Leinster Club SHC final: Cuala crowned champions for the first time

December 04, 2016

Cuala's Oisin Gough and Mark Kelly of O'Loughlin Gaels.
©INPHO/Ryan Byrne.

Cuala are celebrating a first ever Leinster Club SHC success after overcoming O'Loughlin Gaels by 3-19 to 1-16 with an impressive display in today's O'Moore Park decider.

Mattie Kenny's charges went one step further than last year to emulate the achievement of Crumlin (1979) and become only the second Dublin club to have their name inscribed on the Leinster Club SHC roll of honour.

Goals from Colm Cronin, Con O'Callaghan and Mark Schutte were key ingredients in their nine point winning formula and they now advance to an All-Ireland semi-final clash with Slaughtneil which is fixed for Saturday, February 14.

The winners drew first blood when David Treacy found the target with a free and that set the tone for the opening period. Six minutes in, Cronin finished a well-worked move to the O'Loughlin Gaels net and it was all Cuala during the opening quarter.

The woodwork came to the Kilkenny side's rescue in the 13th minute but their last line of defence was breached for the second time nine minutes later when 'man-of-the-match' O'Callaghan, who registered 1-4, made no mistake from close range.

That left the scoreboard reading Cuala 2-6, O'Loughlin Gaels 0-5 and, although points from Alan Geoghegan and Martin Comerford kept O'Loughlin Gaels ticking over, the team in red and white went in at the break with a five point cushion - 2-8 to 0-9.

Cuala's Oisin Gough, David Treacy and Paul Schutte lift the silverware.
©INPHO/Ryan Byrne.

Treacy (0-5) and O'Callaghan (1-2) took the scoring honours for Cuala during the opening period while Mark Bergin raised five white flags for the team in white and green.

Right half-forward Cian Waldron extended the Dalkey side's lead shortly after the resumption and, try as they might, the Aidan Fogarty managed O'Loughlin Gaels were unable to throw a spanner in Cuala's well-oiled works.

Despite the best efforts of Bergin, who finished as the game's joint top scorer with Treacy on 0-11 apiece, they trailed by eight as the full-time whistle approached.

They needed goals and Danny Loughnane obliged with one in the 58th minute but it wasn't sufficient and Schutte applied the gloss to the Oisin Gough captained side's win when bagging their third goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time.

Cuala - S Brennan; O Gough, Cian O'Callaghan, S Timlin; S Moran, P Schutte, J Sheanon; J Malone, D O'Connell (0-2); S Treacy, C Cronin (1-0), C Waldron (0-1); D Treacy (0-11, 9f, 1sl), M Schutte (1-1), Con O'Callaghan (1-4). Sub: C Sheanon for C Waldron.

O'Loughlin Gaels - S Murphy (0-1f); A Forristal, A Kearns, E Kearns; A O'Brien, B Hogan, H Lawlor; P Butler, P Deegan; A Geoghegan (0-1), M Kelly (0-1), D Loughnane (1-0); S Johnston, M Bergin (0-11, 10f), M Comerford (0-2). Subs: S Mahony for A Kearns, P Cantwell for P Butler, S Bolger for S Johnston.

Referee - M Murtagh.


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