Nemo Rangers 0-18
Barryroe 0-14
JJ HURLEY REPORTS
BARRYROE’S wastefulness in front of goal proved costly as Nemo Rangers took the points in the Co-op Superstores Premier Junior Hurling Championship clash in Ballygarvan on Saturday.
Racking up ten wides in the opening half, along with conceding eight placed scores over the hour, told its own story of Barryroe’s struggles. The stats were not lost on Barryroe manager Conor Walsh, who was understandably disappointed afterwards.
‘Look, it’s the team that makes the least mistakes at this level that moves forward,’ he reflected. ‘Unfortunately, we had a few wides. I thought we were in the game, but Nemo came out and put in a performance, and we just didn’t get past them.’
Walsh was keen to highlight some positives, pointing to the creation of goal chances.
‘We are making chances, and it’s just a matter of reducing our mistakes – that’s what wins games,’ he said, though this loss leaves Barryroe at the bottom of Group 2 after two successive defeats.
The early exchanges were dominated by Nemo, who raced into a 0-4 to 0-1 lead after ten minutes, Ryan O’Donovan with Barryroe’s lone reply as their attack misfired.
Needing leadership, Ryan O’Donovan again stepped up with a fine score to spark his side into life. Inspired, Barryroe hit three points in a row through Olan O’Donovan (2) and Tómas Ó Buachalla to move ahead after 16 minutes.
Nemo senior footballer Barry Cripps levelled on 19 minutes, but Ryan O’Donovan landed two more scores to edge Barryroe back in front.
A point from Aristom Petrov narrowed the margin, yet Olan O’Donovan’s brace and a booming free from Michael Whelton sent Barryroe in at the break with a 0-9 to 0-6 lead.
The start of the second half belonged to Nemo, as Cripps added another and two frees from the flawless Shane Horgan tied matters. Olan O’Donovan responded with a single to keep Barryroe ahead, but crucially, they spurned two big goal opportunities.
First, Olan O’Donovan was unable to finish a Dónal Ó Buachalla pass to the net. Then, Nemo keeper Oisín O’Connell produced a superb save from Oisín O’Donovan to deny a green flag. The sides were level at 0-11 each after 41 minutes.
The game entered a spell of tit-for-tat scoring, with the teams locked together four times in the next ten minutes. Olan O’Donovan, Adam McSweeney, Brian O’Donovan and Donal Ó Buachalla all found the target for Barryroe, though Ó Buachalla’s shot might easily have dipped under the crossbar.
As the hour wore on, Nemo’s economy in front of goal proved decisive. Led by the imperious Horgan, they reeled off four unanswered points to stretch clear. Barryroe could find no reply, leaving themselves with a big task ahead in their next outing against Cloughduv.
Of the three teams currently at the bottom of the three different groups, Barryroe have the better scoring difference (-8), compared to Meelin (-26) and Milford (-11).
OUR STAR: Ryan O’Donovan and Olan O’Donovan carried the fight for Barryroe, but Shane Horgan’s accuracy and leadership were outstanding for Nemo.
Scorers - Nemo Rangers: S Horgan 0-9 (8f); A Petrov 0-3; B Cripps, R Dalton 0-2 each; J Coogan, E Kelly 0-1 each. Barryroe: O O’Donovan 0-5 (1f); R O’Donovan 0-4; M Whelton (f), D Ó Buachalla, B O’Donovan, T Ó Buachalla, A McSweeney 0-1 each.
Nemo Rangers: O O’Connell; J Cowhig, C O’Donovan, C O’Neill; B O’Neill, A O’Donovan, G Barrett; A Cronin, J Coogan; E Dilloughrey, B Cripps, C Horgan; A Petrov, R Dalton, S Horgan. Subs: J Kearney for A Petrov (49), C Kiely for E Dilloughrey (55), E Kelly for A Cronin (56).
Barryroe: M Whelton; D Moloney, C Sheehy, J O’Brien; S O’Riordan, J Moloney, T Ó Buachalla; C Dineen, R O’Donovan; D Ó Buachalla, C Madden, B O’Donovan; O O’Donovan, A McSweeney, D O’Sullivan. Subs: D McCarthy for D O’Sullivan (42).
Referee: John Ryan (Macroom).
