Commercials claim the Go-Ahead Ireland Premier Intermediate Title

Image Courtesy Matthew Burke

COMMERCIALS 1-22 

ST SYLVESTER’S 0-13

A personal tally of 1-14 from Diarmaid Ó Dúlaing proved pivotal as Commercials got the better of 14-man St Sylvester’s by twelve points in their Go-Ahead Ireland Dublin Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship final in Parnell Park on Sunday afternoon. 

Both clubs will be a welcome addition to SHC2 next year but it’s the Rathcoole outfit that will go up as champions after an exceptional first-half display that saw them build a mammoth 1-19 to 0-3 lead by the interval.

The second-half was a far more even affair but the winners were rarely troubled as they continued their meteoric rise through the championships.  

With the strong breeze at their backs, it was Commercials that settled the quicker as they opened the scoring through an Ó Dúlaing ‘65’ inside sixty seconds. 

Adam Drewett turned sharply to double that lead soon after and two further placed balls by Ó Dúlaing pushed Commercials four points clear by the 6th minute. 

While Ciaran McLoughney added a classy score at the opposite end to open the Syls account, Ó Dúlaing continued to punish their ill-discipline with another brace of frees by the 10thminute. 

Conor Cleary burst through for a well-taken point for a dominant Commercials and with their opponents struggling for any foothold into the wind and under constant pressure in defence, they conceded further scores by the end of the first quarter to Drewett and Ó Dúlaing. 

The procession towards the Syls goal proved an incessant one as Ó Dúlaing and Daniel O’Kelly shared four points from play at the start of the second quarter. 

An uphill task became even steeper for the Malahide outfit in the 23rd minute when Killian O’Flynn was dismissed for a high challenge on Tadhg Morris with Ó Dúlaing, almost inevitably, converting the resultant free. 

Cian Whitney offered brief respite to St Sylvester’s as he converted two frees towards the end of the half but there was sufficient time on the clock for Ó Dúlaing to waltz through and place a low shot beyond David Kennedy as Commercials pushed nineteen points clear at the turnaround. 

Syls started the second-half on the front foot through a point from centre-back Eamonn McLoughney but Commercials continued to carry a scoring threat despite the elements, as reflected in scores from Ó Dúlaing and Dean Simpson. 

Both Callum Morris and Tadhg Morris typified the tenacity and the measured distribution of the Commercials defence despite Ciaran McLoughney and Whitney adding to the St Sylvester’s tally as the third quarter evolved. 

Darragh McLoughney narrowed the gap further with a cracking point from distance following a lengthy break for treatment on Tadhg Morris and another Whitney free augmented by Dan Murphy’s point reduced the Commercials lead to thirteen points by the 54th minute. 

O’Kelly finally for the Commercials scoreboard ticking over as he clipped over his third score in the 59th minute and while Eamonn McLoughney and Whitney replied with frees in added time, those consolation efforts were never likely to deny their opponents a worthy success.      

Scorers – Commercials: D Ó Dúlaing 1-14 (0-9f, 0-1 ’65); D O’Kelly 0-3; A Drewett, D Simpson 0-2 each; C Cleary 0-1. St Sylvester’s: C Whitney 0-6 (5f, 1 ’65); C McLoughney 0-3; E McLoughney 0-2 (1f); D McLoughney, D Murphy 0-1 apiece. 

Commercials: S Clohessy; J Morris, K Butler, M O’Keeffe; C McCarthy, C Morris, T Morris; R Butler, C Cleary; D O’Kelly, D Ó Dúlaing, F Ó Nualláin; S McCarthy, A Drewett, D Simpson. Subs: N Lawless for T Morris (45), J Flanagan for Ó Nualláin (54), J O’Keeffe for Simpson (59), C Ó Luasa for Butler (62), A McGarr for J Morris (62). 

St Sylvester’s: D Kennedy; A Walshe, C Hoyne, W Rooney; S Foley, E McLoughney, D McLoughney; D Canavan, T Costello; S Murphy, Killian O’Flynn, G Hydes; C Whitney, Kevin O’Flynn, C McLoughney. Subs: J Moore for Walshe (26), D Murphy for Hydes (half-time), P Farrelly for Kevin O’Flynn (39), L Foley for Costello (44), J Mangan for Canavan (55).  

Referee: Dean Alford (Round Towers Clondalkin).