Comeragh Gaels Senior Hurling Championship 2004

First Round
Mount Sion       2-15; Comeragh Gaels        0-15;
A worthy first outing for the un-rated group side, Comeragh Gaels, but nonetheless no doubting the outcome of this first round senior hurling championship game at sun splashed Fraher Field, Dungarvan last Sunday.
Not the most impressive of starts to the defence of their coveted title however, and Mount Sion had to battle much harder than expected before seeing off the dogged challenge of the group side in a game in which the brilliance of Eoin Kelly was the individual highlight.
The titleholders owe much for their safe passage to the next round to the outstanding Kelly who lined out at centre forward but roamed all over the field to telling effect.
APPETITE
Clearly he has all his old appetite back, and capped a genui9nely quality individual performance with a personal tally of 1-9, the goal crucially coming within seconds of the restart.
The losers led just once when wing back John Morrissey landed a fourth minute point, but thereafter 'Sion were generally in control without scaling any major heights. Kelly effortlessly picked off points from play and frees in a virtuoso first half display and his seven scores helped his side to a comfortable 0-9 to 0-3 interval lead.
The other ‘Sion po0ints in that half came from Kenny Stafford and Micheal White, with the Gaels replying through the excellent John Wall and J. P. Fitzpatrick and Morrissey’s fourth minute opener.
To their credit they never gave up the chase despite falling nine points behind when Kelly goaled within twenty seconds of the resumption. John Wall continued to keep centre back Ken McGrath at full stretch and his string of quality points kept his side in touch.
J. P. Fitzpatrick also thundered into the fray in the middle of the field and the deficit was down to five points, 1-11 to 0-9, going into the decisive final quarter.
Mount Sion however steadied the ship with some well-taken points from
Kelly, Ken McGrath and Anthony Kirwan. The killer blow was delivered by veteran Brian Greene seven minutes from time when he buried the ball in the net from close range after Sean Ryan's initial effort had been brilliantly saved by goalkeeper J. D. Casey.
There was no way back for the Gaels now, but they never threw in the
towel and outscored ‘Sion five points to one in the closing half dozen minutes. Wall (2), Fitzpatrick, Denis Coffey, and wing back Paul Radley were the marksman with Kirwan replying just once for the champions.
A safe and secure passage however for them into the quarter finals, and they remain, in my book, the team all of the other title pretenders will have to beat.
Scorers for Mount Sion; E. Kelly (1-9, 0-5 frees); B. Greene (1-1); A. Kirwan (0-2); M. White, K. Stafford, K. McGrath (0-1) each. 
Scorers for Comeragh Gaels; J. Wall (0-7, 0-4 frees); J. P. Fitzpatrick (0-3); D. Coffey (0-2); J. Morrissey, S. Dempsey, P. Radley (0-1) each.

Mount Sion;
I.O'Regan; J. O'Meara. M. Frisby. K. Flynn; J. Cleere. K. McGrath. T.
Browne; F. O'Shea. E. McGrath; S. Ryan. E. Kelly. K. Stafford; B. Greene. A. Kirwan. M. White; Subs; B. Flannery for O'Shea;

Comeragh Gaels;
J. D. Casey; V. Lynch. A. Walsh. P. Lynch; J. Morrissey. J. Fitzgerald.
P. Radley; S. Dempsey. J. P. Fitzpatrick; R. Kirwan. J. Wall. D. Coffey; M. Flynn. D. Kiely. T. Hickey; Subs; B. Dunford for Walsh(inj); T. Fahey for Hickey;
Referee; Pat Walsh, Fourmilewater.

Second Round
WIT          1-15; Comeragh Gaels        1-07;
Hugely disappointing when they slumped to a first round defeat against
Ballyduff Lower, Fitzgibbon Cup holders WIT resurrected their Waterford
senior hurling championship challenge with a decisive losers group
victory over group side Comeragh Gaels at Fraher Field, Dungarvan, last
Sunday night.
Although without a number of the players who garnered Fitzgibbon Cup
glory earlier this year, WIT were always the masters against an
opposition that battled bravely throughout but didn't have the firepower
necessary to keep their title hopes alive.
Commanding defensive displays by Paul Curran and Ollie Moran provided the
platform for the WIT victory which was on the cards for most of the hour
during which they were never in arrears.
The defeat brings the Gaels involvment in the championship to an end, but
if WIT can muster all of their forces from here on they could have a
crucial say in the eventual destination of the title.
PERFECT START
Playing with a stiff breeze the winners had the perfect start when their
rangy full forward Anthony Owens crashed home their goal in the 5th
minute, and it was a lead they never subsequently surrendered.
Owens tormented the Gaels defence throughout that opening half, although
fullback Alan Walsh came much more to grips with the challenge on the
restart and in fact had considerably the better of matters with his
opponent in that second moiety.
Willie Ryan had sweetly struck points from play to stretch WIT's
advantage, but Gaels replied with fine scores from the industrious John
Wall and a real beauty from J. P. Fitzpatrick to keep in touch.
Owens and M. J. Furlong found the range as WIT upped the tempo, but they
were rocked with a fine goal kicked to the net by Mark Flynn in the 22nd
minute after midfielder Sean Dempsey had done the spadework. The deficit
was now down to three points and the group side was given its first real
ray of hope.
Again however the winners eased clear with Ryn unerringly pointing a
brace of frees, and a further exchange of minors between Owens and Wall
(free)left the students five points to the good, 1-8 to 1-3, at the
interval.
Points were exchanged twice in the early stages of the second half, but
WIT stretched seven clear entering the final quarter with quality scores
from Ryan and Mick Jacob. A brace of pointed frees by John Wall kept the
Gaels within striking distance, but with Curran and Moran dominant in
their respective central defensive berths the goal the losers so badly
needed never looked like coming.
Their plight was compounded with the sending off of corner back Vincent
Lynch when he directed uncomplimentary verbals to the referee in the 54th
minute, and further points by Ryan(free) and Furlong sealed the students
deserved win.
Not a world beating display by WIT, but one good enough nonetheless to
suggest they could still have a very definite say in the concluding
stages of this title race.
Comeragh Gaels gave it a lash, but on the night it just wasn't good
enough. They had an excellent goalkeeper in J. D. Casey, solid defenders
in Alan Walsh(in the second half especially), Paul Radley, and John
Morrissey, an industrious midfielder in Sean Dempsey, and dangerous
attackers in John Wall and J. P. Fitzpatrick.
Surprisingly they started county senior panellist Denis Coffey in attack
but he did all of his best work when he was switched to the more familiar
and comfortable surrounds of defence.
Scorers for WIT; W. Ryan(0-8); A. Owens(1-2); M. J. Furlong(0-3); M.
Jacob, B. Smiddy(0-1) each.
Comeragh Gaels; J. Wall(0-6); Mark Flynn(1-0); J. P. Fitzpatrick(0-1).
WIT;
D. Young; E. Redmond. P. Curran. J. Maher; J. Milney. O. Moran. H.
Moloney; B. Smiddy. C. Byrne; M. J. Furlong. M. Jacob. W. Ryan; M.
O'Sullivan. A. Owens. R. Wall.
Comeragh Gaels;
J.D. Casey; V. Lynch. A. Walsh. P. Lynch; I. Dunford. P. Radley. J.
Morrissey; S. Dempsey. B. Dunford; J. P. Fitzpatrick. J. Wall. D. Coffey;
Mark Flynn. W. O'Grady. B. Lynch; Subs; Michael Flynn for I. Dunford; T.
Fahy for B. Lynch.

Referee; Tommy O'Sullivan, Cappoquin.