Exiles hold the edge as Mayo suffer first loss
Shane Boland struck a second-half goal to go with his four pointed frees but Mayo paid the price for a below par first-half display against London. Picture: David Farrell Photography
Despite a brave second-half fightback, Mayo fell to their first defeat in this season’s Allianz Hurling League, as table toppers London had two points to spare on a windy Saturday evening at the Connacht GAA Centre of Excellence.
There will be many positives to take for Mayo senior hurling manager Ray Larkin from his side’s display in the second 35-minutes, but it was in the first-half that the Green and Red were left to rue a below-par performance. Granted, they playing were against a strong breeze, but they were second best in almost every department. Poor handling, misplaced passes, wayward shooting and losing many of the duels across the park, Mayo were perhaps somewhat fortunate to only be five points down at the break, but they fought back terrifically to twice get the gap back to two during the final minutes of normal time. London, however, just managed to keep them at arm’s reach.
Mayo had a chance to snatch a draw in stoppage-time but Liam Lavin’s free was deflected over the bar and the Exiles left with their 100% record intact.
London led 0-5 to 0-1 after 14 minutes, two points coming from Niall Geoghegan while the pick of the scores was a marvellous sideline effort by Enda Egan.
Mayo struggled to create any opportunities from open play, with frees from Cormac Phillips (two) and Shane Boland (three) keeping the Green and Red in the game while they hit five wides The pivotal moment of the first-half arrived on 29 minutes when a free deep from inside London’s half was driven to the Mayo 20 metre line. The sliotar was blocked down but only as far as Evan Kelly who found the net to put London seven clear.
Points by Boland and Liam Lavin, the latter’s being Mayo’s first from play and coming a minute into injury time, left five between the sides at the interval, London leading 1-8 to 0-6.
Mayo got off to a quick start in the second-half through Daniel Huane and a fourth Shane Boland free but London responded with a goal and two points, their second major coming when Bobby Douglas failed to clear a long puck into the parallelogram with Enda Egan taking full advantage on 37 minutes.
It was now that Mayo truly began to get to get to grips with the game, scoring five of the next eight points before home supporters really found their voice after Shane Boland sent a piledriver to the net on 54 minutes, to make it 2-13 to 1-13. The Tooreen man brilliantly collected a pass from the left before striking the small ball on the turn past the helpless Mark Kilgannon to set up a frantic finish.
Matters were not helped for London when substitute Niall Eames was booked twice in his 10 minutes on the pitch, leaving the Exiles with only 14 men for the final 15 minutes. However, London dug deep with two David Devine frees and one from Sean Glynn to counter efforts from Liam Lavin (two) and Sean Kenny. Lavin had a chance on goal from a free in the final seconds to snatch a draw but his goal-bound effort was tipped over the bar.
Mayo will look to return to winning ways when they take on Roscommon in Hastings Insurance MacHale Park this Sunday while London are out again on Sunday, March 8, when they host Sligo in Ruislip.
