Captain Eoin Points the Way for Saint Mary’s.

Saint Mary’s retained the Western Junior hurling Championship on Sunday afternoon last when they overcame the challenge of Tourin at Fraher Field.

When the sides met in the 1977 final at the same level, it was the side in red and white that emerged winners by a small margin and this game between arguably the best two sides in this division in 2016 was expected to be just as tight.

Such expectations proved correct as the game went right to the wire. With a few minutes to go it looked as if the game could well need a second outing between the two sides to find a winner to see who will play Ballydurn or Ballyduff Lower at the same venue in a few weeks’ time in the county final.

But in the closing minutes after having numbers cut to fourteen after Kevin Sheehan was ordered off on a straight red card, it was Saint Mary’s that showed the greater hunger.

It was the local side that got off to the best start in this game as Eoin Kearns who once again had a fine game her, playing the Captain’s roll as it should be that got the score board ticking over with a brace of points both from frees inside three minutes of the game starting.

Darragh Wilkinson who proved to be Tourin’s top scorer on the day opened his sides account with a pointed free, which was followed with a similar score from Eoin Kearns on nine minutes.

Sean Meaney and Kevin Sheehan swapped scores by the eleventh minute and at the half way point in the opening half Saint Mary’s stole a march on the side relegated from the Intermediate grade last year when an effort from Jason Sheehan out near the sideline appeared to have gone all the way to the net, and when Eoin Kearns followed up with another pointed free to give Saint Mary’s a 1-5 to 0-2 lead, things were looking good for the reigning champion.

However it was Tourin that finished the half the stronger of the two sides, as they restricted Saint Mary’s to just two points.

Points from Darragh Wilkinson and Sean Meaney made it a four point game and when Darragh Wilkinson put over another free on twenty two minutes the games only goal to this point is what separated the sides.

Eoin Kearns and Darragh Wilkinson traded scores to keep just three between the sides with four minutes of the half remaining, after which Niall Fives, Darragh Wilkinson and David O’Brien all landed points to draw the sides level.

On the half hour mark Eoin Kearns once more edged Saint Mary’s in front with another free, but the sides would go to the dressing rooms all square when David O’Brien landed a point in first half stoppage time.

Saint Mary’s as they did in the opening half began the second half the stronger of the two sides.

Eoin Kearns and Darragh Wilkinson traded early points after which Eoin from another free and Aidan Fitzpatrick split the posts to give Saint Mary’s a 1-10 to 0-11 lead with thirty five minutes played.

Tourin took the lead for the only time on thirty nine minutes when they rattled the Saint Mary’s net. From the back of the stand it looked as if Tom O’Brien was the player that got the final touch on the ball but those closer to the action claimed it was another player but were not certain.

The lead however was a short lived on as almost straight away Aidan Fitzpatrick finished to the net to give Saint Mary’s a 2-10 to 1-11 lead with nine minutes of the second half played.

Another brace of scores for Eoin Kearns followed after which Kieran Barron who came on at the break for Dean Cliffe  found the range to give Saint Mary’s a five point lead with the game now in its final quarter.

Tourin however would hit the next four scores in a three minute spell, Darragh Wilkinson putting over a brace and David O’Brien and Niall Fives hit one each to leave just one between the sides with nine minutes to go.

Saint Mary’s however stepped up a gear or two and hit the next five points in a row, Eoin Kearns putting over four, bringing his tally for the afternoon to fourteen and Brendan McGourty playing his first western final with the club also got on the score sheet.

In the middle of this run of scores Kevin Sheehan was ordered off by referee Timmy Organ, which will keep him out of the upcoming County Final.

Tourin hit the last two scores of the game through Jack Leahy and Darragh Wilkinson, to move to within four of Saint Mary’s who will know that things could have been even closer had John Patrick Fitzpatrick not made a very good save near the end to deflect the ball out for a ’65.

Saint Mary’s: John Patrick Fitzpatrick; Conor Tobin, Sean Fitzpatrick, Tom Tobin; Dermot Tobin, Denis Coffey, Owen Barron; Kevin Sheehan, Stephen Coffey; Brendan McGourty, Eoin Kearns, Dean Cliffe; Aidan Fitzpatrick, Mike Kearns, Jason Sheehan. Subs: Kieran Barron for Dean Cliffe, Jack Skehan for Stephen Coffey. Rest of the Panel: John Hallinan, Johnny Ahearne, John Queally, David Whelan, Jack Power, Daniel Flynn, Jonathan Carroll, Darragh Tobin, JJ Coffey.

Scorers: Eoin Kearns 0-14, Aidan Fitzpatrick 1-1, Jason Sheehan 1-0, Kevin Sheehan, Kieran Barron, Brendan McGourty 0-1 each.

Tourin: Colm Bennett; Brian Leahy, Daniel Leahy, Mark Landers; Brendan Scanlon, Shane Fives, Jack Leahy; Sean Meany, David Leahy; Sean Leahy, David O’Brien, Niall Fives; Darragh Wilkinson, Tom O’Brien, Daniel Dransfield. Subs: Owen Leahy for David Leahy, Daithi Wilkinson for Daniel Dransfield. Rest of the panel: Niall Leahy, Brian O’Donoghue, Donal McGrath, Kevin Leahy, Cathal Wilkinson, Lorcan Murphy, Peter O’Grady, Thomas McGrath, Darragh Fives, Mark McConnell, Ed Molumphy, Shane Dunne.

Scorers: Darragh Wilkinson 0-9, Tom O’Brien 1-0, David O’Brien 0-3, Sean Meaney, Niall Fives 0-2, Jack Leahy 0-1.

Referee: Timmy Organ (Abbeyside).