Glenealy 5-8 Carnew 4-4
THE under 21 championship final between Carnew and Glenealy at Arklow on Sunday was marred by some incidents that occurred during and after the game in which Glenealy beat Carnew by 5-8 to 4-4.
There was no doubting but that Glenealy were the superior team on the day; they were fitter and better trained team and played the better hurling with skill and determination.
Paul Byrne was starring at mid-field where John Lynch was again a disappointment for Carnew and Kevin Barnes faded somewhat after a bright opening.
Early on, Carnew goalie, Dick Barnes was called on to save his line but by the 11th minute Glenealy was 1-3 to 0-1 ahead, the goal being finished to the net after Barnes had parried a shot from Johnny O’Brien.
John Lynch pointed two frees for Carnew in quick succession by the 16th minute but they did not presage a revival of the Carnew effort. Instead, Glenealy continued to dominate the play and retired at half time leading 1-7 to 0-3.
Glenealy were awarded a penalty for the foul incident on Esmonde, which resulted in John Byrne being dispatched to the line, and Wally Manley firmly planked the ball into the net.
Wally Manley was at his brilliant best at wing-forward and inside, Eamon Esmonde was causing endless problems for John Byrne, the Carnew full back.
It took at least ten minutes for referee Jimmy Browne to get the field cleared and play re-started following the incident which erupted after Carnew midfielder John Lynch had been penalised once more for a foul on an opponent. Lynch received his “marching orders” from referee Browne.
Such was the unsavoury nature of this incident that the referee would have been justified in calling a halt there and then, but Browne, despite the fact that he was being criticised in some quarters for his handling of the match, stuck manfully to his task and the game finished without further incident and spiced with an amount of good hurling.
A few minutes earlier in the 4th minute of the second half Carnew full back John Byrne was put off following a foul on Glenealy’s burley full-forward Eamon Esmonde, who caused no amount of problems for the Carnew defense during the game.
Five minutes later in the 9th minute Manley repeated the dose again punishing Carnew for a foul on Esmonde, and this goal negated an earlier one for Carnew scored by Joe Molloy.
After the free-for-all, Colm Delaney, who came, on as a sub on the Glenealy team, scored a goal and at this stage he looked as if Glenealy were going to run riot, as they were leading comfortably by 4-7 to 1-3. Sean Cooney added another goal for Glenealy and there was no way that Carnew could catch them.
By now Tony Whelan had switched to full back to watch Esmonde, and he did quite a good job of holding the Glenealy danger man, but by then all the damage was done.
In the last quarter of the match, Carnew staged something of a recovery and goals by Joe Molloy, Liam Connaughton and Tim Kearney served to put a better complexion on the final scoreboard, but there was never any real prospect of them over-taking their opponents at that stage.
Hurling Committee Chairman, Jimmy Shaughnessy, in making. the presentation of the cup to the winning Glenealy captain Johnny O’Brien said, ” I will not say this was a very sporting game. Some of the scenes today are bad for hurling in Wicklow.”
Mr. Shaughnessy refrained from apportioning blame as to who was responsible for starting the incident. “We can play better hurling than we have seen today and with better sportsmanship,’ he said.
Glenealy: Jimmy Kelly, Tom O’Neill, John Porter, Vincent O’Brien, Phelim Doyle, Tom Byrne, Paul Byrne, Paul Byrne (0-5), Mick O’Brien, Enda Luddy, Johnny O’Brien, Wally Manley (2-1), Séan Cooney (2-0), Eamon Esmonde, Andrew Kinsella (0-1) Sub Colm Delaney
