Lattin/Cullen have plenty to spare in win over Cashel

Gleeson Concrete West Junior A Hurling Championship

Lattin Cullen 2-15 (21)

Cashel King Cormacs 0-15 (15) 

John O’Shea at Annacarty 

Lattin Cullen are through to the semi-final of the Gleeson Concrete West Junior A Hurling Championship following their six point victory over Cashel King Cormacs at Annacarty on Wednesday evening. Trailing by three points, 0-14 to 1-8, eight minutes into the second half, they turned this game around in the final twenty minutes, outscoring their opponents by 1-7 to 0-1. 

The opening period produced an evenly balanced game, with Cashel holding a one-point advantage at the interval, 0-10 to 1-6, the Lattin goal coming after four minutes from midfielder, Diarmuid Looby. 

The sides were level for the sixth time, twenty seconds into the second period, but three unanswered points from Cashel gave them a three-point cushion by the eight minute.

Lattin dominated the scoring during the final twenty minutes with Cathal Dillon hitting four points from placed balls and Paddy O’Donoghue capitalising on a defensive error, when he blocked down a clearance following a short puck out, to tap into an empty net. Following this goal, three minutes from time, there was no way back for the town side. 

Tomas Skeffington got the scoreboard ticking over after a minute’s play when he put over at the far end but three minutes later Diarmuid Looby raced through the centre of the Cashel defence before blasting a low drive to the net for the opening goal.

Two points, one from Colin Ryan and a converted free from Mickey Coleman tied the game for the first time after seven minutes. Cathal Dillon and Adrian O’Dwyer exchanged points, before Thomas Hanley eased Lattin back in front by the tenth minute. Cashel replied with the inform Mickey Coleman putting over three points, two from frees and Tomas Skeffington getting his second from open play, to go three up by the quarter hour mark. 

Lattin came more into the game for the second quarter, with man of the match, Diarmuid Looby firing over three from open play and Cathal Dillon converting his first placed ball. Aaron Moloney pulled one back for Cashel, but Mickey Coleman had the final say of an entertaining and close first half when he hit his fifth point to put his side one up at the break. 

The second half played out something similar to the opening period, as Cashel got their points on the scoreboard during the third quarter and Lattin bouncing back in the final fifteen minutes. 

Paddy O’Donoghue and Adrian O’Dwyer exchanged points inside forty seconds of the restart, but the pace regularised from then on. Lattin were finding scores hard to come by, mainly through wayward shooting, though Cathal Dillon hit his third of the evening from a placed ball, two minutes after the restart.

Cashel replied with three on the trot from Aaron Moloney, Adrian O’Dwyer, their top scorer from play, and Mickey Coleman from a free. Cashel were three to the good with eight minutes gone and moving well. 

Lattin had introduced Darren Neville and Sean Mullins at half time and these substitutions began to pay dividends with Mullins breaking up a lot of play at the back and Neville creating problems in attack. Points from Cathal Dillon and Looby cut the deficit to the minimum by the three quarter hour mark, but a long range free by Lee Burke eased Cashel’s lead out to two. 

This was as good as it would get for the town side as Lattin took over on the scoreboard, Diarmuid Looby hit his fifth point of the evening and Dillon tied the game for the eight time, with ten minutes of normal time remaining. 

In the final ten minutes, Dillon landed a free from well over ninety meters, Thomas Hanley got his second of the evening and Paddy O’Donoghue goaled with three minutes remaining, when he blocked down an attempted clearance, following a short puck out, before tapping into an empty net for goal number two. Cathal Dillon had the last say when he put over his seventh point of the evening from a placed ball, in the thirty first minute. 

Lattin Cullen now play Rockwell Rovers in the semi-final. 

Scorers and Teams: 

Lattin/Cullen: Cathal Dillon (0-7, 0-6f), Diarmuid Looby (1-5), Paddy O’Donoghue (1-1), Thomas Hanley (0-2). 

Cashel KC: Mickey Coleman (0-6, 0-5f), Adrian O’Dwyer (0-3), Aaron Moloney (0-2), Tomas Skeffington (0-2), Colin Ryan (0-1), Lee Burke (0-1f). 

Lattin/Cullen: Jack Whelton, Tom O’Donoghue, Mark Hanley, Laurence Coskeran, Stephen Moloney, Ed O’Meara, Tadgh Carew, Ray Hennessy, Diarmuid Looby, Jack O’Halloran, Cathal Dillon, Liam Carew, Thomas Hanley, Shane Russell, Paddy O’Donoghue
Subs: Darren Neville for Liam Carew (HT), Sean Mullins for Tomas O’Donoghue (HT), Kevin Franks for Shane Russell (51), Timmy Corcoran for Mark Hanley (56).

Cashel KC: Dylan O’Grady, John Darmody, Padraig O’Donoghue. John Gaffney, Oisin Dwan, Lee Burke, Paraic Brosnan , Robbie Anglim, Adrian O’Dwyer, Aaron Moloney, Mickey Coleman, Tomas Skeffington, Cian McGrath, Fearghail O’Donoghue, Colin Ryan 

Subs: Cormac Ryan for Cian McGrath (40 mins), JP Anglim for Fearghail O’Donoghue (48 mins), Donal Ryan for John Darmody (59 mins).

Referee: Richie O’Connor (Arravale Rovers)