Carnmore....... 1-4.
Craughwell..... 6-8
FULFILLING their early summer promise Craughwell swept to one of the most convincing wins of the hurling season when they hammered Carnmore by six goals, in the county under 21 final on Sunday at Pears. Stadium As the score line reads Craughwell were masters but they paid for this handsome winning margin with a display that must pose questions about the ability of many of the senior teams in the county. For they played some of the best ground hurling seen this season and both teams most also take credit for their fitness and first-time pulling.
This was a win which Craughwell followers will surely see as a first step towards brining the county senor title back to the South Board in the near future. But Carnmore must all so take credit for making this one of the best finals seen at this venue and it's unfortunate that they crumbled under so much varied pressure towards the end of the first half. For when they conceded two goals, one in the twenty-filth and the other in the twenty-ninth minute the large crowd saw an end to a twenty five minute period of incomparable hurling. Up to this it was doubtful despite the score line who was the superior as Carnmore's experience offset Craughwell decided hurling advantage.
Carnmore', slow to start, found themselves early on in danger of been over run but the way they came out of defence suggested that they were the team to make the killing. It was they who broke the scoring deadlock in the seventh minute with a Matty Greaney point Three minutes later, they seemed to have established the pattern of the game when Padraic Fahy after a delightful run scored a most cheeky point A minute later another point increased the lead to three points. Then Craughwell with a superb display of ground hurling, swarmed all over the Carnmore back line and leveled matters with a twelfth minute goal. This goal dispelled all their early nervousness and Oliver Cloonan and John Joe Hanley completed a forward line which underlined a great mid-field display by Mike Donohue and Miko Ryan.
Carnmore trailed at half time by 0-3to 4-4 but deserved a better chance of making a comeback In the backs Matty Cooney and John Long were always willing to dig in and absorbed an amount of pressure before failing in the last five minutes of the first half. Any hope of a Carnmore revival quickly faded in the second half as John Joe Hanly cancelled out a Carnmore point with a seventh minute goal. Then Oliver Cloonan added another two points and with fifteen minutes left the score line stood at: Craughwell 5-5; Carnmore 0-4, These two later points underlined a great personal display by Cloonan. He completely outshone his more experienced opponent, and hit speed and shooting ability in the half-forward line must make some people on the senior team slightly apprehensive. But the big disappointment of this half was the absence of any threat from Carnmore's county player Padraic Fahy. With his tenth minute point he obviously showed that he was the player to watch.
In the first half he did receive, some rough treatment which seemed to put him of his game but in the second half marked by Fintan Healy he never showed his true worth. Towards the end of this half the pace slackened and Jimmy, Flaherty added yet another Craughwell goal in the nineteenth which brought his sides tally for the afternoon to 6-7 with a point still to come. This score amply demonstrated Craughwell forward ability where John Joe Hanly, Oliver Cloonan, Jimmy Flaherty and Finbar O Connor were outstanding. In the back line Paul Dolan in goals, Tony Hanly, Pat Donoghue and Fintan Healy made few mistakes and in particular Healy's and Donoghue's careers seem to promise much. For Carnmore whose second final this was at the Stadium in a fortnight Jimmy Hughes at midfield once again proved his worth. His hard work was always in evidence but a forward line with Padraic Fahy, Seoirse Morris and Billy McDonagh, although playing well, could make little use of his efforts Matty Cooney in the backs together with goalie Martin Leonard, John Long and Tom McDonagh was best.
Scorers:
Craughwell: John Joe Healy (2-1), Finbar O Connor (2-0), Oliver Cloonan (1-4), Jimmy Flaherty (1-2) and Miko Ryan (0-1)
Carnmore: Paddy Jo Spellman (1-0), Matty Greaney (0-3) and Padraic Fahy (0-1).
Teams:
Carnmore: Martin Leonard, Paddy Joe Kerrigan, Matty Cooney, Torn McDonagh, Jim Duggan, John Long, Tom Walsh, Jimmy Hughes, Jimmy Duggan, Matty Greaney, Padraic Fahy, Willie Greaney, Paddy Joe Spellman, Billy McDonagh, James McGrath. Subs: Michael Fox for Willie Greaney, Seoirse Morris for Paddy Joe Kerrigan
Craughwell: Paul Dolan, Michael Newell, Tony Hanly, Bernard Callanan, Brian Connolly, Pat Donoghue. Fintan Healy, Miko Ryan, Miko Donoghue, Jim Flaherty, John Lane, Oliver Cloonan, Finbar O'Connor, Vincent Jennings, John Joe Healy.