Match report from yesterday’s hurling league match

Intermediate hurlers on the board thanks to Deery and Broderick hat-tricks

Don/Ash 7-6 Kildalkey 4-6

Don Ash played into the wind for the first half Kildalkey started brightly and had 2 points on the board within 2 minutes. The first from the half forward line and the 2nd a great point from the 70 meters on the side-line.

On 3 minutes Martin Quinn opened the scoring for the home team capitalising on a poor clearance to score a point from midfield. Kildalkey continued their good start but failed to add to the score board putting 2 scorable chances wide.

Don Ash settled with the half forward trio of Byrne, Randle and Murray began to dominate. Andy Byrne levelled the scores with a well taken point 40 metres out on the right. 5 minutes later John Broderick got his first score with a 50 metre free sailing over the bar. As the defence limited Kildalkey chances, the forwards continued to trouble the Kildalkey defence and a sign of things to come was seen when Cain Field went on one of his runs from the right. He sent a dangerous ball at speed across the goal and Danny Deery was unlucky when his first time pull went narrowly wide. Martin Quinn got the 4th point on 18 mins from the 50 after great work from Adrian McManus in winning the ball in midfield. Kildalkey responded with a point from play.

Don Ash’s first goal came on 25 minutes. Andy Byrne won an excellent ball in a crowded midfield and layed it off to Quinn. He ran on to 30 metres and picked out Danny Deery on the edge of the square who then found the back of the net giving the keeper no chance.

2 minutes later the 2nd goal came when a long ball from Quinn was misjudged by the Kildalkey keeper and dropped into the net. That was followed almost immediately with another goal when John Broderick and Cian Field went up with the Kildalkey keeper on the 14 and Broderick finished from the broken ball. Kildalkey pulled a point back just before halftime from midfield straight from a puck out.

This left the score at ½ time Don Ash 3-4 – Kildalkey 0-5.

Don Ash started the 2nd half where they had left off when Broderick got a 2nd goal three minutes in. He won the ball on the left, 21 metres out and finished to the keepers near side. He followed this with a pointed free from 20 meters following a chop from a Kildalkey defender. 3 minutes later Sean Hogan made two fantastic clearances from one on ones with the Kildalkey full forward. Playing fullback, he calmly plucked the ball out of the air on both occasions, winning a free on the first one and driving the ball 90 meters into the forwards on the 2nd.

This was followed by a great save from Graham Byrne who dived low to his right to push the ball out of danger. On 46 minutes, the Kildalkey no 6, came thundering through and gave Byrne no chance as he finished to the top corner. Half way through the 2nd half Shaun Byrne sent a great ball from midfield, left to right across the pitch to Field. Field repeated his run and pass across the square. This time Deery found the back of the Kildakey net with a first time pull leaving the score 5-5 to 1-5. Soon after John Broderick got his 3rd goal, scrambling the ball past the Kildalkey defence having won the ball on the 21. On 23 minutes Kildalkey staged a late comeback, starting with a driven free from 30 meters which somehow found the net despite the packed defence. Andy Byrne tacked on a point from a 70 before Kildalkey’s 3rd goal came on 22 minutes. An attempt at point dropped short and with the low sun in his eyes the ball evaded the Don Ash keeper Byrne and dropped into the net. This was immediately followed by Kildalkey’s fourth gaol. Their number 6 thundered forward and again fired an unstoppable shot to the net. This left 6 points between the team with 5 minutes left. Deery finished the comeback on 28 minutes with his 3rd goal. He caught a long clearance on the 40 and turned towards goal. With the side-line shouting for a point, cool as you like he struck the back of the net from the 21 for his hattrick. This turned out to be last score as the home team closed out the game and got their first 2 points on a well-deserved score line of 7-6 to 4-6.

Starting 15 1. Graham Byrne 2. Sean Robinson 3. Sean Hogan 4. Daragh Walsh 5. Sam Benville 6. Adrian McManus 7. Mark Donnelly 8. Martin Quinn 9. Sean Byrne 10. Andy Byrne 11. Sam Murray 12. Colm Randle 13. Danny Deery 14. John Broderick 15. Cian Field Subs Sean Benville (for Colm Randle 50mins) Darragh Morrisey ( for Sean Robinson 55) Luke Andrews (for Cian Field 53) Martin Doherty. Conditions – Sunny with the wind blowing towards the club house.

Referee Mick Ryan.