Goals for O’Leary and Curley as Plunkett’s blitz Ringtown

Slevin’s Coaches Westmeath Senior Hurling ‘B’ Championship Final

St Oliver Plunkett’s 2-21, Ringtown 0-10

Gerry Buckley

A slick and cohesive St Oliver Plunkett’s outfit were full value for their 17-point winning margin against an out-of-sorts Ringtown side in last Saturday’s Westmeath senior ‘B’ hurling final, played in reasonably pleasant conditions at a well-attended TEG Cusack Park.

While their half-time lead was just nine points – it should have been 15 – in truth, the Mullingar men already looked champions-elect at that juncture after producing one of the best half-hours of hurling in the club’s 47-year history. Naturally enough, Ringtown continued to plug away on the change of ends, with Luke Moore especially prominent, but there was no way back for the Whitehall-based team against Ciaran McKenna’s very fit and focused troops.

There was a great atmosphere at Westmeath GAA headquarters when Grace Nic Domhnaill sang Amhrán na bhFiann ahead of the throw-in. The men in white and green showed their intent right from the off with a brace of points from the outstanding Paddy Lynam (a 60-metre free and a delightful effort from play) in the opening 90 seconds. Ringtown almost got in for a goal, but the winners’ defence – which was impressive throughout – stood firm.

Skipper Davy Gavin fired over a superb point from near the stand sideline and an inevitable goal followed in the sixth minute, Ciaran Curley and Shane Ormsby combining to tee up Colm O’Leary for a clinically-taken three-pointer. Ringtown were visibly rattled, but they belatedly got on the scoresheet in the tenth minute when the aforementioned Moore slotted over the second of two frees from around the 50-metre mark.

O’Leary was wide from another goal chance moments after Curley appeared to have been fouled. The latter player then pointed, and the teams went on to equally share six points by the 17th minute – Gavin (one) and Lynam (two – the second from a free) for Plunkett’s, and Mark Cunningham (who failed to produce his best form on the day), Sean Boylan, and Emmet Corrigan for Gerry Quinn’s charges.

However, St Oliver Plunkett’s were on fire and they tagged on an unanswered 1-2 by the 23rd minute, the points coming from the sticks of O’Leary and Lynam, and the goal from the ever-threatening Curley, whose rasping shot some three minutes earlier had come back off the crossbar when a goal looked certain. The men in the green and gold-striped jerseys had the small consolation of wrapping up first half scoring with a brace of Moore points (open play and a free), but they had their veteran ‘keeper Pat Burke to thank for a fabulous save in the 29th minute from Lynam at the expense of an unconverted ‘65’. At the break, Plunkett’s led by 2-9 to 0-6.

Two early points from Moore (an inspirational score from play and a free) gave Ringtown fans a glimmer of hope, but the champions-in-waiting went on to score five points without reply by the end of the third quarter, courtesy of Curley, Lynam (a tremendous score), Curley again (a classy finish), Lynam (a ‘65’, after Burke had denied O’Leary), and Ormsby (displaying great skill in doing so), to put St Oliver Plunkett’s ahead by 2-14 to 0-8.

With any element of competition long since evaporated, the closing quarter was somewhat low-key, but the Mullingar men still managed to outscore their off-colour opponents by seven points to two therein. The winners’ white flags were raised by O’Leary, Gavin, Lynam (two frees), Westmeath regular Aaron Craig, Liam Carey, and goalkeeper Conor Lynch (a free, with Lynam now rested), while Ringtown, who will want to forget this display quickly, registered two more scores from the hard-working Moore.

After the game, the chairman of the Westmeath County Board, Frank Mescall, in conjunction with competition sponsor Pat Slevin of Slevin’s Coaches, presented the Mickey Power Cup to a fitting recipient in Davy Gavin.

Scorers – St Oliver Plunkett’s: P Lynam 0-9 (4f, 1‘65’), C Curley 1-3, C O’Leary 1-2, D Gavin 0-3, S Ormsby, A Craig, C Lynch (f), L Carey 0-1 each.

Ringtown: L Moore 0-7 (3f), M Cunningham, S Boylan, E Corrigan 0-1 each.

St Oliver Plunkett’s: Conor Lynch; John Fry, Zach Aherne, Brian Reidy; Sean Kelly, Aaron Craig, Liam Carey; Paddy Lynam, Cathal Craig; Shane Ormsby, Davy Gavin, Conor Bracken; Greg Gavin, Ciaran Curley, Colm O’Leary. Subs used: Matthew Cunningham for Bracken (42), Donal Liddy for D Gavin (52), Stephen Conway for Fry (53), Ross Corroon for Curley (inj., 53), Steve McManus for Lynam (57).

Ringtown: Pat Burke; Ciaran Moran, Ryan Moore, Niall Moran; Paul Nangle, Darren Kilcoyne, Thomas Daniels; Mark Cunningham, Luke Moore; Conor O’Grady, Johnny Hardman, Ryan McAuley; Sean Boylan, Emmet Corrigan, Anthony Nea. Subs used: Sean Cunningham for R Moore (39), Jeff Nea for Kilcoyne (42), Jason Moran for A Nea (44), Dominic Flynn for N Moran (46), Jamie Sweeney for O’Grady (52).

Ref: James McGrath (Turin).

EXAMINER’S EYE ON THE GAME

Man of the match

Paddy Lynam (St Oliver Plunkett’s). It is not being disrespectful to neighbouring Longford who acquired Lynam’s services in recent years to suggest that this talented player is well fit to play for his native county.

Key moment

When the evergreen Ciaran Curley bundled the ball to the net in the 23rd minute for the winners’ second goal, it already looked very much St Oliver Plunkett’s day.

Talking point

There was been an inordinate amount of yo-yoing to and from the senior ‘A’ championship in recent years. On the evidence of this display, the Mullingar side, albeit with some veterans still key to their success, look better equipped than most to stay the pace at the top table – at the very least.