| |||
 Newtown lower ‘Barr to reach final The Corkman | |||
|
Noel Horgan reports on the Evening Echo County Senior Hurling C’ship semi-final
A highly efficient display from Newtownshandrum last Sunday at Pairc Ui Chaoimh where they made fairly light work of dispatching St. Finbarr’s in the Evening Echo county senior hurling championship semi-final.
Far from convincing in their first two outings this season against Castlelyons and Bride Rovers, and without a championship game for several weeks due to Erins Own’s decision not to fulfil a quarter final fixture, nobody was quite sure how Newtown would shape up in this contest.
But it didn’t take them very long to show that they have lost none of the qualities that have kept them very much to the forefront since they lifted the county senior crown for the first time in 2000.
Clicking smoothly into top gear after a tentative opening ten minutes, the 2003 All-Ireland club champions went on to completely outgun the Barrs, who were obviously in serious trouble when a John Paul King goal in the 17th. minute propelled Newtown into a 1-6 to 0-2 lead.
Seven minutes later, the gap was extended to ten points, and a rout looked on the cards, even allowing for the fact that Newtown were favoured by a strong wind in the first half.
But the concession of a soft goal nearing half time meant that Newtown’s position was by no means secure at the interval when they led by 1-12 to 1-5.
And it the issue was well and truly back in the melting-pot after Kevin Murray, for once, eluded the attentions of Newtown’s tenacious full-back Brendan Mulcahy to grab a second goal for the Barrs within seven minutes of the resumption.
Newtown refused to be ruffled, however, and the manner in which they regained control as the second half wore on was perhaps the most satisfying aspect of this performance, underlining the fact that their appetite and desire for glory remains as strong as ever.
In the final analysis, they were much the better team, and, while it wasn’t until substitute James Bowles rifled in a goal in the 58th. minute that they managed to remove any lingering doubts about the outcome, it would be true to say that their nine-point winning margin was a fair reflection of their superiority over the hour.
Afterwards, team coach Bernie O’Connor acknowledged that it was Newtown’s best display of the season so far.
“In the first two rounds we met teams that deep down we felt we were always going to beat, and we were probably a bit too casual in our approach to the earlier games.
“I knew that we would need to improve in order to win today, and we certainly did that, and, to be honest, I’m delighted with this performance, particularly in the second half when our backs were to wall and the lads dug deep to get back on course after the lead was cut to three points.”
Never headed at any stage, Newtown steadily stamped their authority on the proceedings after an Alan T O’Brien point inched them ahead for the third time in the ninth minute.
With Pat Mulcahy hugely influential at the heart of a dominant defence, Newtown didn’t concede a score from play until the Barrs’ first goal arrived with five minutes to the interval.
That came about after bang-in-form Newtown ‘keeper Paul Morrissey parried a shot from Denis O’Regan, who latched on to the rebound to deliver a low cross from the left that was deflected past Morrissey by corner back Gerdi O’Mahony.
At that stage, Newtown had put 1-10 on the board, with all six of their forwards contributing as well as midfielders Alan T O’Brien and Jerry O’Connor and wing back Philip Noonan.
Ben O’Connor, Cathal Naughton and John Paul King were most impressive in attack in the first half, and the latter took his goal with some style after collecting a long clearance from Philip Noonan, who kept the Barrs’ seasoned wing forward Michael Ryan completely under wraps on the day.
Alan T O’Brien and Jerry O’Connor both showed well at midfield, and, all in all, Newtown appeared to be playing well within themselves during the opening period.
Following the fortuitous Barrs’ goal, Jerry O’Connor made a surging run to set Ben O’Connor up for a point which made it 1-11 to 1-2, but they added just one more point before the break courtesy of Cathal Naughton, who, fed by Jerry O’Connor, found the target with a marvellous effort from long range.
Having clocked up seven wides, the Barrs’ frustration was eased somewhat when they notched three points towards the end of the first half.
But they never functioned with any real conviction up front before the interval as can be gauged from the fact that just one of their first half points came from play.
In the circumstances, it was hard to envisage Newtown being forced to relinquish the initiative on the turnover, although their character was really put to the test after Kevin Murrray’s goal - taken with aplomb
after he had gathered
a long delivery from Brian O’Driscoll – was quickly followed by a Ronan Curran point from a ’65.
Trailing now by 1-12 to 2-6, the Barrs were clearly back in the hunt, but, as their problems persisted in attack, they never seriously threatened to make further inroads on the deficit in the remaining time.
With Brian O’Driscoll doing well on moving from wing back to midfield, and Ronan Curran emerging as a commanding figure at centre back, they did manage to hold their own for a brief spell before Newtown emphasised their superiority with a flurry of points to forge 1-16 to 2-7 clear by the 53rd. minute.
The introduction of James Bowles at full forward resulted in a reshuffle that saw John Paul King going to wing forward, Cathal Naughton to midfield, and Alan T. O’Brien to wing back which, along with Ben O’Connor’s move to the ’40, did much to steady the Newtown ship when the crunch came.
Five points in arrears, the Barrs hopes were fading fast when they earned a close-in free in the 57th. minute, but Ronan Curran’s well-struck effort for a goal was brilliantly saved by Paul Morrissey which ensured that Newtown didn’t have to endure any anxious moments before the finish.
A minute later John Paul King produced an explosive run from inside the Newtown half of the field before
parting to James Bowles, who drilled an unstoppable shot to the net, and minor player Cathal Naughton capped a memorable individual display when he landed his sixth point from play with time almost up.
| ||
www.newtownshandrum.com | |||