Boden Edge past St Vincents In Extra Time Quarter Final Thriller

BALLYBODEN ST ENDA’S 1-31

ST VINCENT’S 2-27 AET

Image courtesy Paul Barrett

Ballyboden St Enda’s did just enough to pip St Vincent’s by the slimmest of margins in theirthrilling Go-Ahead Ireland Dublin Senior 1 Hurling Championship quarter-final at Parnell Park on Saturday afternoon. 

Ballyboden were marginally the better team in the first-half and deserved their 1-13 to 0-12 lead with Darragh Kenny’s 14th minute goal the decisive score of a tense initial period. 

St Vincent’s replied well after the break and with both teams reduced to fourteen for the final quarter, a Darach McBride goal ensured the teams finished in a 1-24 apiece stalemate at full-time. 

Both teams were guilty of sluggish starts before Ballyboden’s Niall Ryan availed of some generous space afforded to him under the stand as he opened the scoring in the 3rd minute. 

While Thomas Connolly levelled matters three minutes later, it was St Enda’s that settled the better as a brace of Kenny frees moved them two points clear by the 11th minute. 

Both Brian Bolger and Conor Burke offered points by way of riposte but Boden struck for the game’s opening goal in the 14th minute as Kenny gathered possession far too easily and embarked on a solo run that culminated in a scruffy kicked finish past Dara Perry from seven yards. 

Ryan was given even more time and space to add to the St Enda’s lead by the end of the first quarter before Vinnies addressed some of their defensive issues as they trimmed their arrears through Harry Curley and John Hetherton (free).

The sides exchanged points at regular intervals in the second quarter with Stephen Williams popping over a brace of points for St Vincent’s while Stephen O’Connor raced forward from corner-back to land an inspirational score in the 21st minute. 

Boden looked to finish the half on the front foot as they moved further clear thanks to Kenny, David Keogh and David Gleeson before a long-range Brian Moorhouse-Carroll effort trimmed the Vinnies deficit to four points by the turnaround. 

An early Hetherton free reduced the gap further in the early stages of the second-half but Niall McMorrow jinked his way to a brace of points in quick succession while substitute Fionn Murphy added to the Ballyboden tally as the contest evolved. 

Back came the locals with a brace of Hetherton frees and Curley’s third point of the day before both teams were reduced to fourteen at the end of the third quarter as Boden’s Conor Dooley and Mark Sweeney were shown red cards for an off-the-ball incident.

It was St Vincent’s that benefitted most from this incident as they netted through Darach McBride in the 47th minute and the lively corner-forward pushed his team into the lead in the 59th minute with a cracking score from under the stand. 

The teams traded points in the prolonged period of injury time and while Kenny edged his team in front in the 64th minute, Burke replied three minutes later to force extra-time. 

Boden showed few ill effects from that late concession as they controlled the early stages of extra-time with a McMorrow preceding a trio of Kenny points. 

Those scores proved just enough to see them home with a late goal from Burke failing to spare St Vincent’s their fate after ninety minutes of absorbing action.   

Scorers – Ballyboden St Enda’s: D Kenny 1-8 (0-6f, 0-1 ’65); N McMorrow 0-6; J Madden (1 sideline), F Murphy 0-3 each; S O’Connor, S McDonnell, N Ryan, D Gleeson 0-2 each; J Lambert, D Keogh, L McDwyer 0-1 apiece. St Vincent’s: J Hetherton 0-9 (6f); C Burke, D McBride 1-3 each; H Curley 0-3; S Williams, T Connolly 0-2 each; B Moorhouse-Carroll, C O’Neill, M Sweeney, B Bolger, D Peel 0-1 apiece.

Ballyboden St Enda’s: C O’Donoghue; J Kennedy, P Dunleavy, S O’Connor; C Dooley, F Ryan, J Lambert; J McGuire, S McDonnell; J Madden, N McMorrow, N Ryan; D Keogh, D Gleeson, D Kenny. Subs: B McGuire for F Ryan (Temp, 9-11), F Murphy for Keogh (half-time), L McDwyer for N Ryan (47), E Behan for Gleeson (60+4), N Ryan for O’Connor (67), T Hammersley for (71), Gleeson for Kenny (75). 

St Vincent’s: D Perry; S Mulcahy, M O’Farrell, R Dunne; H Curley, B Moorehouse-Carroll, C O’Neill; M Sweeney, C Burke; K Ward, J Hetherton, S Williams; T Connolly, B Bolger, D McBride. Subs: E O’Neill for O’Farrell (39), J Mulcahy for Bolger (44), B Murray for Williams (52), D Peel for S Mulcahy (61), Williams for Ward (67), R O’Neill for Dunne (75). 

Referee: Mark Ryan (St Patrick’s Palmerstown).