Bray Emmets 0-23 Carnew Emmets 4-08
Inspired by man of the match Christy Moorehouse, Bray Emmets cemented their name in Wicklow club hurling history when securing their sixth O'Donoghue Cup in a row following a 0-23 to 4-08 victory over Carnew Emmets.
The free-taking and general play of Moorehouse, especially in the second half, was crucial to this victory for Bray Emmets, but the talisman was helped in no small way by the displays of Diarmuid Masterson, Eoin McCormack and Daire Henderson among others as the defending champions recovered well from an opening half that saw them head for the dressing room trailing by a point at 2-5 to 0-10.
Bray Emmets started very well and pushed out to a 0-02 to 0-00 lead following points from Masterson, who leaves for Australia early next week for at least a year, and Ronan McMahon, but in a flash the Carnew Emmets men were in front, a point from Justin House and a goal from the very threatening Jack Doyle who was in on the edge of the Bray square.
Things were looking very healthy from a Carnew Emmets point of view when they led by 1-03 to 0-04 and then 2-03 to 0-05, Doyle with his second major at the end of the first quarter.
But try as they might, Eamonn Scallan’s men just couldn’t shake the defending champions in the second quarter, Masteron (free), Moorehouse (free), Andrew Conway, Eoin McCormack and Moorehouse again (free) clawing back the deficit to that one point at the break.
Bray Emmets turned around to play with the breeze behind them in the second half and their traditional third-quarter burst materialised as they fired over five points on the bounce before Eoin Kavanagh got on the end of a breaking ball to fire home at the Rednagh Hill end and make it 0-15 to 3-05, the lack of white flags from open play a real worry for the Carnew men.
A pointed free from Eoin Kavanagh levelled matters, but Bray added the next five scores, four frees from Christy Moorehouse and a fine effort from play from substitute Brian Nesbitt despite the close marking of Martin O’Brien.
Carnew stopped the rot with a Pádraig Doran free, but the defending champions were moving nicely now, their substitutes not weakening their side in the slightest and Moorehouse (free), Nesbitt and Moorehouse from play leaving it 0-23 to 3-08 with substitute Fionn D’Arcy rifling over a neat score for Carnew Emmets.
And although goalkeeper Bob Fitzgerald walloped home a late free to the back of Conor McNally’s net to make it a slightly nervy last few seconds, time ran out for Carnew and Bray Emmets achieved something no other team in Wicklow has ever managed by winning six Senior hurling titles in a row, an amazing achievement by an outstanding group of hurlers.
Bray Emmets: Conor McNally; Cian Lohan, Karl Lacey, Seanie Maloney; Luke Maloney, John Henderson, Daire Henderson; Pádraig Doyle, Diarmuid Masterson (0-4, 1f); Ronan McMahon (0-1), Christy Moorehouse (0-12, 10f), Marc Lennon (0-1); Eoin McCormack (0-2), Andy Conway (0-1), Davy Maloney. Subs: Brian Nesbitt (0-2) for A. Conway (41), Arran Murphy for P. Doyle (43), Shane Lohan for C. Lohan (59), Conor Broderick for D Maloney (60+1), Daire Lohan for D Henderson (60+2).
Carnew Emmets: Bob Fitzgerald (1-0, f); Cormac Redmond, Conall McCrea, Martin O’Brien; Tommy Collins, Ruairi O’Brien, Aaron Kinsella; Justin House (0-1), Pádraig Doran (0-2, 1f); Kenneth Cullen, Eoin Kavanagh (1-4, 4f), Wayne Kinsella; Dan Redmond, JackDoyle (2-0), John Doyle Jnr. Subs: Adrian Myers for K Cullen (41), Fionn D’Arcy (0-1) for E Kavanagh (51), Damien Aylward for J House (56).
Referee: John Keenan (Aughrim)
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