Seniors Overcome Cuala
On an overcast Wednesday evening (9th June 2010) the Kilmacud Crokes senior hurlers came away with two AHL1 points from Shankhill following a 3-11 to 0-13 win over Cuala.
The Dalkey side opened with the aid of a strong breeze and were first to score after three minutes. Over the ensuing seven minutes Cuala registered two wides to Crokes three before a Shea Gillen point levelled. Overs from Barry Mulligan and Fergal Armstrong put Crokes 0-3 to 0-1 clear. On the quarter hour the home team pulled one back and two minutes later Gillen, who was very effective on the edge of the square, offloaded for Armstrong to goal. By the time Gillen shot low and hard into the corner of the net in the twenty second minute to make it 2-3 to 0-3, the Cuala wide total stood at six. From there to the break three Cuala points made it 2-4 to 0-6.
Cuala narrowed the gap to a goal within two minutes of the restart. Crokes then spurned a good goal scoring opportunity, following clever work by Armstrong, before Kevin O’Loughlin converted a 65. Two Cuala minors next sandwiched one for Crokes. Then a Gillen pop up allowed Armstrong to put daylight between the sides, 3-6 to 0-9.
Between minutes forty and forty two the Kilmacud team lost, first, Niall Lillis and then Rob O’Loughlin to injury calling for a radical reshaping. Cuala reduced the margin to five points. Kevin O’Loughlin split the posts to arrest the trend in the forty fifth minute. From there to the finish Crokes raised four white flags to three for Cuala and ran out deserved winners in what at times in the second half was a fractious encounter. Among those to shine for the winners were Shea Gillen and Fergal Armstrong in the full forward line, half backs Aidan Cleary and Aodhan de Paor, and Adrian Grogan at corner back while keeper Richie Sweetnam did all that was asked of him.
R Sweetnam, N Mulligan, N Lillis, A Grogan, A de Paor, R O’Loughlin, A Cleary, C Clinton, B O’Rorke (0-2), S O’Rorke (0-1), J Burke (0-1), K O’Loughlin (0-5, f-1, 65-2), F Armstrong (2-1), S Gillen (1-1), B Mulligan. Subs: P Clinton for N Lillis (40 mins, inj), L Cantwell for R O’Loughlin (42 mins, inj) and D McGovern for C Clinton (55 mins).
To see images of the match click on the camera above!