Championship points shared before Clodiagh Gaels claim league title on penalties

Molloy Precast & Environmental Systems SHC ‘B’/K. Buggy Coaches Division 2 Hurling League final

Clodiagh Gaels 1-15

Carrig & Riverstown 0-18

(Clodiagh Gaels win Division 2 League title 2-1 on penalties)

CLODIAGH Gaels and Carrig & Riverstown shared the points in their Senior 'B' Hurling Championship tie at Glenisk O'Connor Park on Friday night before Clodiagh Gaels claimed the Division 2 Hurling League title 2-1 on penalties.

In a game which doubled up as a SHC ‘B’ Round 1 clash and a League final, the championship points were shared between Clodiagh Gaels and Carrig & Riverstown, but the former won the League 2-1 on penalties. As dictated beforehand, the game went straight to a penalty shootout after full-time where the Gaels prevailed to capture their second Division 2 title in three years.

It was a surreal and dramatic end to an exciting contest between two of the favourites for this year’s SHC ‘B’. Clodiagh Gaels weren't headed after the third minute, yet were never quite able to shake off last year’s intermediate champions who did well to recover from a five-point deficit after Ben O’Brien scored the only goal three minutes after the restart.

Carrig & Riverstown eventually regained parity in the 58th minute and, following a further exchange of frees between Liam Langton and Lee Hogan who posted 0-11 and 0-10 respectively, Langton missed a late free to win it for the Gaels, meaning penalties were required to decide the destination of the League title.

Langton rifled the first penalty past Liam Hoare who was then fortunate to beat his opposite number Kevin Kinahan. The U-20 All-Ireland winning goalkeeper then dived brilliantly to his right to save from Conor Brady, but Carrig & Riverstown couldn’t capitalise as Lee Hogan blasted over the next penalty.

Conor Langton then scored what proved to be the winning puck as Cathal King (Carrig & Riverstown) and David Buckley (Clodiagh Gaels) both had efforts saved. Conor Freeman rattled the net from Carrig & Riverstown’s fourth penalty, but the goal was disallowed as he was deemed to have stepped inside the 20-metre line when taking it.

Hoare saved again from Joey Keenaghan to keep it at 2-1 before Brendan Hoctor skied the last penalty and Clodiagh Gaels were finally able to celebrate.

While the Killeigh/Killurin outfit probably deserved it on the balance of play, an over-reliance on Liam Langton for scores and seven first half wides are a cause for concern. Had they lost, there may well have been some controversy as there was some confusion over the legitimacy of Carrig & Riverstown’s fourth point in the 19th minute from a Brendan Hoctor free which wasn’t registered on the scoreboard until half-time.

With wind not a factor, Hoctor opened the scoring for Carrig & Riverstown from a free after Clint Horan had been blown for a throw ball. Former county player Langton levelled from a '65' before Lee Hogan restored the Blues’ advantage from another placed ball. A Langton snapshot brought the sides level for a second time before the same player scored from a free and from play to double the Gaels advantage after 13 minutes.

Hogan and Hoctor (free) tied up the scoring again before three unanswered points from Cathal Brady, corner-back Dylan Hyland and Langton (free) propelled Paul Hally’s charges into a 0-7 to 0-4 lead. But their advantage was cut to one – 0-7 to 0-6 – after Hogan scored a beauty after picking his opponent’s pocket and Hoare was on target from one of his trademark long-range frees on the stroke of half-time.

The second half was a big improvement on the first where the teams racked up 11 wides between them and also dropped a number of shots short. Cathal King equalised straight from the throw-in, only for Clodiagh Gaels to respond with an unanswered 1-2 and open up a 1-9 to 0-7 lead. Langton (free) and Joey Keenaghan both split the posts before O’Brien fired low and hard to the bottom right-hand corner of the net from Pat Lyons’ pass.

A long-distance effort from Peter King and a Hogan free brought it back to three before Langton converted his second '65'. Paul Murphy’s men replied with frees from Hogan and Hoctor before Langton restored the All-Blacks’ four-point advantage at the end of the third quarter with two more frees.

But Carrig & Riverstown weren’t going away and were back to within a point, 0-14 to 1-12, by the 49th minute thanks to a brace of Hogan frees and a Conor McDowall point which could just as easily have been a goal.

McDowall almost got away for another shot on goal, but was crowded out and the danger was eventually cleared as the Gaels clung onto their slender lead. Points from Aaron Rattigan and Langton (free) put them three clear, but Carrig & Riverstown dug deep again to level through two Hogan frees either side of Cathal King’s second point from play.

As the game ticked into stoppage time, Langton edged Clodiagh Gaels back in front from a free awarded for a foul on David Buckley. But there was still time for Hogan to equalise from his eighth free and Langton to miss a last-gasp free which you would expect him to score after Cathal Brady had been brought down by Hogan, who received a yellow card for his troubles.

The wides count read 9-9 each, while yellow cards were brandished to Joey Keenaghan and Clint Horan (Clodiagh Gaels) and Michael Fitzgerald and Lee Hogan (Carrig & Riverstown).

Scorers: Clodiagh Gaels; Liam Langton (0-11, 0-7 frees, 0-2 ‘65s'), Ben O’Brien (1-0), Dylan Hyland, Joey Keenaghan, Cathal Brady and Aaron Rattigan (0-1 each).

Carrig & Riverstown: Lee Hogan (0-10, 0-8 frees), Brendan Hoctor (0-3, 0-3 frees), Cathal King (0-2), Liam Hoare (free), Peter King and Conor McDowall (0-1 each).

CLODIAGH GAELS: Kevin Kinahan; Aaron Flanagan, Mark Kelly, Dylan Hyland; Joey Keenaghan, Clint Horan (captain), Eoin Dunne; Ben O’Brien, Tom Dunne; Cathal Brady, Liam Langton, Sean Brady; David Buckley, Pat Lyons, Aaron Rattigan. Subs: Conor Langton (for Brady, 37 mins), Peter Walsh (for Dunne, 43 mins).

CARRIG & RIVERSTOWN: Liam Hoare; Thomas Hogan, Michael Fitzgerald, Dylan Hogan; Caelum Larkin, Patrick Bergin, Timmy Carey; Cathal King, Peter King; David Egan, Brendan Hoctor (captain), Daniel England; Andrew Coakley, Lee Hogan, Conor McDowall. Subs: Conor Freeman (for Egan, half-time), Conor Hanamy (for England, 43 mins).

REFEREE: Kyle Watters (Ballinamere).