Lucan Sarsfields Claim The Spoils Over St Brigids At O’Toole Park

LUCAN SARSFIELDS 2-23

ST BRIGID’S 1-14

Lucan Sarsfields produced an accomplished display at O’Toole Park on Saturday afternoon to get the better of St Brigid’s in Group 2 of the PTSB Dublin Senior 1 Hurling Championship.

In the driving seat at the interval courtesy of goals from the midfield pairing of Cathal Kennedy and Colm Walsh, Charlie Carter’s side pushed on after the break to make it three wins from four in the group stages of this year’s top-tier. Ben Coffey was in fine form for Lucan on a day when 13 players got their name on the scoresheet, while the Crummey brothers – Chris and Paul – also stood out over the course of the action.

Centre half-forward Paul Winters led the scoring charts for Brigid’s with a personal tally of 1-5, including a second half goal that briefly sparked the idea of a potential revival from the Russell Park outfit. Yet with Lucan finishing the game in clinical fashion, Brigid’s ultimately came out on the wrong side of the result in the end.

O’Toole Park had previously been a happy hunting ground for Brigid’s in 2026 with the Navan Road men having overcome Faughs and Ballyboden St Enda’s at the venue in the opening two rounds of Group 2 last month.

Although Lucan broke the deadlock when Chris Crummey fired over from an acute angle, their opponents subsequently moved in front with unanswered points by Kieran O’Sullivan, Shane Maher and Jack O’Neill. Winters also opened his account in response to a Paul Crummey effort at the opposite end, before Lucan had their own mini scoring burst with successive contributions from Killian Costello, Charlie Keher and the aforementioned Paul Crummey.

Costello proceeded to trade scores with Winters, in advance of Adam McGuirk splitting the posts in fine style off a later Brigid’s attack. This ensured that 12 points had been evenly shared amongst the teams during a frantic opening 10 minutes.

It was always going to be difficult for both sides to maintain this level of shooting efficiency, but it was Brigid’s who squeezed back in front when Winters knocked over a 60-metre free. Lucan were growing in confidence all the time, however, and were in for their first goal when Kennedy was picked out inside for an expertly-taken goal on the first-quarter mark.

Coffey’s maiden point of the day moved Lucan three clear almost immediately and despite Kieran O’Sullivan cancelling out this score, a second goal followed for the 12th Lock side when Walsh also drilled home on 18 minutes.

This latest green flag effort was supplemented by back-to-back points from Coffey (free) and Kennedy as Lucan continued to take the game by the scruff of the neck. Marauding defender John Bellew and Coffey found the range in response to Brigid’s points from Tom Hannon and Winters, while Sean Harkness also raised a white flag for Sarsfields.

Brigid’s did end the half with a point courtesy of 2025 All Star winner Cian O’Sullivan, but Lucan brought a commanding 2-12 to 0-11 cushion into the second half.

Last year’s finalists were eager to push on after the resumption and within five minutes of the restart, Kennedy and Ciaran Dowling registered points to compliment a quickfire brace from play by Coffey. Brigid’s eventually got up and running in the second half when Cathal Doyle clipped over an impressive point from distance on 41 minutes, but Lucan produced an immediate reply when powerful approach work by Chris Crummey provided the platform for his sibling Paul to claim his third score of the day.

Coffey subsequently enhanced his already-considerable haul with a point after referee Chris Mooney had signalled for an advantage, but a swift purple patch from Brigid’s did leave them with some food for thought inside the final-quarter.

Sandwiched in between his own point and one from industrious half-forward Maher, Winters unleashed a close-range free to the net in the 52nd minute to offer his side a glimmer of hope.

This cut the gap to just seven points and given some of the fightbacks we have seen to date in the club championship, Brigid’s couldn’t be ruled out of the equation just yet. However, Lucan held firm during the dying embers of the game and five points on the bounce via the sticks of Coffey, Matt Coogan, Keher, Senan Bolger and netminder Sean McClelland helped them to ease over the line.

Scorers – Lucan Sarsfields: B Coffey 0-7 (4f), C Kennedy 1-2, C Walsh 1-0, P Crummey 0-3, C Keher, K Costello 0-2 each, S McClelland 0-1 (f), J Bellew, C Crummey, C Dowling, S Harkness, M Coogan, S Bolger 0-1 each. St Brigid’s: P Winters 1-5 (1-3f), S Maher, K O’Sullivan 0-2 each, C Doyle, A McGuirk, C O’Sullivan, J O’Neill, T Hannon 0-1 each.

Lucan Sarsfields: S McClelland; J Bellew, P Rigney, L Mooney; R Smith, C Crummey, M McCaffrey; C Kennedy, C Walsh; C Keher, K Costello, B Coffey; C Dowling, P Crummey, S Harkness. Subs: M Pappalardo for McCaffrey (46), S Bolger for Harkness (48), M Coogan for Dowling (52), D Flannery for P Crummey (60).

St Brigid’s: A Nolan; D Ryan, E Leen, R McLoughlin; J Hannon, C Doyle, A Dunphy; A McGuirk, J O’Neill; S Maher, P Winters, T Hannon; K O’Sullivan, C O’Sullivan, D Breslin. Subs: C McIntyre for K O’Sullivan (h-t), L Doolin for Hannon, J O’Connell for O’Neill (both 39), B Moran for Breslin (46), S Crotty for Doyle (48).

Referee: Chris Mooney (St Pat’s, Palmerstown).