Four goals power John the Baptist Hospital to a Harty Cup victory over Rice College

HOSPITAL’S John the Baptist Community School opened their Dr Harty Cup campaign with victory this Wednesday afternoon.

The south Limerick side were 4-20 to 0-20 winners over Rice College of Ennis, Co Clare in Meelick in round one of the TUS Munster Post Primary Schools Senior (U19) A Hurling Championship.

Two goals before the break and another two after proved to be the difference as the Hospital secondary school dominated possession and territory from the throw-in up until the three-quarter mark when it no longer mattered. 

Rice College were already on the back foot when the first green flag was raised after just nine minutes and, with their clearances being pressured right though the lines, they struggled to get the ball into their inside forwards, the one area where they were able to stretch their opponents.

As a result, most of their scores came from Pádraig O'Donovan whose immaculate free-taking from every distance and angle contribute eleven scores to add to the pair he got from open play and his ability to keep his head when the goals were leaking in down at the other end of the field kept some threat of a response in the corner of the Hospital mind up until the gap moved beyond the range of recovery, However, for all his efforts, Rice's hopes of recovery foundered mainly on the Hospital half-back line which not only stopped every attempt to run at them but also delivered the quick ball down to their own forwards which led to all four of their goals.

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John the Baptist's dominance in the middle third gave them a monopoly of the early possessions as Cian McNamara, Rory Hanly and Diarmuid Hurley shot them ahead before their accuracy degraded into four wides on the trot and, once Rice College started to put pressure on the deliveries, turnovers led to O'Donovan and Callum Henchy replying. However, that comeback was halted when Hurley jumped high to collect Jamie O'Shea's clearance, rounded his marker and slotted into the far corner of the net on the run and, after Michael Hanly and O'Donovan swapped scores, two strikes from Ryan and one from Griffin McCaffrey stretch the lead by the quarter mark out seven.

Ennis recovered to get their dangerous full-forward into play but, after Jack McAllister's point and O'Donovan's '65 and O'Donovan and Hugh Flanagan swapping frees, they were dealt a second body blow when Charlie Cronin pounced on a break out on the right sideline, streaked in towards the goals and hammered just inside the far post on the run.

Flanagan followed up with a free and from play and, after Darren Moroney replied, Cronin's strike on the turn was met by a monster O'Donovan free to leave Hospital leading 2-11 to 0-8 at the break.

A frantic restart saw a point from Hanly, Hurley collecting off O'Shea rounding the challenge to slam home Hospital's third goal and Niall Dyle's reply being met by Hanly all inside just two minutes. The south Limerick school then kept their opponents at arms length for the rest of the first quarter as O'Donovan and Flanagan then twice exchanged frees and Cronin met yet another O'Donovan free. However, after the next Hospital foul was punished by O'Donovan, any hopes of an Ennis recovery vanished as Shane O'Dea's long delivery was fielded high by Paudie Hennessy who then rounded his marker to drill into Daniel Meehan's net.

As the subs trooped on, McAllister and O'Donovan's free added to Rice's tally, Sam McElligot's reply was met by an O'Donovan free, and strikes from Flanagan and Evan Martin had the gap back to 15-points with five minutes to go. 

A late Ennis flurry added a semblance of respectability to the scoreline as points from O'Donovan and Moroney and, after Cronin's reply, from Rian Mulcahy and O'Donovan's free nibbled into the margin before referee Jimmy Hickey called time.

SCORERS: HOSPITAL: Diarmuid Hurley 2-3, Charlie Cronin 1-3, Hugh Flanagan 0-6 (5 frees), Paudie Hennessy 1-0, Michael Hanly 0-3, Cian McNamara, Rory Hanly, Griffin McCaffrey, Sam McElligot, Evan Martin 0-1 each; RICE COLLEGE: Pádraig O'Donova 0-13 (10 frees, 1 '65'), Jack McAllister, Darren Moroney 0-2 each, Callum Henchy, Niall Doyle, Rian Mulcahy 0-1 each.

HOSPITAL: Tiernan Ryan (Garryspillane); Niall McNamara (Pallasgreen), Shane Treacy (Staker Wallace), Adam Gleeson (Hospital-Herbertstown); Shane O'Dea (Hospital-Herbertstown), Declan Heavey (Garryspillane), Jamie O'Shea (Garryspillane); Rory Hanly (Ballybricken-Bohermore), Griffin McCaffrey (Hospital-Herbertstown); Cian McNamara (Hospital-Herbertstown), Hugh Flanagan (Garryspillane), Scott Ryan (Ballybricken-Bohermore); Michael Hanly (Ballybricken-Bohermore), Diarmuid Hurley (Hospital-Herbertstown), Charlie Cronin (Bruff). SUBS: Sam McElligot (Caherline) for Scott Ryan (half-time), Paudie Hennessy (Bruff) for Michael Hanly (44 minutes), Kevin Hennessy (Hospital-Herbertstown) for Shane O'Dea (55 minutes), Evan Martin (Caherline) for Jamie O'Shea (55 minutes), Conor Clancy (Bruff) for Cian McNamara (56 minutes).

RICE COLLEGE: Daniel Meehan (Newmarket on Fergus); Eoin Pyne (Éire Óg), Liam Clune (St Joseph's Doora-Barefield), Conor O'Toole (Banner); Ben O'Halloran (Banner), Conor Fitzpatrick (Banner), Ronan McDermott (Éire Óg); Niall Doyle (Éire Óg), David Cahill (Clooney-Quin); Scott Kelly (Banner), Rian Mulcahy (Éire Óg), Callum Henchy (Banner); Pádraig O'Donovan (St Joseph's Doora-Barefield), Darren Moroney (Éire Óg), Jack McAllister (St Joseph's Doora-Barefield). SUBS: Rian Clohessy (Éire Óg) for Conor O'Toole (injured, 32 minutes), Dylan Tierney (Éire Óg) for Jack McAllister (51 minutes).

REFEREE: Jimmy Hickey (Cratloe).