Gabriel Rangers 1-21
Brian Dillons 2-7
TOM LYONS REPORTS
GABRIEL Rangers are through to the knock-out stages of the Co-op Superstores county confined junior B hurling championship with a game to spare.
After beating Rathpeacon in their Group 3 opener, Gabriels maintained their 100 percent record with victory over Brian Dillons in sunny Ahiohill on Saturday.
On the one side you had a Gabriels’ team very fit from their football exploits but well short of hurling practice and on the other side a Dillons team struggling for numbers with very few players between the ages of 21 and 31. In the end it was the extra fitness and pace of the western side that won the day, showing in patches with some excellent scores that they could be a force to reckon with in the grade if the hurling work was done on the training pitch.
Gabriels, with the breeze, deservedly led by six points at half time, a lead that should have been much bigger, but a promising third quarter was interrupted by a serious shoulder injury to Dillons’ Kane O’Brien. When the game resumed, play became very scrappy as Dillons staged a comeback. Gabriels weathered the storm and were never in danger of losing in the last quarter.
‘We didn’t take our chances in the first half and then they got a couple of goals. That woke us up,’ said Gabriels manager Kieran O’Brien.
‘It was a very broken game. In the first half, there was the head injury and then in the second half the collision and shoulder injury kind of broke the momentum. We were keeping the scoreboard ticking over before that injury but then seemed to lose concentration. We beat Rathpeacon in the first round so we’re motoring fairly well. We’re going well in the league, winning three out of four, so we have some momentum.’
Gabriel Rangers' James O'Regan breaks past Brian Dillon's Evan Lane.
There was nothing between the sides in the opening minutes, the sides sharing six points. Keith Hegarty (2) and Darren Lynch pointed for Dillons, while the ageless Pat Nolan, James O’Regan and Paudie O’Regan replied for Gabriels.
With Jack O’Driscoll, Killian O’Brien and Luke Nolan dominant in defence and Luca Bowen and Tadhg McCarthy driving forward from midfield, Gabriels took control of the game. A string of six points without control put a sizeable gap between the sides, Paudie O’Regan (2), Keith O’Driscoll, James O’Regan, Mark Brosnan and Pat Nolan all finding the target.
There was a brief resurrection from Dillons when Darren Lynch latched on to a long free to billow the net but Gabriels responded well to cancel out the goal with white flags from O’Driscoll, Nolan and James O’Regan.
Gabriel Rangers' Cillian O'Brien coming out past Brian Dillon's Kyle Corcoran.
It was 0-12 to 1-3 at half time, not an insurmountable gap for Dillons with the breeze in the second half. However, when Gabriels opened the half with another three points in a row from Paudie O’Regan (free), O’Driscoll, who had a great second half, and Nolan, to open the gap to nine points, the writing was on the wall for the struggling city men.
But following the long stoppage for Kane O’Brien’s unfortunate injury, Dillons began to get a grip on the game as Gabriels lost momentum. A long-distance effort from Darren Lynch somehow ended up in the Gabriels’ net in the 39th minute and when David Coughlan and Darragh Rogers followed with pointed frees, the lead was down to five.
The crucial score came in the 50th minute when the flying O’Driscoll broke through for a Gabriels’ goal and there was no stopping the winners after that. With Pat Nolan moving out from full forward to midfield to dominate that area, the points flowed from the Schull/Ballydehob/Goleen combination. James O’Regan, Paudie O’Regan (free), Ciarán McCarthy, Matthew Sheehan (free) and Paddy O’Driscoll hit the target.
The city side did manage two late points but their injury-ravaged side were well out of contention by then, with Gabriels assured of qualification with a game to spare. Next, Gabriels play Castletownroche in their final group game on May 31st in Ballinacarriga but are already qualified for the play-offs.
Our Star: A word for Darren Lynch of Dillons and Paudie O’Regan of Gabriels but it was the pace, enthusiasm and scores from Keith O’Driscoll for the winners that really caught the eye.
Scorers
Gabriel Rangers: Paudie O’Regan 0-7 (4f); Keith O’Driscoll 1-3; Pat Nolan, James O’Regan 0-3 each; Mark Brosnan, Tadhg McCarthy, Paddy O’Driscoll, Ciarán McCarthy, Matthew Sheehan (1f) 0-1 each.
Brian Dillons: Darren Lynch 2-1; Kian Hegarty, Darragh Rogers (1f), David Coughlan (2f) 0-2 each.
Gabriel Rangers: Ryan McSweeney; Ronan Roycroft, Jack O’Driscoll, Dermie Coughlan; Luke Nolan, Killian O’Brien, Donncha O’Regan; Tadhg McCarthy, Luca Bowen; Paddy O’Driscoll, James O’Regan, Paudie O’Regan; Keith O’Driscoll, Pat Nolan, Mark Brosnan.
Subs: Matthew Sheehan for M Brosnan (ht), Aaron Barry for D O’Regan (44), Stephen O’Reilly for L Nolan (50), Pa Sheehan for R Roycroft (55), Ciarán McCarthy for P O’Regan (56).
Brian Dillons: Evan Lawton; Darragh Maloney, Darren McGrath, Evan Lane; Ben O’Driscoll, Mark White, Nathan Lowry; John Noonan, Kian Hegarty; Trevor Hawkins, Keith McCormick, Seán Ring; Darren Lynch, Eoin O’Flaherty, Kane O’Brien.
Subs: Dave Coughlan for K McCormick (15), Adam Cotter for T Hawkins (25), Damien Horgan for K O’Brien (38), Darragh Rodgers for S Ring (41), Ring for D Lynch (55).
Referee: Jimmy O’Sullivan (St Colum’s).
