Tooreen hold off brave Moytura fightback
Fionn Delaney scored 1-8 against Moytura in the Junior A Hurling Final. Picture: Conor McKeown
A brave second half fightback by Moytura was ultimately in vain as Tooreen’s junior team retained the Mayo junior ‘A’ hurling title in Castlebar last Saturday afternoon.
The meeting was a repeat of last year’s final, which Tooreen won by 14 points and it looked like a repeat was on the cards when the defending champions led 3-7 to 0-7 half-time. But Moytura, who are based in South Mayo, were within a point of the Blue Devils with 47 minutes played and, playing with the breeze, it looked like a comeback was on the cards.
But the Delaney cousins David and Fionn, who combined for all but three of Tooreen’s points, stepped up with crucial scores to ensure victory.
Will the defeat will hurt the south Mayo men, they will go and represent Mayo once again in the Connacht club junior hurling championship later in the year (‘B’ teams cannot enter provincial competitions) and will hope to build on last year’s campaign after playing in the provincials for the first time.
Although Tooreen had the aid of the strong breeze blowing into the Bacon Factory end, they, along with Moytura, were guilty of some early wides in the opening exchanges.
John Cassidy, a free, and Evan Heraty exchanged the only scores in the opening four minutes, but Tooreen got the first of their goals a minute later. Davog Freyne’s puckout found David Delaney and he hit a piledriver into the roof of the net.
David and Fionn Delaney followed with quickfire points and each time Moytura made inroads into their lead through Brendan Sheridan, a free, Liam Mullaly and Conor Doyle, Tooreen pegged back each time through Darragh Freeman and a pair of singles, one free, by Mayo panelist Fionn Delaney.
Evan Heraty made it a four-point game again on 19 minutes, only for David Delaney to get his, and Tooreen’s, second goal in somewhat fortunate fashion after his long drive in from inside his own half went through teammate Fiachra Glavey and past the Moytura goalkeeper. Things got worse a minute later for Moytura when Fionn Delaney rifled home his to put ten between them.
A placed of placed balls by Brendan Sheridan, one free and one ’65, pulled it back for Moytura but Fionn Delaney’s own free on the stroke of half-time meant Tooreen’s three goals was the difference at the break.
That gap was down to six inside four minutes as after Liam Mullaly and David Delaney traded points, county forward Brendan Sheridan got on the end of a pass from Mikey McDonald for Moytura’s first green flag of the day.
It got better for Frank Burke’s men on 41 minutes as Mullaly was picked out with a long ball and he fired home to leave only three between them.
Two points from Sheridan, one free, and one apiece from Doyle and John Heraty, in response to scores from the two Davids, Harrison and Delaney, left the bare minimum between them with 13 minutes to go. However, a monster effort from David Delaney and three long range missiles from Fionn Delaney looked to have ended Moytura’s brave resistance.
Sheridan, who finished with 1-8 for Moytura, put three between them again but a goal to take it to extra-time was not forthcoming as Tooreen kept their supremacy at junior level intact. But only just.
Scorers - Tooreen: Fionn Delaney 1-8 (4f, 1 ’65), David Delaney 2-4, John Cassidy (f), Darragh Freeman and David Harrison 0-1 each.
Moytura: Brendan Sheridan 1-8 (5f, 1 ’65), Liam Mullaly 1-2, Evan Heraty and Conor Doyle 0-2 each, John Heraty 0-1.
Tooreen ‘B’: Davog Freyne; Darragh Ganley, Daniel Cunnane, Shane Gallagher; Jack Trench, Matthew Delaney, Darren Murray; Oisin Casey, John Cassidy, David Delaney, Conor English, Darragh Freeman; Fionn Delaney, Fiachra Glavey, David Harrison. Subs: Shane Crinnigan (for Freeman 44), Padraig Rooney (for Conor English 50), Cillian English (for Murray 54).
Moytura: Garry Hopkins; Ruairi Gilvaryy, Conor O’Malley, Pat Burke; Mike McDowell, Finn O’Loughlin, Ger Lynagh; Evan Heraty, Johnny Granahan; John Heraty, Brendan Sheridan, Joe Burke; Mikey McDonald, Liam Mullaly, Conor Doyle. Subs: Ryan Kelly (for Burke 34), Brian Collins (for McDonald 50).
REF: Mel Kenny (Westport).
