St Brigid’s no match for Carrig and Riverstown

Carraig and Riverstown 2-20, St Brigid's 0-8

The difference between winning and not winning your county championship was plain to see as Offaly intermediate champions Carrig and Riverstown put Westmeath intermediate semi-finalists St Brigid’s to the sword in the opening round of the AIB Leinster Club Junior Hurling Championship at Grant Heating St Brendan’s Park, Birr last Saturday.

Played in very favourable conditions for this time of year, the game never reached any great heights as Carrig and Riverstown eased past a St Brigid’s team who earned the right to represent Westmeath in the competition by virtue of a playoff win over Southern Gaels. Castletown-Geoghegan defeated Clonkill in the Westmeath IHC final, but as it was their second strings, neither of them were permitted to play in Leinster.

It was always going to be a big ask for St Brigid’s to get themselves up for this game and so it proved. After a lively opening that saw the sides level three times, Carrig and Riverstown assumed control to take a 1-12 to 0-5 lead into the break. The men from the Offaly-Tipperary border scored the first four points of the second half to extend their advantage before St Brigid’s got three points back. But they wouldn’t trouble the scoreboard operator again as Paul Murphy’s side finished with a flourish to set up a provincial quarter-final date with the Dublin representatives on the weekend after next.

While St Brigid’s battled hard against the odds in the second half, their losing margin would have been even greater but for Paddy Carroll who produced a string of outstanding saves. The former Lake County goalkeeper was arguably man of the match with the Carrig and Riverstown duo of Cathal King – who shot 0-4 from midfield – and top-scorer Lee Hogan running him close.

With the sun shining and the pitch in great nick, the winners were never headed after Hogan opened the scoring from a free inside the first minute. Conor Slevin replied for the Dalystown men and also cancelled out efforts from David Egan and Cathal King from frees as the game started on a promising note. But that was as good as it got for St Brigid’s who fell away after being hit for an unanswered 1-5 between the seventh and 17th minutes.

Picking up from where they left off against Coolderry in the Offaly IHC final, Carrig and Riverstown regained the lead through Conor McDowell before midfielder Peter King raced through for a 10th minute goal. The Blues were purring now as McDowell fired over with a goal at his mercy and captain Brendan Hoctor and Lee Hogan added further points. Hogan scored from a free after Paddy Carroll had denied McDowell with the first of his saves.

Stephen Quinn and Slevin (free) scored either side of a Hogan ‘65 before normal service resumed with a trio of Carrig and Riverstown points from Cathal King (two) and David Egan. Carroll came to the visitors’ rescue with another excellent stop from Egan, while the Carrig and Riverstown number 12 also had what looked like a point waved wide.

St Brigid’s dominated the early second half exchanges, but couldn’t turn it into scores. When Carroll came up the field to take a 20-metre free, it was clear he had only one thing on his mind, but the Carrig and Riverstown defence stood firm to deny him the goal that might have made a game of it.

The St Brigid’s custodian continued to produce heroics at the other end, while Lee Hogan blasted another goal chance wide after McDowell had squared for him. But the winners eventually rediscovered their scoring touch with a run of points from Joe Hoctor, Hogan (free), Cathal King and Brendan Hoctor (free) to push out their lead to 1-16 to 0-5 by the 42nd minute.

To their credit, Dermot Faulkner’s charges didn’t throw in the towel and responded with a Brian Brophy point and a brace of Slevin frees. Slevin also missed a routine free before Hogan put the result beyond all doubt with a first-time pull to the net in the 55th minute.

That sparked a late scoring burst that yielded four more points from Egan, goalkeeper Liam Hoare (free), Hoctor and substitute John Hanlon which merely underlined Carrig and Riverstown’s superiority.

For the record, Carrig and Riverstown hit 12 wides compared to St Brigid’s seven.

Scorers – Carrig and Riverstown: Lee Hogan 1-5 (3fs, 1 ‘65’), Cathal King 0-4, David Egan 0-3, Peter King 1-0, Conor McDowall, Brendan Hoctor (1f), Joe Hoctor 0-2 each, Liam Hoare (1f), John Hanlon 0-1 each. St Brigid’s: Conor Slevin 0-6 (5fs), Stephen Quinn, Brian Brophy 0-1 each.

Carrig and Riverstown: Liam Hoare; Thomas Hogan, Ross Connaughton, Dylan Hogan; Cathal Hanlon, Patrick Bergin, Michael Fitzgerald; Cathal King, Peter King; Joe Hoctor, Brendan Hoctor, David Egan; Lee Hogan, Daniel England, Conor McDowell. Subs. John Hanlon for England (41 mins), Kieran O’Brien for Conor McDowell (47 mins), Kian McDowell for C King 957 mins), Canice Stevenson for P King (57 mins), Mark Hogan for L Hogan (58 mins).

St Brigid’s: Paddy Carroll; Eddie Whelehan, Seamus Faulkner, Cormac Eighan; Chris Daly, Joe Hyland, Niall Cully; Stephen Quinn, Kieran Geraghty; Eoghan Gallagher, Conor Slevin, Conall Dunne; Brian Brophy, Alan Farrell, Michael Geraghty. Subs. Aaron O’Brien for Gallagher (half-time), Owen Cleary for Dunne (half-time), Danny Hyland for M Geraghty (41 mins), Conor Collison for Hyland (55 mins).

Referee: Brian Kearney (St Laurence’s, Kildare).