A green flag in injury time took the win away from MLR
Carlow Senior Hurling Championship Round 1
Mount Leinster Rangers 2-14, St Mullins 1-17
The opening shots of the 2024 Carlow Senior Hurling Championship were fired in Dr Cullen Park on Friday evening but, truth to tell, the bullets if not exactly of the blank variety carried very little danger to life or limb.
The scoreline might give the impression of another Mount Leinster Rangers v St Mullins thriller and the game had it’s entertaining moments but the lack of jeopardy created by the fact that four of the five competition starters are guaranteed a semi-final place – Naomh Bríd withdrew mid-week – ensured the game lacked the intensity and cut and thrust of a real championship contest.
Indeed it is highly likely that these same two clubs will fire the closing shots in the 2024 Carlow Senior Hurling Championship on August 11th but those bullets will carry a health warning!
Friday night’s Summer Solstice ‘set-to’ could best be described as ‘a nice little game’ or a ‘glorified challenge’, neither a phrase which would raise the pulses and the fact that both teams were without their marquee forward- Rangers Chris Nolan is in the USA while St Mullins Marty ‘Mouse’ Kavanagh was absent due to an injury picked up in a practice match – also took from the games allure.
As it was this 47th SHC meeting of the neighbours children – 33 in the group stages, 14 knock-out contests – produced the fifth draw and it was a fair result to a game that St Mullins shaped like winning for much of the first half before a brace of Rangers goals swing the momentum firmly in the Ballymurphy,Rathanna, Borris club’s favour.
However, in the second minute of the three minutes time added on by referee Brian Deering, big John Doyle of St Mullins, who had played most of the ‘hour’ at wing forward, took up a position on the edge of the square where he rose high to catch a long delivery from defence (think it was Paudie Kehoe, I was consulting my watch at the time!).
Big John caught. Big John turned. Big John was bottled up by three Rangers defenders (one the goalkeeper). Almost as in slow motion Big John somehow managed to manoeuvre a half-strike with his stick that delivered the sliotar to the scoreboard end net. After consultation with his umpires the match official left the goal stand.
There was time for a little more action and a James Doyle shot for the winner from the left wing which drifted wide after Rangers hassling had made his task a difficult one. James, though, contributed 0-9 to the St Mullins tally, a half-dozen from placed balls as he assumed the free-taking role in the absence of ‘Mouse’.
James was also wayward with a few frees but his three points from play were pure class, one of which came in the 37th minute and prompted us to write ‘sorcery’ on our notes as the county star extracted himself from a posse of Rangers defenders with a flick-and-trick before looping around the cover and firing over a marvellous point.
It was mainly thanks to James Doyle that St Mullins held an 0-11 to 0-7 interval advantage, James opening the scoring with a pointed free in the 55th second after he himself was fouled, Dean Tobin with a marvellous point from play equalising from the puck-out before Paddy Boland rifled over a terrific St Mullins point inside two minutes of the throw-in.
What a start, we thought we were in for fireworks. Alas, no. Paddy Boland went off within a minute of his point, was tagged as a temporary substitution but the county player never returned and his hand injury will hopefully not keep him out of future games.
Dean Tobin stood over a 40m line-ball in the 6th minute and from the stand wing sent the ball sailing between the scoreboard end posts. In the 3rd minute of the second half Dean Tobin stood over another line-ball 40m from the St Mullins posts, again on the stand wing. He was going for a score, then was tempted to go short to a colleague but when that avenue was cut off he cut the ball towards the posts. He didn’t get the same purchase as in the first half, the ball dropped short but in dropping short eluded forwards and defender and goalkeeper alike. Goal. Level 1-8 to 0-11.
Mount Leinster Rangers struck for a second goal in the 41st minute and a great goal it was. There appeared little danger as half-time substitute Eoin Doyle chased a ‘lost cause’ near the terrace sideline inside the 13m line.
Eoin, the goal scoring hero of Rangers All-Ireland Intermediate final victory over Middletown of Armagh and not long home from Australia, managed to inch the ball along the ground and back to Eddie Byrne, stationed outside the 20m line, a little in from the side-line. ‘Feathers’ delivered a beautiful cross straight into the hand of the Teddy Joyce, lurking in the edge of the square and he displayed commendable composure in evading a tackle and firing a rising shot to the Deerpark end rigging. 2-10 to 0-13.
Joyce, who didn’t score in the first half, missing one scoreable free, more than atoned on the change-over, racking up 1-4 while Dean Tobin brought his personal tally to 1-3 with a 52nd minute point from play after a lovely bout of short passing from MLR but probably missed by many in the build-up so quick was his flick of wrist was a clever assist by Kevin McDonald whose dainty stick-touch fashioned the opening for the move to continue.
‘Mac’ also piloted over a magnificent first half point from play when gathering a quick Dean Grennan puck-out inside his own ‘65’ the club and County captain sent a long, high dropping ball dropping all the way over the bar.
We might have had another goal too. Eoin Doyle, who later caught a Kevin McDonald line-cut from the stand wing and dispatched a shot on the turn over the bar, chose not to catch a Dean Tobin line-cut from the other wing. Instead, two-handed, in a throw-back to hurling of yesteryear Eoin attempted to double on the ball. He connected too. Wide. But what a goal it would have been.
Taling of yesteryear. 2005. August. A teenager called Richard Coady made his SHC for Mount Leinster Rangers. On Friday Richie commenced his 20th Carlow SHC campaign! We suspect Connail Fitzpatrick, who was making his SHC debut on Friday night, wasn’t even born in 2005!
Best for Rangers were crafty Michael Doyle and Kevin McDonald in defence, ‘Mac’ having a wonderful duel with James Doyle while young tyros Conaill Fitz and Tim Brennan put in a useful shift at centre-field.
Teddy Joyce and Dean Tobin took the honours up front with Eoin Doyle making a big difference bringing a cutting edge to the attack.
Team captain Ger Coady, Paudie Kehoe and Paul Doyle were prominent in the St Mullins defence, Eamon O’Shea and Michael Walsh were workmanlike at mid-field while the Doyle’s, James and John, along with Conor Kehoe were the shining lights in attack.
– MOUNT LEINSTER RANGERS –
1. Dean Grennan
2. Michael Doyle
3. Evan Keogh
4. Sean Joyce
5. Tony Lawlor
6. Kevin McDonald (Capt) 0-3 2f
7. Richie Coady
8. Conaill Fitzpatrick 0-1
9. Tim Brennan
10. Ciaran Kavanagh 0-1
11. Teddy Joyce 1-5 0-1f
12. Dean Tobin 1-3 1-1 l-b
13. Tadgh Doran
14. Eddie Byrne
15. Evan Kealy
Subs: Michael Joyce for E Keogh (20)
Eoin Doyle 0-1 for T Doran (h-t)
– ST MULLINS –
1. Kevin Kehoe
2. Paudi O’Shea
3. Paul Doyle
4. John Doran
5. Ger Coady (Capt) 0-1
6. Paudie Kehoe
7. Jack Kavanagh
8. Eamon O’Shea
9. Michael Walsh 0-1
10. John Doyle 1-1
11. James Doyle 0-9 6f
12. Conor Kehoe 0-2
13. Oisin Ryan 0-1
14. Jason O’Neill 0-1
15. Paddy Boland 0-1
Subs: Sean Connolly for Paddy Boland (temp, 3-full-time)
Patrick Walsh for O Ryan (46)
Referee: Brian Deering
