Clonkill stroll through opening defence of title

Clonkill 3-24St Brigid's 0-8Reigning champions Clonkill sent out a message, loud and clear, that they will take all the beating in the race for the Westmeath Examiner Cup in 2010 with a 27-point hammering of an outclassed St. Brigid's side in the first game of last Friday evening's bitterly disappointing Westmeath senior hurling championship double-header, played in pleasant conditions at Cusack Park.The men in saffron and white failed totally to live up the promise shown in their very creditable preliminary round display against Lough Lene Gaels and, in truth, from midway through the first moiety the issue for the small crowd present was not who would win, but the margin of Clonkill's victory. With the youthful Niall Dowdall adding another scoring threat to the ranks of the men in the green and gold, last year's Leinster semi-finalists look certain to figure in the business end of the championship come the autumn.Opportunist points from inter-county stars, Paddy Dowdall and Brendan Murtagh had the winners two points to the good with less than two minutes elapsed, but reliable freetaker Darren Quinn soon responded with a point from a 60-metre free. Enda Loughlin increased Clonkill's lead with a fine score from 50 metres, before Luke Folan spurned a glorious goal chance which might have proved crucial in a tighter contest. Alan Dowdall (play) and Darren Quinn (a free) then traded points. Clonkill were guilty of complacency in their next couple of attacks, but the floodgates opened for the remainder of the half, the holders outscoring the Dalystown outfit by 2-9 to 0-2 by half-time. The two goals came in the 13th minute, Paddy Dowdall blasting the ball to the net from close range, following a great solo goalward from the best player on show, Eoin Price, and the second from the latter player, some seven minutes later, when the versatile Price picked up the sliotar from Enda Loughlin's pass and, in a flash, he whipped the ball past Emmett Brennan. The points came courtesy of a brace apiece from the Dowdall brothers - Niall, Alan and Paddy - and one each from Enda Loughlin, Eoin Price and Luke Folan, with St. Brigid's relying on two more converted frees from Darren Quinn. Indeed, a measure of the losers' poverty on the day came in the 25th minute when Jason Feery was badly off target from what appeared to be a routine free. The game was already in the bag for Clonkill at the break when they led by 2-13 to 0-4.A pointed free from 45 metres from Brendan Murtagh stretched the winners' advantage shortly after the resumption of play. Emmett Brennan did well to judge a tricky bounce and keep out Eoin Price's effort, but the St. Brigid's netminder was then deceived by what seemed an innocuous shot from Luke Folan from 50 metres out for a soft goal. In the fifth minute of the half, Philip Sheridan scored what was to prove to be the losers' only point from play over the hour and a fine score it was. Eoin Price was gifted another Clonkill point and Brendan Murtagh followed up with a great score from 50 metres.Darren Quinn's fifth converted free rounded off St. Brigid's meagre return with a whopping 22 minutes of normal time remaining and the same players' attempt to blast home a face-saving goal from a 30-metre free was blocked by a massed Clonkill defence. It was all one-way traffic for the remainder of the game. Brendan Murtagh and Andrew Mitchell shared four points equally between the tenth and 23rd minutes, the centre half forward notching one each from play and a free, with both of the centre half back's scores coming from placed balls, a huge free and a '65', following a great save from Emmett Brennan from Brendan Murtagh. Eoin Price continued to dominate the play in and around the midfield area and he set up Enda Loughlin for his third point. Sandwiched between two late points from Eoin Price, Niall Dowdall popped up for a neat point.The sound of Robbie Cornally's final whistle undoubtedly came as a relief for St. Brigid's players and mentors. Indeed, it is debatable if this fixture served any real purpose for either of the participants. The champions now enter the winners' group where they will benefit from games against sides nearer their own standard. Similarly the losers, who will be hopeful of putting it up to Brownstown and Ringtown, in particular. Sadly, there is a huge disparity in the skill levels between the top clubs in the county and those lower down the pecking order.Clonkill: Brian Murray; Steven Cleary, Martin Scally, Sean Loughlin; James McCormack, Andrew Mitchell (0-2, 0-1 from a free, 0-1 from a '65'), Fergal Fagan; Eoin Price (1-4), Shane Power; Enda Loughlin (0-3), Brendan Murtagh (0-5, 0-2 from frees), Alan Dowdall (0-3); Niall Dowdall (0-3), Paddy Dowdall (1-3), Luke Folan (1-1). Sub: Adam Price (for P.Dowdall, inj, 43 mins).St. Brigid's: Emmett Brennan; Paul Brady, Tom Giles, Stephen Treacy; Darren Quinn (0-5, all from frees), Dermot Faulkner, Sean Deegan; Bernard Kiernan, Philip Sheridan (0-1); Robbie Kenny, Tom Geraghty, Brian Slevin; Jason Feery, Larry Poynton, James Keegan. Sub: Niall Seery (for Keegan, half-time).Referee: Robbie Cornally (St. Oliver Plunkett's).