Minor  A  Championship  Round 1.

Match Report.

Sixmilebridge 3-16  Inagh Kilnamona 2-18.

The Sixmilebridge Minors got their championship campaign off to an excellent start last Friday evening with a hard fought win over Inagh/Kilnamona in a very entertaining game played in ideal conditions at O’Garney Park. The ‘Bridge started the brightest and in the second minute they had the ball in the back of the Inagh/Kilnamona net after a goal mouth scramble resulting in Jack Corry getting a flick past Jack O Connor in the Inagh/Kilnamona goal. Eoghan Foudy got one back for Inagh/Kilnamona a minute later but it was the ‘Bridge who were in control of the match and were playing good direct hurling winning most of the midfield battles with Dylan Downes and Evan Murphy supplying ample ball into the forwards who were acquitting themselves in winning possession. The wide’s tally was beginning to mount however as shot after shot went wide or fell short from very score able positions. Twenty minutes in and the ‘Bridge were ahead 1-6 to 0-5 and now Inagh/Kilnamona were beginning to exert pressure of their own with Conner Hegarty coming to the fore. He made a lovely catch on his own 65m line turned his marker and ran towards goal scoring a cracking point to begin an Inagh/Kilnamona  purple patch. For the next six minutes they put the ‘Bridge backs under severe pressure with Connor Hegarty and Kealon Guyler  slotting over points and when Josh Guyler caught a high dropping ball on the 21 metre line he turned and hit a screamer into the left corner giving Shane Whyte in the ‘Bridge goal no chance. To the ‘Bridge boy’s credit they responded immediately with Sean MacNamara winning possession from the puckout and putting the ball straight over the bar. Jack Corry and Luke Keogh added two more before Inagh/Kilnamona got two of their own thanks to Hegarty and Kealon Guyler and looked to be going in at half time with their noses in front. In the last play of the half Dylan Downes won possession 45m out and made a run striking low and hard catching the Inagh/Kilnamona keeper off guard with the ball ending up in the back of the net. Halftime score,Sixmilebridge 2-8 Inagh/Kilnamona 1-9.

The ‘Bridge made one change at halftime, with Luke O Halloran coming on in place of Matthew Hurley. Now playing into a light breeze, the ‘Bridge started brightly with  Evan Murphy striking  a lovely point out on the wing to stretch their lead to 3 points. However the two Guyler brothers had the lead  back to the minimum with a point each for Inagh/Kilnamona 5 minutes in. Again the ‘Bridge rallied and piled on the pressure with the next three points all for the ‘Bridge and all from Conor Flynn who kept it simple winning possession making a bit of space and popping them over the bar from 30 metres out. Inagh/Kilnamona  were just as committed however with Connor Hegarty running riot out on the wing.  He scored 4 points along with one more from Kealon Guyler all from play to go one point up and looked like they were taking control of the game with ten minutes left. Then Luke O Halloran caught a ball out the field and hit a hopeful high ball in which Jack Corry got hold of. It looked like it was getting away from him but he stuck with it and striking off balance it ended up in the back of the Inagh/Kilnamona net to keep the ‘Bridge in it. Two minutes later Niall Mullins for Inagh/Kilnamona laid off a sublime pass to Connor Hegarty on the ‘Bridge 45m line and he took full advantage going straight at the ‘Bridge goal striking an seemingly unstoppable shot into the left corner. How Shane Whyte actually got to it is remarkable but he made an absolutely brilliant save and with the ‘Bridge tacking on the next two points they were finally beginning to pull away.

With the game well into injury time Inagh/Kilnamona were awarded a penalty for an infringement in the square. Kealon Guyler struck it well low and hard to the right corner and it looked like Shane Whyte had saved it but it trickled across the line to leave the bare minimum between the sides.

From the puckout Jack Corry was fouled and he slotted over to give them some breathing space with Niall Mullins getting the last score of the game for Inagh/Kilnamona to just fall short by one point in a cracking game of hurling.  

For Inagh/Kilnamona  the two Guyler brothers Kealon  and Josh were excellent along with Connor Hegarty who was absolutely outstanding causing the ‘ Bridge defence all sorts of problems.

For Sixmilebridge Evan Murphy was superb especially in the first half. Dylan Downes and Jack Corry were also in flying form for the ‘Bridge but Shane Whyte was the main reason the ‘Bridge came out on top in this one.

Sixmilebridge: Shane Whyte, Ferdia Ó Lionáin, Storm Devanney, Adam O’ Sullivan, Darragh Toomey, Leon Kelly, Evan Murphy 0-1, Luke Keogh 0-2, Dylan Downes 1-0, Sean MacNamara 0-1, Colin Kelly, Matthew Hurley, John Hogan, Jack Corry  2-9 (0-5F) (0-2 (65), Conor Flynn 0-3, Luke O Halloran, Seamus O Connell, Oisin Breen, Colm Flynn.

Inagh/Kilnamona: Jack O Connor, Damien Devereux, Liam Hehir, Colm Kearney, Cormac Devitt, Niall Glynn, Dean McInerney, Keith Barry, Dean Lynch, Niall Mullins, Eoghan Foudy 0-1, Conner Hegarty 0-8, Josh Guyler 1-2,  Kealan Guyler 1-7 (1-0P) (0-5F), Liam Callinan.

Referee:  Andy  McMahon