth took back one of those two points lead immediately with a point from their midfielder in the opening minute and were level with another Steve Condon point in the 2nd minute. Glanworth took the lead back in the 4th minute, from another free but we equalised in the 6th minute when Seamus O Mahony was fouled, and Jamie converted the resultant free. Seamus had been introduced at half time, for Rory O Regan, who was injured. Glanworth went ahead again in the 7th minute from another free, and Glanworth seemed to have more time on the ball to pick their inside forward lines, and that was telling. Jamie again equalised from a free in the 10th minute of the half, to bring our tally to 11 points, and bizarrely, that was to be our final score. The game was very tight around the middle now, but Glanworth seemed to be in the ascendancy, and we hit a series of wides in and around this juncture, that were ultimately proved to be very costly. Glanworth forged ahead in the 15th minute from another free, and then a point from open play in the 21st minute, both from Stevie Condon.
Glanworth sensing that this was their opportunity upped their game all over the field even further and in a devastating five minute spell, added 3 points from open play from the centre forward line to leave us needed a goal to stay in the championship. Billy was forced into making a good save, to keep our faint hope s alive. Despite the introduction of Barry Murphy and Michael Cagney, that opportunity for that green flag never arose, and Glanworth cleared their lines on several occasions from Frees and high centres that we put in and around the goals. Glanworth got the final score from their centre forward again, in the 27th minute, and our championship aspirations will have to wait until another year.
Killavullen can have few complaints about the result, with Glanworth full value for their win, though the margin may have been somewhat flattering in a tight game, where scores and the ability to score, was at a premium.
Final Score Killavullen 0-11– Glanworth 0-17
The team was;
- Billy Norris
- Kian Lane
- Ronan Barry
- Rory O Regan
- Brian Cotter
- Liam Fox
- Eoghan Buckley
- Liam Cronin (0-01)
- Eoin Birchill (0-01)
- Paul O Sullivan
- Padraig Looney
- Fionn Magner
- Darragh O Grady (0-01)
- Jamie Magner (0-07, 0-06F)
- Eddie Cotter (0-01)
Substitutes.
- Seamus O Mahony for Rory O Regan (injured)
- Barry Murphy for Darragh O Grady
- Michael Cagney for Eoin Birchill.