Dublin Senior Hurlers Claim Victory over Wexford in Round 3 Leinster Championship clash

DUBLIN 2-21 

WEXFORD 0-22

Dublin enhanced their provincial final prospects as they overcame Wexford by five points in their Leinster Senior Hurling Championship Round 3 encounter at a blustery Chadwicks Wexford Park on Saturday afternoon.

The result was paramount in terms of keeping pressure at the top end of the table with Dónal Burke excelling over the seventy-plus minutes, finishing the contest with fourteen points to his name. 

Dublin made two late changes to their starting line-up with Liam Rushe being introduced at centre-back while David Purcell replaced his Kilmacud Crokes clubmate Ronan Hayes. 

It was Purcell that netted the first goal of a disappointing first-half, firing home in the 13thminute while Cian O’Sullivan flicked home a second goal four minutes before the break to leave Dublin 2-13 to 0-10 ahead by half-time.

That margin was maintained for the bulk of the second-half and while Wexford placed some concerted pressure in the closing stages, the goal required to ignite their comeback proved elusive as the away defence held firm.  

Both teams struggled for any kind of fluency initially with Dónal Burke eventually opening the scoring in the 4th minute after a scrappy start. 

Points by Lee Chin (free) and Conor Hearne saw the hosts take the lead within two minutes before the Dubs restored their narrow lead through successive scores from Cian O’Sullivan and Burke (‘65’). 

Burke (free) and John Hetherton edged the visitors three points clear before they doubled that advantage in the 13th minute as Mark Fanning’s poor puck-out was seized upon by Purcell, who raced through before firing across the Wexford goalkeeper from eight yards. 

A point from deep in his own half by Dónal Burke highlighted the strength of the breeze in Dublin’s favour as they pushed seven points clear but a brace from Chin offered grounds for optimism to the hosts as the contest evolved.

The visitors added to their lead courtesy of scores from Conor Burke and Dónal Burke and could have netted in the 25th minute but Fanning made amends for his earlier error when denying Fergal Whitely at his near post. 

While Dónal Burke converted the resultant ‘65’, Wexford replied through Chin and Darren Codd as the game began to reach its desired championship pitch. 

Brian Hayes offered reminders of his class towards the end of the half with two sumptuous points while O’Sullivan nipped onto a Conor Donohoe delivery to poke home from close range. 

Leading by nine points at the turnaround, the concern from a Dublin perspective was the margin of their lead, and those worries were compounded as Chin popped over a trio of frees in the opening four minutes of the second-half. 

Dónal Burke replied with his own trilogy of placed balls to help resettle the Dubs and his fourth score of the half helped partially mitigate points at the opposite end by Simon Donohoe and Ross Banville.     

A contested O’Sullivan point restored Dublin’s nine-point buffer by the end of the third quarter as the home optimism was punctured by a series of poor wides. 

The influential Burke and O’Sullivan enhanced Dublin’s strong position with further scoresand those points were crucial as the hosts looked to stage a late comeback. 

Three Chin fees were sandwiched by points by Simon Roche and Jack O’Connor but it was fitting that the final word should belong to Burke, who split the uprights from under the stand in injury time to secure a deserved success.  

Dublin will be on their travels once again when they travel to Salthill to face Galway in Round 4 next Saturday afternoon (4.30). 

Scorers – Dublin: D Burke 0-14 (7f, 3 ’65); C O’Sullivan 1-3; David Purcell 1-0; B Hayes 0-2; J Hetherton, C Burke 0-1 apiece. Wexford: L Chin 0-14 (13f); R Banville 0-2; C Hearne, K Foley, D Codd, S Donohoe, S Roche, J O’Connor 0-1 apiece.

Dublin: E Gibbons; E O’Donnell, P Smyth, P Doyle; C Crummey, L Rushe, C Burke; B Hayes, C Donohoe; F Whitely, D Burke, D Power; David Purcell, J Hetherton, C O’Sullivan. Subs: C McHugh for O’Donnell (38), C Ó Riain for Power (49), R Hayes for David Purcell (60), C Groarke for Hetherton (72), O Gaffney for Whitely (75). 

Wexford: M Fanning; D Carley, L Ryan, C Foley; S Donohoe, R Lawlor, D Reck; D O’Leary, C Hearne; R Banville, S Roche, D Codd; K Foley, L Chin, C Byrne. Subs: J Byrne for Codd (47), J O’Connor for C Byrne (57), E Wickham for Donohoe (63). 

Referee: Shane Hynes (Galway).