Emmett Corrigan of Ringtown and Diarmuid Martin of Southern Gaels.

Two goals for Hardman as Ringtown defeat the Gaels

Slevin's Coaches Intermediate Hurling Championship: Ringtown 4-16, Southern Gaels 1-13

Gerry Buckley reports

A dominant second half display enabled Ringtown’s intermediate hurlers to emerge from Hogan Park in Moate last Friday evening with two more points in the race for the Adrian Murray Cup after a 12-point win over a spirited Southern Gaels side.

Nigel Mannion’s troops were marginally the better outfit in the opening quarter, at the end of which they led by five points (Darren Kilcoyne, a monster free from Pat Burke, James Boylan, Johnny Hardman, and Paul Nangle) to two (a very good Chulainn Dowd free with exactly a minute elapsed, and Shane Galvin from open play).

Dowd (a free) and Hardman (play) traded white flags before Eamon Martin scored an opportunist point for the men in the maroon and yellow jerseys. The underdogs took the lead (1-4 to 0-6) against the run of play in the 20th minute when a long-range free from Dowd untypically deceived Burke and the sliotar dropped under the crossbar.

The lively Emmet Corrigan quickly equalised, and Ringtown pounced for their first goal in the 22nd minute when Hardman flicked the ball home from close range. During the ensuing ten minutes, the South Westmeath team outscored their opponents by four points (Sean Dowd from play, a brace of converted frees by Chulainn Dowd and one from Cian Geary) to two (Corrigan and Nangle).

Jason Moran scored the winners’ second goal in the third minute of added-time. A Chulainn Dowd free with the last puck of the half left his side trailing by 2-9 to 1-9 at the interval.

Hardman’s second goal arrived some 50 seconds after the resumption of play. Point exchanges followed between Geary and Mark Cunningham, Chulainn Dowd (a free) and Corrigan, and Dowd and Cunningham (frees).

However, the men in green and gold stripes ‘won’ the last 20 minutes by 1-4 (a Cunningham goal under pressure in the 45th minute, and points from Corrigan, Kilcoyne, and a Cunningham brace – the second from a free) to 0-1 (Chulainn Dowd’s only score from play).

Tony O’Keeffe’s charges almost conjured up what would have been a fabulous solo goal when impressive wing back Cian McCarthy was denied by the woodwork in the 53rd minute.

Scorers – Ringtown: J Hardman 2-2, M Cunningham 1-4 (0-2f), E Corrigan 0-4, J Moran 1-0, D Kilcoyne and P Nangle 0-2 each, P Burke (f) and J Boylan 0-1 each. Southern Gaels: C Dowd 1-8 (1-7f), C Geary 0-2 (1f), S Galvin, E Martin and S Dowd 0-1 each.

Ringtown: Pat Burke; Jack McMahon, Niall Moran, Tommy Daniels; Feidhlim Burke, Darren Kilcoyne, Ciaran Moran; James Boylan, Mark Cunningham; Ryan Moore, Emmet Corrigan, Paul Nangle; Sean Boylan, Johnny Hardman, Jason Moran. Subs used: Ryan McAuley for Moore (36), Conor O’Grady for S Boylan (43), Anthony Nea for J Moran (51), Jeffrey Nea for Hardman (54), Mickey Connors for McMahon (59).

Southern Gaels: Jonathan Keogh; Seamus Hoctor, Kieran Duncan, Ronan Farrell; Cian Geary, Diarmuid Martin, Cian McCarthy; Eanna Holland, Shane Galvin; Eamon Martin, Darragh Kelly, Sean Dowd; Chulainn Dowd, Michael John Kelly, Sean Murphy. Subs used: Noel Mulligan for D Kelly (27), Dermot Treacy for Galvin (inj., 30), Kevin Dolan for Holland (37), Fionn Dowd for Murphy (41), Evan Farrell for S Dowd (54).

Ref: Robbie Cornally (St Oliver Plunkett’s).