Goals decisive as Birr edge out Shamrocks to claim Minor B title

BIRR 2-8

SHAMROCKS 0-10

GOALS proved decisive as Birr edged out Shamrocks in a very exciting and well contested Minor B hurling championship final played at Grant Heating St Brendan's Park, Birr on Sunday morning.

Both sides missed a number of good goal scoring opportunities over the hour but crucially Birr took two of their chances, one in each half, with the second coming 12 minutes from the end and putting Birr four points clear at a vital time in the game and they managed to hold on to that lead until the finish.

This was a very good contest played in difficult conditions and both sides deserve credit for producing such a good game, which kept spectators on the edge of their seats until the final whistle. Conditions made fluent hurling difficult and there were the inevitable mistakes on both sides, but that added to the excitement and the endeavour shown by both sides in the circumstances had to be admired.

The game ebbed and flowed over the hour and the sides were level on five occasions but Birr made more of the chances that came their way and that proved the difference in the end.

There was little to separate the sides up to the second goal for Birr. There had never been any more than two points between them up to that and both sides had enjoyed periods of dominance when it looked like they might push on.

After an early exchange of scores Birr struck for their first goal after nine minutes but Shamrocks came back well to level before Birr took a one point lead into the half time interval, 1-3 to 0-5.

Shamrocks enjoyed the better of the early part of the second half and looked like they were going to take control but they didn't convert that dominance into sufficient scores. Crucially they had a penalty brilliantly saved by Sebastian Lagace four minutes into the half which could have put them in a commanding position. Scores from play from Ross Healion and Donal Dooley put them ahead after 39 minutes, and that latter score probably should have been a goal but Dooley's shot flew over the crossbar. That was their last score from play and they only managed two points from frees in the remainder of the game.

Birr looked in trouble at that point but they responded well to that score and three points in two minutes put them two clear and that seemed to reinvigorate them and they played with more purpose again. Then Rory Mooney's goal with 12 minutes left gave them that four point advantage and the sides only managed a point each in the remainder of the game.

Shamrocks never gave up and were pushing right to the end, but the Birr defence stood firm with goalkeeper Sebastian Lagace shining brightest and along with that penalty save he pulled off a number of other fine stops and controlled his area strongly.

In front of him Charlie Loughnane had a fine game at full back and Sean Loonam and Morgan Feenane also stood strongly in defence. Adriano Szomo and Tom Dwyer both had their moments in the middle of the field while in attack Barry Tierney, Edward Carty and Peter Tuohy until injury forced him off, all made an impact.

For Shamrocks Adam O'Meara, Liam Grennan and Brooke Healion all fought hard in defence, Dara Bates put in a good shift around the middle of the field and Ross Healion and Donal Dooley carried most threat in their attack.

Birr got off the mark after a minute when midfielder Tom Dwyer scored a good point. Shamrocks levelled after four minutes when David Coughlan pointed and two minutes later they went in front when Donal Dooley pointed a free.

Birr regained the lead after nine minutes when Tom Dwyer sent a ball goalwards and it was won by Peter Tuohy and he finished the ball to the net. Donal Dooley pulled one back from a free and seven scoreless minutes followed before Edward Carty pointed a Birr free. Frees from Donal Dooley and Ross Healion brought Shamrocks level after 21 minutes but Peter Tuohy put Birr back in front two minutes later from a free and the remaining seven minutes of the half failed to provide a score.

Donal Dooley brought the sides level again after 39 seconds of the second half and four minutes in they got a great chance to move clear when awarded a penalty for a foul on Daithi Guinan. Donal Dooley struck the ball low but Sebastian Lagace got down low to his left to divert the ball out for a '65', which Shamrocks failed to convert.

Edward Carty restored Birr's lead from a free after six minutes but Ross Healion levelled again and then Donal Dooley caught a high ball just to the left of the goals but drilled his shot just over the bar, when it could so easily have been under.

Birr responded well and Conor Kelly scored a good point to level matters for the final time and straight from the puck out Edward Carty won the ball and returned it back over the bar. The same player pointed a free but Ross Healion replied from a 65m free at the other end to leave a point in it 13 minutes into the half.

The decisive score came five minutes later when a long free from Charlie Loughnane broke in the goalmouth and Rory Mooney got inside the defence to fire the ball to the net and put Birr four points clear. Ross Healion's 24th minute free kept Shamrocks in touch but Edward Carty got the insurance point with two minutes left to push Birr four clear again. Shamrocks kept pushing and Sebastian Lagace made a fine save from Sean Kenny while a 20m free with the last act of the game from Ross Healion was also saved and Birr held on to celebrate victory.

MATCH ANALYSIS

THE TEAMS

BIRR: Sebastian Lagace; Sean Loonam, Charlie Loughnane, Sean Turley; Luke Shiels, Morgan Feenane, Rian Quinn; Adriano Szoma, Tom Dwyer; Dylan Hough, Barry Tierney, Rory Mooney; Peter Tuohy, Kevin Pardy, Edward Carty. Subs. Conor Kelly (for Peter Tuohy, 30 mins), Rory Pilkington (for Luke Shiels, 35 mins).

SHAMROCKS: David Gibbons; John Hickey, Adam O'Meara, Liam Grennan; Eoghan Meacle, Eoin Corcoran, Brooke Healion; Dara Bates, Conor Egan; Ross Healion, David Coughlan, Conor Thornton; Sean Kenny, Donal Dooley, Ger Keating. Subs. Daithi Guinan (for Ger Keating, half time), Fionn Corcoran (for David Coughlan, 51 mins).

REFEREE: Adam Kinahan

MAN OF THE MATCH

There were some fine individual performances on both sides but for his crucial interventions, Birr goalkeeper Sebastian Lagace gets the vote. He made some fine stops in both halves, most crucially from a penalty early in the second half when Shamrocks were threatening to get on top. He was always alert and was quick off the line to avert danger when necessary and kept his net intact to preserve Birr's lead.

MOMENT OF THE MATCH

Birr's second goal was the decisive score of the game. There was little between the teams up to that, with never more than two points between them. With 12 minutes left the gap was just a single point when Charlie Loughnane's long free broke in the goalmouth and Rory Mooney had read it well to find himself clear inside the defence and he made no mistake to put Birr four points clear and they saw out the game from there.

REFEREE WATCH

Adam Kinahan handled this contest well. He took cognisance of the difficult conditions and his calm officiating helped in a contest that went right down to the wire. Showed some common sense after a bit of a scuffle late on when dishing out a yellow card to a player from each side, when there might have been little argument if a red was brandished and overall he did well.

WHAT’S NEXT

Birr end the season with the Kenneth Buggy Cup as Minor B champions.

VENUE WATCH

On a wet morning after a lot of overnight rain, the pitch was quite soft in places and conditions were difficult for both sides. There was an enthusiastic crowd present for the game and the host club had all the usual arrangements in place to cater for everything.

STATISTICS

Wides; Birr 6 (4 in first half) Shamrocks 6 (1 in first half)

Yellow Cards: Birr 4 (Peter Tuohy, Luke Shiels, Adriano Szoma, Dylan Hough) Shamrocks 2 (Ross Healion, Dara Bates).

Red Cards: None

THE SCORERS

Birr; Edward Carty (0-5, 0-3 frees), Peter Tuohy (1-1, 0-1 free), Rory Mooney (1-0), Tom Dwyer, Conor Kelly (0-1 each).

Shamrocks; Donal Dooley (0-5, 0-3 frees), Ross Healion (0-4, 0-3 frees), David Coughlan (0-1).