Mark Craig, Derry, and Kiefer Morgan, Tyrone, in Allianz Hurling League Division Two action. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
ALLIANZ NATIONAL HURLING LEAGUE ROUNDUP
DIVISION TWO
DERRY 1-13 TYRONE 0-14
DOWN 2-19 KILDARE 0-22
MEATH 2-12 DONEGAL 1-14
It was tight games down the card in Division Two of the Allianz Hurling league yesterday, with only a puck of a ball separating the teams at Ballycran, Trim and Omagh.
The only away win came at O’Neill’s Healy Park, where Tyrone’s dependence on Aidy Kelly’s freetaking proved to be their undoing against their neighbours from Derry, who prevailed by 1-13 to 0-14. The Carrickmore man was the only player to raise a flag for the home side in a tight opening half where there were seven scores apiece, but Derry took a narrow lead thanks to Gerard Bradley’s goal, enabled by good approach play from Shea Cassidy and John Mullan.
The second of Cassidy’s four points from play and a brace from Christy McNaughton extended the lead out to four points by the midway point in the second half, and while Mark McCann came off the bench to chip in with two late points, 0-11 from Kelly wasn’t enough for Tyrone to take something from the game.
Kildare’s first-half inaccuracy was their undoing in Ballycran, where they fell to a 2-19 to 0-22 defeat to Down.
The Lilywhites missed a penalty, shot ten wides and conceded goals to Daithí Sands and Shea Pucci in the first 35 minutes, turning around to face the diagonal breeze 2-8 to 0-10 in arrears, having led by four early on.
Down powered ahead with points from Tom McGrattan and Chris Egan in the third quarter, but after moving seven clear, they were reeled in by a strong Kildare surge. David Qualter’s 11th point made it 0-21 to 2-14 in the 66th minute, but scores from Phelim Savage, Tim Prenter, McGrattan (two) and Finn Turpin clinched the home win.
Storm Éowyn may have caused the postponement of the glamour football contest between Kerry and Donegal, but the Tír Chonaill hurlers almost became the toast of the county instead, though they fell agonizingly short, 2-12 to 1-14, at the end of a fantastic attempt to upset the odds in Trim.
Cian Rogers goaled after six minutes but a Luke White penalty for Donegal left just a point in it at half-time, 1-7 to 1-6. Jack Regan fired the second goal for the Royals early in the second half but they never pulled away from their opponents and in a contest that turned into something of a shootout between Regan and Gerry Gilmore, Meath just about had their noses in front at the final whistle.
DIVISION THREE
MAYO P/P CAVAN P/P
LONDON 1-15 ROSCOMMON 1-10
WICKLOW 1-16 SLIGO 2-8
A competitive start to the fixture at McGovern Park in Ruislip between London and Roscommon saw the home side lead by a single point, 0-7 to 0-6, approaching half-time. Owen Shiel and team captain Seán Glynn were in good scoring form for London while Conor Mulry was on the mark with three from play for Roscommon, but the contest turned in the lead up to half-time when Glynn scored his third of the game and David Devine scored the game’s first goal.
Roscommon struggled in front of the posts in the second half and without ever looking particularly sharp up top themselves, London gradually pulled well clear, allowing them to concede a late, scrambled goal and still win by five points.
Wicklow made the long trip to Ballinode and conceded two first half-goals to a Sligo side that underwent a lot of panel turnover over the winter, but eight points from Seánie Germaine and a long shot from David Maloney that went all the way to the Sligo net was enough to see Wicklow through on a 1-16 to 2-8 scoreline.
Gerard O’Kelly Lynch and Andy Kilcullen raised the green flags for Sligo but Germaine and Pádrai Doran (0-6) gave Wicklow a level of threat up front that the Yeats County couldn’t match.
DIVISION FOUR
LOUTH 2-18 FERMANAGH 1-12
LONGFORD 4-14 WARWICKSHIRE 3-11
LEITRIM 0-21 LANCASHIRE 2-10
Fermanagh made a blistering start to proceedings in Dowdallshill, registering a goal through Danann McKeogh in the eighth minute and moving 1-3 to 0-0 in front of the home side, and they still led by five points approaching half time, until a couple of late points from Peter Fortune and Darren Geoghegan narrowed the gap.
John Casey and former Offaly hurler Leon Fox took control of the centre of the Louth defence however and the Wee County moved up a gear after half-time in their attacking play, registering 2-11. The loss of John Paul McGarry due to injury robbed Fermanagh of their attacking focal point, while Darren Geoghegan brought his tally to 0-8 with David Stephenson and Peter Fortune getting the Louth goals in their 2-18 to 1-12 victory.
The goals flowed freely at Glennon Brothers Pearse Park, but despite the best efforts of Jack Grealish for Warwickshire, with 2-5 coming from the stick of the former Oranmore-Maree player, Longford always had a bit to spare en route to a 4-14 to 3-11 win.
Reuben Murray was on target with nine points, seven frees, while Declan Hayes, Evan Tully, Dylan Hutchinson and Ronan Courtney raised the green flags that ensured that there was at least six points between the sides from the 22nd minute onwards.
Abbotstown was the venue for Leitrim’s five-point win over Lancashire, though there were some nervy moments for the Connacht county, particularly around the three-quarter mark when two outstanding saves from Ryan McCarthy and an Andrew Shanahan goal left just a point between the sides.
