Gallant effort from hurlers
December 30, 2010After the winter lay-off, the Wee County hurlers returned to competitive action in style when beating Trinity College Dublin by 2-9 to 0-8 (with plenty of new faces evident) at Darver in the first round of the Kehoe Cup on Sunday January 24th. The following weekend, Paddy Kelly's charges produced an impressive display before losing to Kildare at the same venue (1-15 to 1-8) at the quarter-final stage.
Thirty points had separated the same two teams in the subsidiary competition twelve months earlier! So this display was encouraging… The sides were level on 1-3 to 0-6 after 20 minutes with Gary Rellis finding the net for Louth, but the visitors took control before half-time to eke out a win.
Louth were in Division 3B of the national hurling league and battled brilliantly through to the final. They got their campaign off to an impressive start when beating Sligo by 2-11 to 0-11, with Gerard Smyth and Shane Callan providing the goals at Clan na Gael Park on February 20th. However, despite three-pointers from Wesley Morrissey, Smyth and Callan, the Reds fell to a 1-21 to 3-10 defeat to Donegal in the second round at Letterkenny.
Back bounced the Wee County to beat Roscommon at Dowdallshill in Round Three. Gerard Smyth netted from a penalty after twelve minutes and Louth led by 1-10 to 0-3 at the break, holding on for a 1-12 to 1-8 victory. An impressive second-half performance at Healy Park, Omagh on March 21st was enough to beat Tyrone by double scores, 0-18 to 0-9. Louth clearly had the bit between their teeth now and they made it three wins on the trot when overcoming a ten-point deficit to beat Fingal by 2-16 to 3-12 at Dowdallshill. Diarmuid Murphy converted a last-gasp penalty to complete an amazing comeback and confirm Louth's place in the Division 3B final.
With both teams already through to the final, there was absolutely nothing to play for as Louth and Wicklow met in the last round of the league series of the competition. As it turned out, Louth lost heavily to the Garden County (3-21 to 0-9) in Arklow with a makeshift side.
The hope was that, having not shown their hand, Louth could spring a surprise in the league decider at Parnell Park on Saturday May 1st but once more Wicklow proved way too strong as they careered to a 3-18 to 2-9 win. Having trailed by eleven points at the break (2-12 to 1-4 - with the goal coming from a Shane Callan sideline cut), Louth finished the match with just twelve players as Wesley Morrissey, Mark Wallace and Callan were all red-carded.
Louth, 2010 NHL Division 3B finalists: Eddie McArdle; Mark Wallace, Aiden Carter, Adrian Wallace; Donal Rafferty, Ronan Byrne, Eddie McCarthy; Derek Horan, David Dunne; Shane Fennell, Gary Rellis, Wesley Morrissey (0-1); Diarmuid Murphy (0-4), Shane Callan (1-2), Kevin McNally (0-2). Subs: Collins Connolly (1-0) for Rellis; Aidan Callan for McNally; Gavin Kerrigan for McCarthy.
Louth opened their Leinster Junior Hurling Shield programme with a 2-15 to 3-4 victory over Longford at Knockbridge, with Diarmuid Murphy and Shane Callan leading the way in the scoring stakes with 0-7 and 2-1 respectively.
A fortnight later, they travelled to Birmingham for their second-round encounter against Warwickshire - effectively the competition 'decider' and a game which went right down to the wire before a late pointed free from Ronan Byrne earned a 0-15 to 1-11 success. The travelling party had a lucky escape as they got back to Ireland just before the volcanic ash cloud chaos materialised. The third round-robin game was against Leitrim and this was a much-more straightforward affair as the Wee County strolled to a 5-22 to 0-10 midweek win in Dowdallshill. This landslide triumph ensured that Louth were crowned Leinster Junior Hurling Shield winners with a 100% record, claiming the silverware for a third consecutive year.
With a full panel to choose from for the Leitrim game, the Wee County got in some important match time ahead of the start of the Nicky Rackard Cup (albeit against Lory Meagher Cup opposition). Early goals from Aidan Callan and Derek Horan had Louth on their way and Diarmuid Murphy clipped over four nice frees to help establish a 2-12 to 0-3 interval advantage. Aidan Callan and substitute Donagh O'Sullivan (2) added to the goal tally thereafter before Leinster Council Treasurer Pat Toner presented the trophy to Louth captain Diarmuid Murphy.
