Price and Smyth find the net as Clonkill’s march continues

Slevin’s Coaches Senior ‘A’ Hurling Championship: Clonkill 2-18, Cullion 0-13

Clonkill maintained their 100 percent record in this year’s SHC with a businesslike victory over strugglers Cullion in TEG Cusack Park last night (Friday).

Soft goals from Anthony Price and Jordy Smyth and a classy display from Niall Dowdall proved the difference, as Clonkill made the most of having the breeze on their backs to outscore Cullion 1-11 to 0-3 in the second half.

This was an error-strewn game with a host of wides registered by both sides, but the misfiring hurt Cullion more. Playing with the wind in the first half, the Mullingar men could easily have led a poor Clonkill by three or four points at the break had their shot selection been better.

Instead, Cullion just about managed parity by the short whistle (1-7 to 0-10), and there was a feeling of inevitability about what lay ahead on the change of ends. Pat O’Toole’s Clonkill closed out the game well on top, but without ever getting out of third gear.

The key moment came in the 45th minute, when Cullion were just a goal adrift (2-13 to 0-13) after Jack Galvin shot a superb long-range point from the terrace side. However, seconds later, Clonkill had the ball in the net when Cullion netminder Damien Golden blocked a shot from Anthony Price, only for Jordy Smyth to tap home the rebound.

From there, it was one-way traffic and Cullion failed to find the target in the final quarter. Niall Dowdall finished the game with five points from play, while Anthony Price shot a (first-half) goal and six frees.

Clonkill’s march to another SHC ‘A’ final continues unimpeded, but for Pat Cleary’s Cullion side, relegation to senior ‘B’ is on the horizon.

Scorers – Clonkill: A Price 1-6 (0-6f), N Dowdall 0-5, J Smyth 1-1, D Egerton 0-2, A Shaw, N Mitchell (free), J Murtagh and S Power 0-1 each. Cullion: J Gillen 0-7 (6f, 1 ‘65’), J Galvin 0-3, C Regan, K Regan and S Broughan 0-1 each.

Clonkill: Andrew Mitchell; Mikey McGrath, Alan McGrath, Ciaran Nolan; Josh Murtagh, Peadar Scally, Darragh Egerton; Matthew Glynn, Shane Power; Anthony Price, Niall Dowdall, Adam Loughlin; Jordy Smyth, Niall Mitchell, Andrew Shaw. Subs used: Oisín Loughlin for Shaw (inj., h-t), Liam Moran for Nolan (h-t), Rian Holding for Glynn (45).

Cullion: Damien Golden; Shane O’Connor, Conor Shaw, Pierce Shaw; James Clarke, Conor Regan, Andrew Connaughton; Kevin Regan, Jack Galvin; James Kelly, Shane Broughan, Eoin Fox; Jack Gillen, Brian Stones, Pearse Corroon. Subs used: Eoin Cantwell for Connaughton (inj., h-t), Sean Regan for Corroon (48), Tadhg Desmond for O’Connor (60).

Ref: Jimmy Greville (Castlepollard).