The young contenders on the block
(Newry) travelled to meet the South
Down kingpins (Leitrim) for the right
to contest the Betsy Gray Cup final.
A well cut-up Fontenoy Park and a
brisk cold winter breeze provided
the backdrop for this unfancied Newry
victory.
From the off Newry looked very determined
and when Stephen Fullerton’s
acutely angled ground shot found the
Leitrim net in the first minute of
play the game was certainly on. A
tentative Leitrim side were slow to
find their rhythm but received their
opening score with a point from C
Brown. Shamrocks were unlucky for
a second goal as Kieran Courtenay’s
overhead pull was deflected over the
crossbar by the Leitrim goalkeeper.
Although playing against a strong
wind that goal came when the ever
alert Tom Kinney side-stepped a couple
of defenders and slotted to the net.
Although Leitrim playing with the
wind registered two fine points, one
from a C Brown free, they were stung
hard by the ferocity of the Newry
tackling right throughout the field.
Shamrocks defence in particular were
showing great spirit and courage by
blunting the Leitrim threat. Leitrim
struggled to find scores. Ronan Sheehan
pointed a free for Newry to confirm
Newry’s scoring prowess. Eoin
McCartan dropped over a nice sixty
yard point from play as the first
half came to a close. Little did anyone
know; this proved to be Leitrim’s
last score of the game.
Half time score. Newry Shamrocks
2 – 2 ; Leitrim Fontenoys 0
– 4
Newry expected a Leitrim backlash
early in the second half, but it never
materialised. Leitrim again struggled
against a stiff breeze and determined
tackling from the Newrymen. From hard
won possession by Rory Gough and Eoin
McGuinness the Leitrim defence conceded
two frees that were easily punished
by sharp shooter Sheehan. Rory Gough
and Tom Kinney fired over two fine
points from play. Minutes later the
Leitrim ship was in big trouble as
Tom Kinney rifled a left handed ground
shot to the Leitrim net. Shamrocks
were hurling with gay abandon as Ronan
Sheehan again punished Leitrim’s
indiscretions. A beautifully worked
move between Ronan Sheehan and Ciaran
Courtenay saw the tall man register
his second point. Continued pressure
around the Leitrim goalmouth paid
off as Stephen Fullerton once again
pulled hard on a loose ball to rattle
the net. Minutes later the icing was
on the cake when Tom Kinney (with
only half a stick) pulled on an overhead
ball from the edge of the square to
score his third goal of the day –
a well deserved hat-trick.
Full time score. Newry Shamrocks
5 – 9 ; Leitrim Fontenoys 0
– 4
A sound goalkeeper, a rock solid
defence, a strong mid-field pairing
and sharp shooting forwards paved
the way for this worthy winning team
performance. Hurling coach Ronan Sheehan
and new team manager Michael Concannon
must have been very proud of their
team’s display.
Shamrocks scorers: T Kinney 3-1;
S Fullerton 2-0; R Sheehan 0-5; K
Courtenay 0-2; R Gough 0-1
Shamrocks Team: Fran Kearns, Joe
Cunningham, Artie McGuinness, Martin
Carr, Kevin Fegan, Martin Keenan,
Neil Courtenay, Con Murphy, Kieran
Courtenay, Paul Cribben, Ronan Sheehan,
Eoin McGuinness, Rory Gough, Stephen
Fullerton, Tom Kinney.
VERY IMPORTANT NOTICE. On Friday
18th March, two of Cork’s All-Ireland
winning team, and current All-Stars,
Donal Og Cusack and Diarmuid O’Sullivan,
will be bringing the Liam McCarthy
Cup to Newry for the launch of the
Newry Primary Schools Hurling Programme.
Newry’s own Ulster College’s
Hurling All-Star, Eoin McGuinness,
will join them on a tour of the local
primary schools to promote this exciting
new hurling initiative. All interested
primary school children (boys and
girls) should attend at Esler Park
(The Marshes) on Saturday 19th March
at 10.00am where two of Cork’s
most famous hurlers will be hosting
a special coaching session. Everyone
is welcome to come along, get an autograph
and meet Diarmuid O’Sullivan,
(aka The ROCK), Ireland’s toughest
hurler.