Louth, 2010 Leinster Junior Hurling Shield winners: Eddie McArdle; Mark Wallace, Aiden Carter, Adrian Wallace (0-1); Barry Murphy (0-1), Ronan Byrne, Mark Kirwan; Darren O'Hanrahan, Derek Horan (1-2); Shane Fennell (0-1), Gary Rellis (0-2), Diarmuid Murphy (0-8); Aidan Callan (2-0), Collins Connolly, Gavin Kerrigan (0-2). Subs: Donagh O'Sullivan (2-2) for Fennell; Gerard Smyth (0-1) for Rellis; Eddie McCarthy for Connolly; David Dunne (0-2) for D Murphy; Cathal Ryan for Kirwan.
It was far from a vintage display as Louth opened their Nicky Rackard Cup campaign with a 16-point defeat of Tyrone - 3-17 to 1-7 at Dowdallshill on Saturday June 5th. Playing into the breeze in the first half, the winners started sluggishly and trailed approaching the interval before Derek Horan's fortuitous goal gave them an uninspiring 1-7 to 1-5 advantage at the short whistle. Shane Callan's major shortly after the resumption set the tone for an improved Louth performance and Kevin McNally notched the third three-pointer near the end.
Louth, 2010 Nicky Rackard Cup V Tyrone: Eddie McArdle; Mark Wallace (0-1), Aiden Carter, Adrian Wallace; Barry Murphy, Ronan Byrne (0-1), Mark Kirwan; Derek Horan (1-1), David Dunne (0-3); Donagh O'Sullivan (0-3), Gary Rellis, Wesley Morrissey (0-1); Diarmuid Murphy, Shane Callan (1-2), Shane Fennell (0-2). Subs: Kevin McNally (1-0) for Fennell; Gerard Smyth (0-3) for Rellis; Gavin Kerrigan for Morrissey; Collins Connolly for Kirwan; Darren O'Hanrahan for B Murphy.
As it transpired, that would be Louth's only win of the competition. In their next outing, the Reds succumbed to Roscommon on a 0-17 to 1-8 scoreline at Dowdallshill on June 12th. A win would have sent Louth straight through to the last four of the third-tier All-Ireland championship but they failed to register a score until Diarmuid Murphy netted in the 30th minute, by which stage they lagged a whopping twelve points adrift.
Scores from Gerard Smyth (2) and Donagh O'Sullivan followed before the short whistle but the interval deficit of 0-14 to 1-3 was simply unassailable. Despite getting back within five points by the hour mark, Louth were well beaten.
Louth - 2010 Nicky Rackard Cup V Roscommon: Eddie McArdle; Mark Wallace, Aiden Carter, Adrian Wallace; Barry Murphy, Ronan Byrne, Gerard Smyth (0-4), Derek Horan (0-1), David Dunne; Donagh O'Sullivan (0-2), Gary Rellis, Wesley Morrissey; Diarmuid Murphy (1-0), Shane Callan, Shane Fenell (0-1). Subs: Kevin McNally for Rellis (50); Donal Rafferty for B Murphy (53); Gavin Kerrigan for Fennell (55); Collins Connolly for Morrissey (62).
Another side that Louth had beaten in the league - Sligo - provided the opposition at Pearse Park, Longford on Saturday June 19th. It was the Wee County's third championship match inside 15 days and it presented them with a second chance of booking a semi-final berth. However, despite producing a stirring second-hand effort, Paddy Kelly's men fell to a 3-18 to 2-15 loss. In the final analysis, as neither side who had beaten Louth went on to contest the decider itself (Armagh V London), it has to be conceded that the Reds weren't too close to tasting championship glory in 2010.
In the Sligo game, Louth rallied back within two points and were pressing for a winning goal when Sligo hit them for 1-1 in injury time to put a somewhat deceptive complexion on the final scoreboard. Louth had produced poor first-half performances on many occasions during the year and they again slid to a seven-point interval deficit. Kevin McNally's goal had them ahead by 1-4 to 1-2 after eleven minutes but they lost their way in the next 25 minutes or so to trail by 2-12 to 0-8 at the break.
Shane Fennell raised Wee County spirits with a fine goal less than a minute after the resumption and the losers refused to roll over only to be edged out in a dramatic finale which brought the curtain down on an at times encouraging and action-packed but ultimately disappointing season.
Louth - 2010 Nicky Rackard Cup V Sligo: Eddie McArdle; Barry Murphy, Aiden Carter, Adrian Wallace; Donal Rafferty, Ronan Byrne, Derek Horan; David Dunne, Donagh O'Sullivan (0-1); Diarmuid Murphy (0-2), Shane Callan (0-1), Gerard Smyth (0-8); Kevin McNally (1-2), Wesley Morrissey, Shane Fennell (1-1). Subs: Gary Rellis for Morrissey (46); Mark Kirwan for Rafferty (46). Tweet
