Delvin edge out wasteful Crookedwood in frantic finish

Delvin 1-16, Crookedwood 0-18

Delvin edged out Crookedwood by the narrowest of margins after a fiercely contested finish to this Senior ‘B’ Hurling Championship clash at TEG Cusack Park on Saturday.

The eventual winners made a decisive move in the second half to go five points clear by the 48th minute and while Crookedwood battled back to get on level terms, it was Delvin who claimed the spoils with a late Dean Ennis point, Crookedwood’s late efforts met with resolute defending.

It was 0-10 apiece following a tit-for-tat first half. The tone was set within 20 seconds when Delvin full forward Patrick Clune pointed to open the scoring. Crookedwood replied two minutes later through Barry O’Mara, who converted his first free. On eight minutes Dean Ennis nudged Delvin back in front, only for midfielder Ronan Scally to level straight away with Crookedwood’s first from play. Josh Coll restored Delvin’s lead a minute later from the corner, but O’Mara steadied Crookedwood with another free on 11 minutes.

Killian Murphy landed a Delvin point on 13 minutes after Coll and Clune combined in the lead-up, Clune’s initial shot being partially blocked. By the quarter-hour, O’Mara had brought Crookedwood level again with a well-struck ‘65’. In the 19th minute, he worked a short free before collecting the return and pointing himself.

Ennis replied for Delvin from a free on 20 minutes, but O’Mara was unerring from the placed ball again in the 23rd minute. Coll answered immediately with his second point, and Murphy added another on 26 minutes to move Delvin ahead. A Crookedwood move led to Shane McGovern finishing well from Kevin Orme’s pass, before Orme struck a good point in the 28th minute under strong pressure.

Ennis kept Delvin’s tally moving with two points in quick succession, one a free on 30 minutes and another in first-half injury time after goalkeeper Stevie Reilly bravely cleared a goalmouth scramble. There was still time for O’Mara and Ennis to exchange late frees to leave it level at the break.

The second half began with Ennis punishing Crookedwood twice more from frees - first after 90 seconds, then from 65 metres in the third minute. O’Mara cut the gap from a soft free awarded to Brian McLoughlin on eight minutes, but the game’s turning point arrived at the 41st minute when Clune struck for Delvin. Eoin Carolan’s delivery across the square was met by the wily full-forward, who finished clinically to the net.

O’Mara responded with a ‘65’ on 42 minutes, but Ennis’s consistency from frees saw him add two more by the 48th minute, making it 1-14 to 0-12 in Delvin’s favour. Crookedwood hit back with a good score from wing back Seamus Savage after McGovern did the spade word, though moments later Adam Bate missed a decent chance after a strong solo run.

On 51 minutes, O’Mara launched a monster free over the bar from 80 metres. Ross Gaffney, just introduced, pointed immediately for Delvin, but sub Lorcan O’Mara replied in kind with his first touch. Savage then split the posts again from play on 52 minutes after Sean Brennan’s pass, and another ‘65’ from O’Mara on 54 minutes had Crookedwood back within a point.

O’Mara brought his side level in the 58th minute with yet another free, but Delvin weren’t finished. Two minutes into stoppage time, Adam Ennis smartly found Dean Ennis from a free, and the talented forward clipped over a superb point from the stand side.

Crookedwood threw everything forward in search of an equaliser. Substitute Oisín Boyle was denied by a vital hook from Ciarán Fenlon; that came seconds after Barry O’Mara, set up by McGovern, was crowded out by a scrambling Delvin defence. The final whistle sounded with Delvin holding out by the narrowest of margins, following a dramatic finish.

Both sides were wasteful, hitting 11 wides each, but it was Crookedwood’s seven missed second-half chances with the breeze at their backs that proved most damaging. Delvin, with Dean Ennis showing fine accuracy and Clune’s goal decisive, just about deserved their victory.

Scorers - Delvin: D Ennis 0-9 (6f), P Clune 1-2, J Coll and K Murphy 0-2 each, R Gaffney 0-1.

Crookedwood: B O’Mara 0-11 (7f; 3 65s), S McGovern and S Savage 0-2 each, R Scally, K Orme and L O’Mara 0-1 each.

Delvin: Stevie Reilly; Adam McCormack, Frank McGrath, Sean Hoctor; Dean Poynton, Adam Ennis, Alan Cox; Enda Newman, Aaron Fenlon; Dean Ennis, Killian Murphy, Ciaran Fenlon; Eoin Carolan, Patrick Clune, Josh Coll. Subs: Paddy Farrington for Newman (36), Ross Gaffney for Poynton (46), Paddy Kelly for Murphy (55).

Crookedwood: Alan O’Mara; Matty Ryan, Damien Grifferty, John Kiernan; Adam Bate, Feichin Óg Brennan, Seamus Savage; Ronan Scally, Simon McCarthy; Michael Davitt, Shane McGovern, Sean Brennan; Kevin Orme, Brian McLoughlin, Barry O’Mara. Subs: Lorcan O’Mara for Davitt (38), Noel Yourell for Orme (42), Ger Brennan for Grifferty (44), Keelan Varley for Bate (55), Oisin Boyle for Scally (inj., 60+1).

Ref: Kenneth Gunning (St Brigid’s).