Win for Junior A team

Rathgarogue Cushinstown 2-14 v 2-20 Blackwater

Ger Corrigans selectors might have changed but he is still managing to get the same results as the newly promoted team saw off the challenge of the New Ross district side in a overcast Cushinstown venue.

Blackwater wearing their alternative set of black started at a fast pace and were 5 points to no score up in the first 6 minutes, Gavin, Jimmy and Din Brien all registering scores. The home side started to grow into the game and just on the 14th minute there was just one point between the sides. This was as close as they got as a surging run by Alan Malanowski hit for a point and the ball deceived the goalie and ended up in the net. Cushinstown responded in lively fashion and their wing forward was unlucky not to goal when Lar Lacey pulled off a great save low down with the 84th appearances for the first team, showing his years of maturity. A few minutes later, there keeper made up for his earlier mistake by pulling off a wonderful save from a Din bullet. Further points from the excellent Jimmy Whelan, making his adult championship debut, Mossie and Wayne had us purring before half time with a seven point lead.

Jimmy started where he finished the first half with a point from a ground pull while Din Brien found himself in space with a Mossie through ball and the full forward absolutely buried the shot high to the net. James Dooley, Jimmy again scoring his 4th point had our lead out to 14 points before we started to make some changes. This seemed to upset our flow to the game as the home started to make inroads scoring 1-4 in the next 5 minutes. Din Brien stopped the rot with an excellent sideline cut but Cushinstown kept the pressure on and had the ball in the net again after an unfortunate deflection off a player with 6 minutes left. Our lads werent to be denied and held on for a first round victory in the Junior A championship since we were relegated from this grade after a defeat to Glynn-Barntown in 2009. A far more difficult assignment on Sunday though awaits our boys as we play Oulart The Ballagh in Round 2 at home.

Lar Lacey, 2. James Cullen 3. Anthony Roche, 4. Kevin Purcell 5. Ian Curran 6. Brian Dooley 7. Kevin O’Brien 8. Shane Wright 9. Gavin O’Toole (0-1) 10. Josh Culleton (0-1)11.Wayne O’Connor (0-1) 12. Alan Malanowski (1-01) 13. James Dooley (0-5) 14. Denis O’Brien (1-3, 0-3 free, 1 sideline,) 15. Jimmy Whelan (0-4)

Subs used: Mossie O’Brien (0-1) for Gavin inj, Johnny O’Toole (0-1) for Wayne inj, Jason Wallace for Kevin Purcell, Bryan Mooney for Tony, Adam Murphy for James Dooley