A classy performance gave Burren Rangers their due rewards.
2024 Carlow Junior Hurling Championship Final
Burren Rangers 1-18, Mount Leinster Rangers 2-10
By Leo McGough
BOOMSHAKALAKA! The immortal word of ebullient Olympic Basketball commentator Timmy McCarthy are the perfect fit to sum up Burren Rangers historic Carlow JJ Kavanagh’s and Sons Junior Hurling Championship final victory in sunny Netwatch Cullen Park on Saturday evening.
Didn’t know until I sat down to write this report that Boomshakalaka is actually a word in the dictionary, defined as “an exclamation that can express dominance, triumph, excitement, or joy.” See what I mean, the perfect fit as the people of Ballon, the Fighting Cocks and Kilbride celebrate an historic victory in the small ball code.
A rider to that definition, says “it is especially used when commenting on big dunks in basketball”, a definition Timmy has brought to a fine art! And if Timmy was in the County Ground on Saturday he woukd have been in full flow …
“Eight minutes gone in the second half, 0-13 to 0-7 Burren Rangers lead, here’s Billy Molloy, the substitute in possession on the terrace wing, he got a great point from the far wing a few minutes ago, he’s not going for a point this time, he’s on his bike is the No 16, gone inside the 20m line, will he shoot now? No he won’t … a lovely handpass into … into … ‘BOOMSHAKALAKA … a goal for Burren Rangers, a great goal … finished by … finished by … No 17 … another Billy, Billy Nolan … where did he come from I didn’t hear Marty Barry call out the change … not to mind, I dare say it’s a title clinching goal … Billy to Billy … there was a ‘Billy’s Boots’ a famous comic-strip in a old soccer magazine years ago, he used to score great goals too – the word ‘assist’ didn’t exist back then in sporting parlance – but it does now, Billy Molloy with the assist, Billy Nolan with the goal, ‘Billy’s Boots how are ya, this is ‘Billy’s Sticks!”
Timmy is right, that was the title-clicking goal, the green flag that will feature in the highlights reel for years to come. However it is the points tally that would catch the eye of many observers, especially those only reading the result, taking in the 1-18. Timmy again …
“If I’m not at a hurling match and I see in a report that a certain individual of my acquaintance scored a goal, an acquaintance who let’s say is no Christy Ring, I’d say to myself ‘fair enough’ the sliotar might have richochet off him over the line after the goalie pulled on it or maybe he tried to catch a long ball and deflected it passed the ‘keeper. But if I read 0-2 after his name I say ‘be the hokey, how in the name of God did he do that, scoring points in hurling is a fine art, there must be a bit of a Christy Ring in him after all!”
Burren Rangers, after early errors of brushstroke that saw seven wides stain the canvas, gave a exhibition a artistic point scoring, the pièce de résistance the exquisite line-ball, 25m out, stand wing, that Dylan Townsend cut between the dressing room end posts in the 13th minute. Apart from it’s technical excellence that point – worth two in camogie circles – put Burren Rangers into the lead for the first time – experienced John Coady having posted early Mount Leinster Rangers points, Daniel Bolger opening the Burren account with a lovely point in the 8th minute, Dylan levelling in the 11th, a point from play after a wonderful cross-field pass from Seamus English Hayden – was also of enormous psychological importance.
In all Dylan Townsend contributed 0-9 to the Burren Rangers tally, that line-ball minor supplemented by seven expertly struck frees, one of which with 10 minutes to go had Timmy in full voice, ‘and from Downtown Dylan dissects the posts”.
After the goal, No 13 Jim Nolan picked off a brace of beautifully taken points in the 40th and 43rd minutes, one of these after … well, let Timmy Mac tell ye …. “I cannot believe my eyes, I just cannot believe my eyes! No, no, my apologies to Jim Nolan’s family and friends listening, he is a fine hurler, that second point proves the first one was no fluke but I’ve just seen the 8th Wonder of the Modern Hurling World, a first time ground pull! Dylan Townsend let fly on the ground, the sliotar sped along that lovely green surface and Jim Nolan, not a shocked as I was, picked it up and put it over the bar”. Turns out the first time pull was no fluke either, Dylan revealing in an interview with Kevin Regan of ‘Left Wing Back’ that manager Jarlath Bolger extols the virtues of keeping the ball moving.
Another man with a brace of points to his name was full-forward and captain Billy Shanahan, two good points to, the first in the 15th minute, set up by Dylan Townsend adding important impetus to the line-ball lead point, the second in the 21st minute showcasing the new champions team work when a great catch by Billy of a probing Seamus Hayden English delivery was quickly dispatched over the bar from a narrow angle. 0-7 to 0-3
Come half-time Burren Rangers led 0-10 to 0-5, Rory Joyce (a great long range score from play) and Eoin Fenlon (two frees) having tacked on M.L.R. points while Dylan (two frees, one long distance, one close range after Jim Nolan had almost burrowed his way through for a goal).
Seamus English Hayden, carrying a shoulder injury into the game, was forced to retire at half-time but what a productive mid-field shift he had put in. On came Billy Molloy and what a productive second half shift he put in, rifling over a 5th minute point before making the run that ‘made’ the title-clinching goal.
