O’Brien and O’Reilly propel Black and Ambers to 14th title
Slevin’s Coaches Senior ‘A’ Hurling Championship final: Castletown Geoghegan 0-22, Clonkill 1-14
Gerry Buckley reports
After a five-year wait, Castletown Geoghegan are Westmeath senior hurling champions, the side managed by former Westmeath football star Alan Mangan full value for their five-point win against Clonkill in ideal conditions at TEG Cusack Park, Mullingar today.
Having lost their last three bids for the Westmeath Examiner Cup, Castletown were not lacking in motivation and they looked the hungrier team in the first half. Marquee forward Niall O’Brien was in top form in the first half-hour, and he contributed two of their opening four points, going on to score seven in total by half-time.
Castletown’s led by six points (0-12 to 0-6) by the 26th minute, three of their scores coming from midfielder Mick Heeney. That is how it stayed at the half-time break, with Luke Loughlin, Adam Loughlin Stones and Anthony Price (a free) among the scorers for Clonkill.
Clonkill finished up with a total of 15 wides (compared with the winners’ seven) and their wastefulness proved very costly against a more economical side in black and amber.
Castletown’s youthful full forward David O’Reilly had a great second half, adding three points from play to one scored in the first moiety, and he was awarded the official man of the match award after the game.
The introduction of veterans Paddy Dowdall in defence and Brendan Murtagh in attack bolstered Clonkill but, with Mitchell getting very little space in and around the parallelogram, they never threatened to bridge the gap.
The Castletown subs all did well, and points from two of them, Conor Murphy and Morgan Gavigan, helped to steady the ship. Murtagh, now 40 years old, showed that class is permanent by rifling a 30-metre free to the net in the fourth minute of added-time.
However, it was a case of too little, too late for Pat O’Toole’s well-beaten team, as Castletown join Raharney and Castlepollard on 14 SHC titles.
Scorers – Castletown-Geoghegan: N O'Brien 0-8 (five frees), D O'Reilly 0-4, M Heeney 0-3, J Gallagher 0-2, C Kane, P Clarke, A Clarke, C Murphy, M Gavigan 0-1 each. Clonkill: A Price 0-7 (six frees), L Loughlin 0-4, B Murtagh 1-0 (free), N Mitchell, M Glynn, A Shaw 0-1 each.
Castletown-Geoghegan: Kieran Glennon; Naoise McKenna, Johnny Bermingham, Aaron Glennon; Conor Kane, Liam Varley, David Lynch; Plunkett Maxwell, Mick Heeney; Peter Clarke, Aonghus Clarke, Shane Clavin; Niall O’Brien, David O’Reilly, Jack Gallagher. Subs: Conor Murphy for Clavin (36), Brandon Carey for Gallagher (47), Joe Clarke for Maxwell (49), Eoin Quinn for A Glennon (53), Morgan Gavigan for P Clarke (55).
Clonkill: Andrew Mitchell; Ciaran Nolan, Alan McGrath, Mikey McGrath; Josh Murtagh, Peadar Scally, Darragh Egerton; Andrew Shaw, Shane Power; Anthony Price, Niall Dowdall, Adam Loughlin Stones; Jordy Smyth, Niall Mitchell, Luke Loughlin. Subs: Paddy Dowdall for M McGrath (h-t), Liam Moran for Murtagh (43), Brendan Murtagh for Loughlin Stones (45), Matthew Glynn for Shaw (46), Mickey Heffernan for N Dowdall (60+2).
Ref: Caymon Flynn (St Brigid’s).