Bright Start Helps Boden Beat Cuala To Reach Go-Ahead SHC1 Semis

Sun, 1st October 2023

Image courtesy Cliona Mellett

BALLYBODEN ST ENDA’S 2-25

CUALA 1-21

Two goals within four minutes of each other proved pivotal as Ballyboden St Enda’s accounted for southside rivals Cuala by seven points in their Go Ahead Dublin Senior 1 Hurling Championship quarter-final at Parnell Park on Sunday afternoon.

Boden will now meet St Vincents in the Go-Ahead Senior 1 Hurling Semi Final.

Both Pearce Christie and Paul Ryan netted at the church end with their goals just reward for a dominant showing from David Curtin’s side in the first-half, leaving their opponents with too steep a mountain to climb upon the restart.

Ryan was back to his clinical best, finishing the game with 1-11 to his name, and while St Enda’s were guilty of spurning goal chances after the break, those misses rarely looked likely to unduly trouble them.

We were treated to a glut of scores in the early stages as St Enda’s seized the initiative thanks to a brace of Paul Ryan frees and two scores from play by wing-forward Kevin Desmond.

Their opponents enjoyed some crumbs of comfort thanks to points from Jake Malone, Colm Cronin and Liam Murphy but it was evident from the initial stages that their defence was creaking under any semblance of pressure.

Shane Durkin added a brace of his own as the first quarter evolved and some hesitant Cuala defending was emphatically punished by Pearce Christie in the 13^th minute after Eoghan O’Callaghan and John Sheanon had failed to adequately clear their lines.

Jack Lambert added to that lead a minute later to leave Ballyboden nine points to the good and they heaped further misery on Cuala in the 17^th minute as Desmond raced through the middle to present Ryan with a most straightforward of finishes past Sean Brennan.

Credit to Cuala, who bounced ball from this concession by landing five points on the bounce through a trio of Murphy frees and points by Diarmuid Ó Floinn and substitute Jamie Conroy as St Enda’s hit a flat spot.

However, they finished the half strongly with late points from Conor Dooley and Luke McDwyer restoring their control as they entered the break with a 2-13 to 0-10 advantage.

Two points inside the opening minute of the second-half by Murphy and the lively Conroy handed Cuala some early momentum but Boden were finding space all too readily at the opposite end, as witnessed by scores from McDwyer, Ryan and Niall McMorrow.

Con O’Callaghan and Conroy added to the Cuala tally and they remained with an outside chance at best as Brennan made excellent stops to deny Lambert, Desmond and substitute Adam Kelleher.

Those saves gained added relevance when Cronin raced through onto O’Callaghan’s pass and delivered an exceptional finish across the despairing dive of Conor O’Donoghue in the 50^th minute.

They failed to build on that lifeline however as they struck a couple of energy-sapping wides while Ballyboden pulled away with substitute Eoin Behan popping over insurance points in added time.

The Semi Final draw was made on Sunday evening, with Boden drawn to face St Vincents in the last four.

Scorers – Ballyboden St Enda’s: P Ryan 1-11 (0-8f, 0-1 sideline), P Christie 1-0, S Durkin, L McDwyer, K Desmond, N McMorrow, E Behan 0-2 apiece, J Lambert, A Mellett, C Dooley, T Hammersley 0-1 each. Cuala: L Murphy 0-9 (7f), C Cronin 1-2, J Conroy 0-3, C O’Callaghan 0-2, J Malone, S Brennan (‘65’), S Moran (f), A Power, D Ó Floinn 0-1 apiece.

Ballyboden St Enda’s: C O’Donoghue; J Madden, P Dunleavy, S McDonnell; J Lambert, S Lambert, L Corcoran; S Durkin, L McDwyer; K Desmond, C Dooley, A Mellett; P Ryan, P Christie, N McMorrow. Subs: A Kelleher for Dooley (46), T Hammersley for Desmond (50), E Behan for McDwyer (52).

Cuala: S Brennan; E O’Callaghan, J Sheanon, S Timlin; D Ó Floinn, A Power, S Moran; C Sheanon, M Conroy; J Malone, S Treacy, C Cronin; D O’Connell, L Murphy, C O’Callaghan. Subs: C O’Toole for C Sheanon (15), J Conroy for J Sheanon (21), K Kirwan for Treacy (half-time), D Twomey for Timlin (43), E Murphy for L Murphy (60), D Duggan for C O’Callaghan (62).

Referee: Thomas Gleeson (Naomh Fionnbarra)