That 5th minute point, coupled with Cathal Healy’s second half opener (a great long range point from the right half back wearing No 23) and a Dylan free brought Burren Rangers tally to 0-13, the other Rangers were on 0-6 by the 37th minute, top of the left Eoin Fenlon having converted two more frees.
Then … Boomshakalaka … the Burren Rangers goal that along with Jim Nolan’s points, a lovely Billy Nolan point and Dylan Townsend’s point from ‘downtown’ gave the green and white brigade the cushion of a 1-17 to 0-9 point lead with 10 minutes to go, cushion enough to leave Colm Malone’s booted goal from close range with dust rising in the square and John Coady’s goal from a penalty as consolation scores.
The fact that those goals came late and that just 1-3 if the losers tally came from play was down to the ‘thou shalt not pass’ attitude of the outstanding Burren Rangers defence, anchored superbly by county senior Lorcan Doyle, a terrific hurler. He may have all the skills and used them all very well but on a couple of occasions late in the game when maybe another Mount Leinster Rangers goal might have sparked a late rally, Lorcan got in a couple of blocks and flicks that prevented those green flags being raised. Either side off the immaculate No 6 on the half back line Cathal Healy and Joe Holden played great hurling, their clearances top class as mindful of the manager’s mantra to ‘keep the field big, play the ball wide’, they dud just that.
Big full-back Cormac McElligott, after early difficulty with tricky John Coady, commanded the square, using his strength to good effect. Time was junior corner-backs would be expected to do no more than mind their corner, get in the way of forwards coming in and out of the way of backs who could actually clear the ball. Not nowadays. Getting in the forwards way is still part of the job but, as in the case of Jamie Carroll and Podge Roche on Saturday, when these corner-backs get possession now they are playing heads-up hurling, looking for the out-ball with a pop pass or delivering with intent themselves. Instead of Timmy McCarthy we’ll let Dylan Townsend give you the lowdown on Goalkeeper Ciarán Caffrey. “Only for the ball we are getting, Ciarán in the goal with his puck-outs, unbelievable, unbelievable, you couldn’t ask for better.”
Then you had Tom Donald working like a beaver all though at mid-field, he had Seamus English Hayden alongside in the first half, Dylan Townsend came out there in the second but Tom was there all through, manning the engine room to effect on a warm evening when fitness was a major factor.
The unrelated Bolger’s, Conor and Daniel, both already mentioned for their points, did much, much more, got through a pile of useful hurling, substitute Billy Nolan contributed a huge 1-1, Billy Molloy too made a huge contribution from the bench while Darragh Byrne for Donald. Lochlann McGath and Evan Corr also saw game time on this historic day for the club.
That’s it then, roll on 2025 … oh wait. We forgot to praise Mount Leinster Rangers for being so competitive with a third team, none more competitive than old stagers, Willie Hickey, Eddie Coady and John Coady who all proved class is permanent.
Oh wait, speaking of old stagers and class being permanent there is one other Ranger we must extol, the Lone Ranger’ reincarnate that is the one and only Joe Waters, the 35+VAT winning centre half forward. The original fictitious ‘Lone Ranger’ conducted himself by a strict moral code that, among other things, included “that God put the firewood there but that everyman must gather and light it himself” and “in being prepared physically, mentally and morally to fight when necessary for what is right” and also “that men should live by the rule of what is best for the greatest number”.
Joe Waters abides by all those codes and how fortunate Shem Doyle and himself were shopping in Lidl in Tullow at the same time earlier this year when Joe going back hurling was mooted first. They but knew it would be best for the greatest number. Joe’s on-field leadership skills was, ten years after the adult pursuit began, the final piece in Burren Rangers completing the Junior Hurling Jigsaw.
– BURREN RANGERS –
1. Ciarán Caffrey
2. Jimmie Carroll
3. Cormac McElligott
4. Podge Roche
5. Cathal Healy 0-1
6. Lorcan Doyle
7.Joe Holden
8. Tom Donald
10. Conor Bolger 0-1
9. Seamus English-Hayden
11. Joe Waters
12. Dylan Townsend 0-9 7f, 1 l-b
13. Daniel Bolger 0-1
14, Billy Shanahan (Captain) 0-2
15. Jim Nolan 0-2
Subs: Billy Molloy 0-1 for English Hayden (h-t)
Billy Nolan 1-1 for D Bolger (37)
Darragh Byrne for Donald (54)
Lochlann McGath for Waters (59)
Evan Corr for C Bolger (62)
– MOUNT LEINSTER RANGERS –
1. Connor Coleman
2. Tomás Joyce
3. Willie Hickey
4. Liam Lawlor (Captain) 0-1 f
5. Daithí Coleman
6. Edward Coady
7. James O’Neill
8. Colm Malone 1-0
9. Niall Canning
10. Donald Coady
11. Rory Joyce 0-1
12. Mike Joyce
13. Ciarán Kavanagh
14. John Coady 1-2 1-0 pen
15. Eoin Fenlon 0-6 6f
Subs: Joey Dalton for M Joyce (34)
Jack Cummins for C Kavanagh (34)
MJ Doran for D Coleman (48)
Graham Bolger for D Coady (50)
Luke Joyce for Fenlon (54).
Referee: Brian Deering (Rathvilly)
