Mullinavat 3-13; Carrigeen 1-12.
John Power at Carrigeen GAA Grounds
Mullinavat booked their place in the quarter-finals of the JJ Kavanagh Junior F Hurling Championship with a deserved seven-point victory over Carrigeen in Saturday morning’s refixed first-round clash at an immaculate Carrigeen GAA Grounds.
The refixture followed the abandonment of last Sunday’s original fixture after Mullinavat’s Luke Byrne Doyle suffered an injury following an on-field collision. With just five minutes remaining, Mullinavat were leading 1-16 to 0-13 when play was halted. Thankfully, Luke has since made a full recovery and was present on the sideline to support his teammates for the replay.
Mullinavat made an excellent start and quickly put the home side under pressure. Stephen Law opened the scoring before adding a second point, while Billy Delahunty struck the opening goal after reacting quickest when the Carrigeen goalkeeper could only bat down an initial effort. Carrigeen responded well through Jamie O’Keeffe and Ollie O’Neill, who opened their account with a point each, the latter from a free. Another Stephen Law free left Mullinavat leading 1-4 to 0-3 after 12 minutes.
The next spell belonged to Carrigeen. Two points apiece from Evan O’Shea and Ollie O’Neill, one from a free, saw the home side wipe out the deficit and draw level at 1-4 to 0-7 after an impressive six-minute period. Mullinavat regained the initiative when Pat Mulhearne finished to the net after a Stephen Law free dropped dangerously into the square. However, Carrigeen refused to let the game slip away. They replied with 1-2 before the interval, their goal coming after Jamie O’Keeffe’s delivery into the danger area caused confusion in the Mullinavat defence before ending in the net. With the sides level at 2-6 to 1-9 at the break, the contest was perfectly poised.
Cormac McEvoy and Ollie O’Neill exchanged early second-half points before McEvoy assumed Mullinavat’s free-taking duties. His accuracy from placed balls proved vital as two successive frees edged Mullinavat into a 2-9 to 1-10 lead by the 40th minute. O’Neill narrowed the gap to a single point with another free, setting up an exciting final quarter as both teams battled for a place in the last eight.
The decisive moment arrived in the 50th minute when Carrigeen’s hopes suffered a major blow. In the space of a minute, the home side lost two players to red cards, leaving them with a mountain to climb against a well-organised Mullinavat outfit. The visitors quickly took advantage of the extra space and dominated the closing stages. Moving the ball with pace and accuracy, they outscored Carrigeen by 1-4 to 0-1 over the closing minutes.
Billy Delahunty grabbed his second goal of the game following an excellent flowing move to put the result beyond doubt, while Mullinavat’s defence ensured Carrigeen had little opportunity to mount a late comeback. Stephen Law was outstanding throughout, contributing important scores and providing quality deliveries from placed balls. McEvoy’s composed free-taking in the second half proved crucial, while Delahunty’s two goals were central to Mullinavat’s victory. Pat Mulhearne also made a valuable contribution with his first-half goal.
Carrigeen can take encouragement from the displays of Ollie O’Neill, Jamie O’Keeffe and Evan O’Shea, all of whom played leading roles before the dismissals changed the course of the game.
Mullinavat now look forward to an away quarter-final against Tullogher-Rosbercon on Sunday, August 9th, where they will hope to build on this impressive performance and continue their championship journey.
SCORERS
MULLINAVAT: Stephen Law (0-8, 0-4 frees), Billy Delahunty (2-0), Cormac McEvoy (0-5, 3 frees), Pat Mulhearne (1-0).
CARRIGEEN; Ollie O’Neill 0-7 (0-6 frees), Jamie O’Keeffe (1-1), Evan O’Shea (0-2), Frank Law, Joey O’Hanlon (0-1 each).
TEAMS
MULLINAVAT: Declan Duggan, Jamie Walsh, Tommy Lannigan, Jamie Dempsey, Louis Madigan, Daniel Walsh, Killian Dungan, Jake Morrissey, James Dalton, Stephen Law, Pat Mulhearn, Billy Delahunty, Jack Power, Cormac McEvoy, John Reade. Substitute: Michael Johnston for Tommy Lannigan.
CARRIGEEN: Fintan Dermody, Cathal O’Keeffe, Joe Crowe, Niall Gallagher, Eoghan Dermody, Conor Dermody, Joey O’Hanlon, ,Kevin Dowley, Evan Fahey, Jamie Quinn, Ollie O’Neill, Evan O’Shea, Johnny Collins Kennedy, Jamie O’Keeffe, Patrick Buckley. Substitutes: Frank Law, Jake Prendergast, Peter Dunlea, PJ Ivory. Paddy Wall.
Referee: John Bennett (Tullogher Rosbercon)
