Garryspillane edge top of the table clash with Croagh-Kifinny in Limerick Premier IHC

GARRYSPILLANE will carry their unbeaten streak into round four of the Lyons of Limerick Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship after a pulsating 1-20 to 1-19 victory over Croagh-Kilfinny in Ballyagran on Friday night.

Aided by a stubborn breeze in the opening half, Cian O’Carroll got Croagh-Kilfinny up and running with a well struck 65’ before Seamus Hickey doubled their lead inside the opening three minutes. Hugh Flanagan responded for Garryspillane from a placed ball. However, this would be Garryspillane’s only score of the opening quarter as a Cian O’Carroll free triggered a flurry of Croagh-Kilfinny points. Barry Lenihan, Jack Lenihan and O’Carroll combined with some intricate team-work for their scores as the West side jumped into a six-point lead.

Declan Heavey then broke Garryspillane’s brief scoring drought with a brilliant long range effort on 17 minutes before Dylan O’Shea and Brian Flynn traded scores. In the 21st minute, Croagh-Kilfinny midfielder Seamie Lenihan broke through the Garryspillane cover. While initially fumbling possession, Lenihan struck on a bouncing ball to strike to the top of the net. From the resulting puck-out, Garryspillane marched down the field with possession eventually falling into the hands of Colin Ryan who broke inside his marker before finishing to the bottom left corner of the net. Ryan added to his goal before Flanagan notched another just seconds later. 

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Bryan Heavey then capitalised on a mistake from the Croagh restart while both Flanagan and O’Carroll stuck a pair of frees each to close out the half. HT Croagh-Kilfinny 1-12 Garryspillane 1-10.

Flanagan continued his fine form from dead balls with two fine efforts to open the half and crucially bring his side back on level terms. Brian Flynn finished off a well engineered team move by Croagh before a long-range Dylan O’Shea free found its way to the target. O’Shea put his side in front on 37 minutes after a surgeon solo-run up the right. James Lanigan then fired over two points in as many minutes before Flanagan hit another brace of frees in reply.

An excellent goal chance for Croagh-Kilfinny was denied by a last ditch hook from Eoin O’Mahony with O’Carroll slotting over the resulting 65’. A spectacular strike from O’Shea had the sides level again with just two minutes remaining. After a series of frantic scrambles for possession, Flanagan kept his composure to slot over the game defining free for Garryspillane.  

SCORERS: GARRYSPILLANE: Hugh Flanagan 0-10 (9 frees), Dylan O’Shea 0-5 (2 frees), Colin Ryan 1-1, Declan Heavey and Bryan Heavey 0-2 each. CROAGH-KILFINNY: Cian O’Carrol 0-12 (8frees, 2 ‘65), Seamie Lenihan 1-0, James Lanigan and Bryan Flynn 0-2 each, Seamus Hickey, Barry Lenihan and Jack Lenihan 0-1 each. 

GARRYSPILLANE: Adam Sheehan, James O’Sullivan, Roibeard Donovan, Ciaran Sheehan, Declan Heavey, Dylan O’Shea, Eoin O’Mahony, Jamie Morrissey, Josh Dineen, Hugh Flanagan, Bryan Heavey, Cian Ryan, Shane Ryan, Colin Ryan, Calum Sheehan. SUBS: Rossa Stapleton for Calum Sheehan (h-t), John English for Shane Ryan (37 mins), Robert Sampson for Josh Dineen (41 mins). 

CROAGH-KILFINNY: David Lynch, Owen Dee, Aidan O’Shea, Eoin Barry, Tom McMahon, Barry Lenihan, Jack Lenihan, Seamie Lenihan, Denis Lenihan, Andrew Meade, Cian O’Carroll, Seamus Hickey, Brian Flynn, James Lanigan, Seamus O’Carroll. SUB: John Wall for Denis Lenihan (46 mins).