SHC ‘A’ final: Doyle display drives Deelsiders
Slevin’s Coaches SHC ‘A’ final: Raharney 0-21, Castletown Geoghegan 0-18
With Westmeath star Killian Doyle in top form in attack, Raharney led from start to finish to bridge a five-year gap by winning the Westmeath senior hurling title in an absorbing game in pleasant conditions in Mullingar yesterday afternoon, writes Gerry Buckley.
Aided by a slight breeze, Doyle put Raharney two points clear with five minutes elapsed, the second of them from a free. The same player converted two lineballs in a fine individual display in the first half, at the end of which his side led Castletown-Geoghegan, runners-up in both of the previous two finals to Clonkill, by 0-11 to 0-6.
Points early in the second half from Joey Boyle and sub James Goonery stretched Raharney’s lead to seven points, but their opponents gradually whittled back the deficit with Neal Kirby and Aonghus Clarke prominent. The latter’s point in the 44th minute had his side trailing by just two points (0-14 to 0-12), but that was as close as they could get to their fired-up opponents.
The gap was again just two points with normal time up, but Doyle slotted over a tricky free to give Raharney a three-point cushion. With injury-time almost up, Kirby was denied an equalising goal by Aaron McHugh.
Scorers Raharney: K Doyle 0-11 (6f, 2 lineballs), J Boyle, C Doyle and D Hickey 0-2 each, D Finn, E Cunneen, E Ahearn and J Goonery 0-1 each. Castletown Geoghegan: N O’Brien 0-6 (4f), A Clarke and N Kirby 0-3 each, M Heeney and C Murphy 0-2 each, S Clavin and D Lynch 0-1 each.
Raharney: Aaron McHugh; Sean Quinn, Darren Finn, Jamie Mulkearns; David Hickey, Robbie Greville, Mark Glennon; Cormac Boyle, Eamon Cunneen; Killian Doyle, Joey Boyle, Rory Keyes; Eoghan Ahearn, Ciaran Doyle, Eoin Keyes. Subs: James Goonery for R Keyes (h-t), John Shaw for Ahearn (57), Conor McKeogh for E Keyes (60 + 2), Brian McGrath for C Doyle (60 + 3).
Castletown Geoghegan: Kieran Glennon; Aaron Glennon, Naoise McKenna, Johnny Bermingham; Shane Clavin, Liam Varley, Conor Kane; David Lynch, Ciaran O’Brien; Neal Kirby, Niall O’Brien, Plunkett Maxwell; Joe Clarke, Aonghus Clarke, Morgan Gavigan. Subs: Conor Murphy for Gavigan (36), Mick Heeney for Maxwell (36), Cormac Jackson for C O’Brien (39), Eoin Quinn for Jackson (60 + 1).
Ref: James McGrath (Turin).