Buncrana put on the burners against Dungloe to lift U-21B Hurling Championship

Buncrana eased their way to a comfortable victory in the County U-21B final against Dungloe at O’Donnell Park.

Buncrana 6-14
Dungloe 1-4

Four goals from full-forward Oisin Kelly played a huge part in the victory for the team managed by Tommy O’Neill. The curtain was finally drawn on the competition with the initial scheduled final postponed due to a frozen pitch in Letterkenny and the rescheduled meeting then abandoned at the Donegal Training Centre due to thick fog two days before Christmas.

That night in Convoy, Buncrana held a slender 0-6 to 1-1 lead before referee Ciaran O’Neill called time early in the second half and that, looking back, was as close as Dungloe would come. The Rosses team were missing five since due to illness and injury, although they weren’t using that as an excuse with Buncrana on fire at O’Donnell Park right from the off.

Kelly was flying inside and scored a goal inside of a minute, while completing his hat-trick of goals before 10 had been played. Caolan O’Neill, all afternoon, put on a display of long-rangers, with an impressive haul of four in the first half and 0-7 in total, alongside captain David Carey.

Ruairi Doherty, with two, and scores from Ryan Hegarty and Finn McLaughlin made for a lead of 3-8 to 0-2 at the break, with Dungloe’s points coming from two Brendan Boyle frees.

The second half was more of the same with Doherty hitting his third point of the day on the run before substitute Cathal Óg Wilson kicked goal number four in 38 minutes. The fifth Buncrana goal was planted by Ryan Hegarty into the top corner for a 5-10 to 0-4 lead.

Boyle and his partner in the middle Conor Diver had scored the Dungloe points in the third quarter before they got some sort of consolation when Diver beat Buncrana goalkeeper Darragh Doherty from distance for a goal on 50 minutes.

However, Kelly added his fourth goal of the day - his team’s sixth - with seven minutes to play before adding a point late on, as did O’Neill and Curley to complete the win.

Buncrana scorers: Oisin Kelly 4-1; Caolan O’Neill 0-7, 3f, 3 65; Ryan Hegarty 1-1; Cathal Óg Wilson 1-0; Ruairi Doherty 0-3; Finn McLaughlin and David Carey 0-1 each.
Dungloe scorers: Brendan Boyle 0-3, 3f; Conor Diver 1-1.

Buncrana: Darragh Doherty; Luke McLafferty, Gary McLaughln, Anthony Brosnan; Ruairi Doherty, Sean Doherty, Peter Grant; Caolan O’Neill, David Carey; Kevin O’Rourke, Finn McLaughlin, Kieran Doherty; Fiachra Gill, Oisin Kelly, Ryan Hegarty. Subs: Rory Scott for O’Rourke (24), Cathal Óg Wilson for F McLaughlin (35); Eoghan Mac Domhnaill for McGarvey (44), Evan McCallion for Hegarty (51).
Dungloe: Martin Mannion; Eamonn McGarvey, Odhran Duffy, Evan McFadden; Dylan Thomas, Sean O’Donnell, Aidan McGee; Brendan Boyle, Conor Diver; Joe Doyle, Evan Towie, Tristan Boyle; Eoghan Walshe, Karl Magee, John Boyle. Sub: Kai Briers for Doyle (50).
Referee: Ciaran O’Neill (Setanta)