Tooreen hit over half-century in inflicting Halloween nightmare on Four Roads
Tooreen’s Danny Huane shoots for the posts during the Connacht Club IHC quarter final against Four Roads in King & Moffatt Dr Hyde Park, Roscommon this afternoon. Picture: David Farrell.
Tooreen inflicted the most one-sided victory in the history of the Connacht club intermediate hurling championship – and perhaps any provincial club championship - following a devastating 5-36 to 0-14 victory against Roscommon champions Four Roads this afternoon, winning by a scarcely believable 37 points.
Indeed, Eoin Delaney’s tally of 3-4 alone was only a single point of the total output of Four Roads, and the Blue Devils had nine different scorers inside eight minutes – and 12 in total – as they led 1-10 to 0-2. The Delaney trio of David, Fionn and Eoin were all off the mark by then, Eoin raising his first green flag on four minutes, as well as Fergal and Shane Boland, Danny Huane, Oisin Greally, Liam Lavin and Stephen Coyne.
Four Roads were already punch drunk at that stage and Tooreen remained merciless from there as Lavin, Shane Boland (four), Fergal Boland (three), Eoin Delaney (two) and Huane (two) punished any lapse in concentration by Four Roads to lead 1-22 to 0-7 at the break.
Any hope for Four Roads that Tooreen would take their foot off the gas in the early second was answered emphatically inside ten minutes as Tooreen added a further four goals. Eoin Delaney completed his hat-trick, substitute Sean Kenny found the net with his first touch of the ball and David Delaney thundered a shot past Noel Fallon.
Tooreen also welcomed back Cathal Freeman for his first action since last January’s All-Ireland intermediate final and he would split the posts soon after. Four Roads would hit four of the next five points through Eoghan Morris, Conor Morris (two) and Cormac Mulry but this game was long over as a contest as Huane, Eoin Delaney, Fergal Boland, Shane Boland and David Harrison pushed Tooreen over the half-century to record their biggest win in modern times.
Up next for the Blue Devils is a Connacht semi-final against London champions Brothers Pearse next Saturday at 1.30pm in the Connacht GAA Centre of Excellence, Bekan.
