Lyons roars as Clon win junior C title

Clonakilty 1-12    

Argideen Rangers 0-14

COIS FARRAIGE REPORTS

CLONAKILTY added to their hurling honours for 2015 when they won the South West junior C hurling championship final in Ardfield on Sunday. 

Argideen were the holders of the title, having beaten Clon in a replayed final last season, and this game was just as close, going to extra time before the issue was resolved.

With only a few minutes remaining in extra time, Argideen seemed to be on line to retaining the title when they led by a single point, the teams having been level at the end of full time and again at half time in extra time. 

The decisive score came when Tomás Lyons, Martin Nolan and Gearóid Barry combined to set up Brian Daly for the only goal of the game as he whipped a great first-time shot to the roof of the Argideen net.

While Daly emerged as the last-gasp hero, it was wing forward Tomás Lyons who wrote his name on this final for the winners as he split the posts on no less than ten occasions from placed balls, tremendous shooting in the heavy conditions. With Clon only hitting 1-2 from play, Lyons’s accuracy from frees was to prove absolutely crucial on the day, as he clinically punished Argideen’s tendency to foul under pressure.

Had Argideen managed to win then they would have sung the praises of Bill Fleming, who finished only a point behind Lyons with nine white flags to his name, including two from play.  

Despite the recent weather conditions, the Ardfield pitch was in remarkable condition, if a little grassy, and the day itself was fine and dry. 

Just like last season, there wasn’t a puck of a ball between the two sides all through the game as they matched each other, score for score. During a hard-fought first half, John O’Donovan, Jason Collins, and Tony Anglin did well in the Clon defence to hold a lively Argideen forward line, in which ace-scorer, Bill Fleming, Noel Coomey and Oisín Dowling were to the fore.

Whereas Clon registered five of their six first-half points from well-struck frees by Tomás Lyons, Eamonn Downey hitting their only point from play, Argideen had four of their five from play against the breeze. 

Noel Coomey, Mícheál Crowley, Bill Fleming and Oisín Dowling split the posts, with Fleming adding a free, but it was Clon in front by a single point at the break, 0-6 to 0-5.

With the breeze to their backs in the second half, stronger Argideen, with a good mixture of ex-intermediate players and young minors, looked to be in the driving seat but they reckoned without the battling qualities of the Clon side.

Against the breeze, it was Clon who restarted better, with Lyons driving over three frees but Argideen battled back with scores from Fleming (free), Noel Coomey and sub Mark Coomey. 

It was a ding-dong struggle after that, the midfield battle between Clon’s Eamonn Downey and the strong Graham Murray, and Argideen’s Mícheál O’Rourke and Mícheál Coomey, being highly entertaining while up front, Clon had good performers in Martin Nolan, Tomás Lyons and Eoin O’Neill.

Lyons (free) and impressive wing back Sean O’Donoghue, a fine point from play, had points for Clon with Fleming answering for Argideen.

With time running out, Argideen found themselves two points in arrears but with defenders Ciarán O’Sullivan, Niall Harte and Daniel Hurley driving forward, their pressure told when Clon conceded two late frees and Bill Fleming split the posts from both to level the scores at full time, 0-11 each.

It was into extra time. Lyons pointed another free to shove Clon in front and Fleming responded in kind to leave it all square at half time in extra time, 0-12 each.

A Fleming free put Argideen in front in the closing ten minutes, a lead that look like being a winning one until, two minutes from time, Clon produced a cracking winning goal from Brian Daly. 

Argideen did their very best to draw level, Fleming scoring from another free, but time ran out and Clon collected their third hurling trophy of the season, their second over the weekend, as they added the junior C championship to the A league won the previous Friday night.    

Scorers

Clonakilty: Tomás Lyons 0-10f, Brian Daly 1-0, Eamonn Downey, Sean O’Donoghue 0-1 each.  

Argideen Rangers: Bill Fleming 0-9 (7f), Noel Coomey 0-2, Mícheál Crowley, Oisín Dowling, Mark Coomey 0-1 each.  

Clonakilty: Mike Harrington, David Walsh, Tony Anglin, Seán O’Donoghue, Graham Murray, Eamonn Downey, Tomás Lyons, Eoin O’Neill, Conrad Lehane, Gearóid Barry, Brian Daly. 

Sub used: Denis Harrington.

Argideen Rangers: Finbarr Walsh, Ciarán O’Sullivan, Mike Deasy, Cathal Dineen, Gerard Crowley, Niall Harte, Daniel Hurley, Mícheál O’Rourke, Mícheál Coomey, Padraig Coomey, Oisín Dowling, Dylan Harrington, Mícheál Crowley, Noel Coomey, Bill Fleming. 

Subs used: Mark Coomey, Killian McSweeney.

Referee: Michael O’Mahony (Kilbrittain).