Kilkenny JHC- Penalty joy sees Barrow Rangers into last four

A game that started at 4pm at a very windy Muckalee eventually finished at 6.11pm with Barrow Rangers winning the penalty shoot-out over Emeralds in a pulsating JJ Kavanagh and Sons junior hurling championship Quarter-Final tie.

As the game entered extra time, many players on both sides were understandably tiring after an energy-sapping contest where the commitment from all the participants was admirable.

This was last chance saloon and from the opening moments, both teams set out their stall to ensure that they would be present in UPMC Nowlan Park for the championship semi-finals on Saturday next.

Emeralds may have played with first advantage of the strong breeze, but it was opponents Barrow Rangers who made the better start.

Early points from Conor Hanlon (free) and Shane McDonald gave the Paulstown men an early advantage.

By the seventh minute they were five points ahead when Joe Healy booted the sliotar to the Emeralds net with a hesitant Emeralds defence failing to clear the ball.

The Urlingford side eventually got off the mark on eight minutes when Darragh Queally pointed a 65.

That score saw Emeralds build strong momentum with further points from Killian Doyle, Gerry Troy and a Conor Martin brace.

With Killian Doyle and Conor Martin leading the way for the Urlingford side, they started to build on their lead as the game entered the closing stages of the first half.

Young corner forward Callum Lawlor was also playing superbly for the Emeralds, but crucially Barrow Rangers found new energy late in the half with a brace of points from sub Mikey Doyle and Jack Kelly, who started the game with a heavily bandaged leg.

Those scores left the minimum between the sides in favour of the Urlingford men.

The closeness of the exchanges continued in the second half with the half-time chat clearly seeing a bigger effort from the Emeralds.

Nine minutes into the second half Jack Kelly, whose influence on the game was growing, ran on to a great pass from sub Keith Flavin to finish superbly to the Emeralds net.

Shane McDonald added another point for the winners one minute later. Gary Hill and Kieran O’Neill were also playing superbly in the winners defence.

The pendulum was now pointing towards the Paulstown men, but not for long as the Emeralds responded brilliantly to take a grip on the game over the next ten minutes.

Points from sub Adam Barnaville, Darragh Quealy and another sub Oisin Deegan were followed by a brilliantly worked goal from Conor Martin.

Marc Drennan pointed just before that Martin goal, but the response to that Emeralds green flag was impressive from the winners with Jack Kelly (2) and Shane McDonald pointing.

But the drama was far from over. On fifty-nine minutes Adam Barnaville pointed and then in the fourth minute of injury time ice-cool Gerry Troy controlled a pass from Killian Doyle to send the tie to extra time.

When Billy Hanlon bagged a third goal for Barrow Rangers on four minutes after Enda Kelly had brilliantly saved a Joe Healy penalty, Barrow Rangers won back control of the game.

Jack Kelly landed the point of the game on eight minutes, but throughout injury time Callum Lawlor was a shining light for the Emeralds.

Points for the Urlingford men from Lawlor, Alex Burke and Adam Barnaville left their side trailing by the minimum at half-time in extra time.

Free takers, Joe Healy (BR) and Darragh Queally (EM) were unerring, but it did take an injury time pointed free from Queally to send the game to penalties.

Emeralds will feel that they should have been awarded a point or two that were signalled wide, but the match officials were adamant that the ball went wide on both occasions.

Penalties are always akin to a lottery and so it turned out. Callum Lawlor was the only successful penalty taker for the Emeralds, with Joe Healy and Conor Hanlon, with the last puck of the game, raising green flags to send Barrow Rangers into next Saturday’s semi-final where they will play Galmoy.

Teams and Scorers

Barrow Rangers - Jack Kelly (1-6); Joe Healy (1-4, 0-2 frees); Billy Hanlon (1-0); Shane McDonald (0-3); Conor Hanlon (0-2, frees); Mickey Doyle, Marc Drennan (0-1, each)

Emeralds - Conor Martin (1-3); Darragh Queally, (0-6, 0-3 frees and 0-1 ’65); Callum Lawlor (0-5, 0-1 free and 0-1 Line-ball); Adam Barnaville (0-3); Killian Doyle, Gerry Troy (0-2, each), Oisin Deegan, Alex Burke (0-1, each).

Barrow Rangers - Richie Doyle, Kevin Brennan, Darragh O’Connor, Paul Delaney, Patrick Purcell, Kieran O’Neill, Noah Scully, Gary Hill, Marc Drennan, Cathal Purcell, Billy Hanlon, Conor Hanlon, Shane McDonald, Jack Kelly, Joe Healy.

Subs – Mikey Doyle, Keith Flavin, Conor Hanlon (returned in extra time).

Emeralds - Enda Kelly, Kieran Cleere, Shane Norton, Tomas Cussen, Tony Farrell, Eoin Moriarity, Sean Burke, Killian Doyle, Micheal Ahearn, Darragh Queally, Conor Martin, Sean Power, Alex Burke, Gerry Troy, Callum Lawlor.

Subs – Adam Barnaville, Oisin Deegan, Toddy Moriarity, Liam Grant.

Referee – Vivienne Holmes