Lucan Sarsfields see off Ballyboden St Endas in PTSB SHC 1 at Parnell Park

LUCAN SARSFIELDS 3-10

BALLYBODEN ST ENDA’S 1-14

By Daire Walsh

 A strong second half display paid dividends at Parnell Park on Saturday evening as Lucan Sarsfields edged out a strong challenge from Ballyboden St Enda’s in their opening game in Group 2 of the PTSB Dublin Senior 1 Hurling Championship.

Three points behind at the interval, Lucan turned the tables on their opponents in the second half to earn a morale-boosting victory at Dublin GAA HQ.

Searching for an eighth top-tier title in 2026, Boden enjoyed an excellent start to this encounter with corner-forward David Gleeson knocking over two points in as many minutes. Lucan subsequently opened their account with a pointed ‘65’ from centre-forward Ben Coffey, only for his opposite number Jonathan O’Driscoll to gather possession off a resulting attack and drill the ball home for a fourth minute Ballyboden goal.

 This was an early set-back for Lucan, but last year’s finalists stormed into the game as the first quarter progressed in Donnycarney. Following a brace of successful frees from the reliable Coffey, wing-forward Sean Harkness latched onto a flicked pass by Darragh Meehan (who also registered a point from play) before firing a superb goal of his own in the 13th minute.

This served notice of their potential, but also acted as a warning sign to a Boden side that have serious aspirations in this year’s championship. After Darragh Ormsby and the ever-influential Lucan half-back Chris Crummey traded points, Niall McMorrow, Gleeson (two) and the adventurous Luke McDwyer all found the range to give Boden a two-point cushion on 23 minutes.

 There appeared to be very little to separate the two teams on paper and a Paul Crummey point from play reduced the Lucan deficit to the bare minimum. Yet Ballyboden possessed a constant threat with their inside line and Gleeson’s fifth point in an outstanding opening period performance was complimented by a second from McMorrow on the turn.

While Harkness grabbed a fine point on the right-wing, midfielder Fiachra Codd split the uprights from distance to offer Ballyboden a hard-earned 1-10 to 1-7 lead at the break.

Lucan were still very much in the reckoning, however, and restored parity to the contest within 60 seconds of the resumption. Via a floated delivery from the right-hand sideline by Charlie Keher, Paul Crummey rose highest to flick the ball to the net for his side’s second goal of the game.

This increased the confidence levels of the 12th Lock outfit and thanks to unanswered points courtesy of Keher and Coffey (free) they had regained the initiative in this opening round affair. Boden had struggled to settle back into their stride during the early stages of the second half, but they finally got up and running again when Stephen O’Connor knocked over an impressive point on 42 minutes.

 In comparison to some of the other fixtures that took place over this weekend, scores were at more of a premium in this particular showdown. McMorrow did get back on level terms heading into the final-quarter, but Lucan put themselves in a strong position after a speculative effort by substitute Donal Flannery deceived Conor O’Donoghue on its way into the back of the Boden net in the 47th minute.

This ramped up the pressure on their counterparts, but even though a full 10 minutes went by without a score, Boden eventually narrowed the gap with an excellent Eoin Behan point at a right-hand angle.

They were still in contention for at least a share of the spoils as a result and a James Madden effort left the bare minimum between the teams at the start of a tension-filled period of stoppage-time. However, Lucan kept their composure and Coffey’s fifth point (his first from open play) ensured they came away with the maximum return from this tie.

Scorers – Lucan Sarsfields: B Coffey 0-5 (0-3f, 0-1 ‘65’), S Harkness, P Crummey 1-1 each, D Flannery 1-0, C Crummey, C Keher, D Meehan 0-1 each. Ballyboden St Enda’s: D Gleeson 0-5, N McMorrow 0-3, J O’Driscoll 1-0, D Ormsby 0-1 (f), L McDwyer, J Madden, S O’Connor, F Codd, E Behan 0-1 each.

Ballyboden St Enda’s: C O’Donoghue; L Mulligan Lynch, J Kennedy, B McGuire; L McDwyer, J Madden, P Dunleavy; S O’Connor, F Codd; N Ryan, J O’Drscoll, E Behan; D Gleeson, N McMorrow, D Ormsby. Subs: A Mellett for Codd, D Keogh for Ormsby (both h-t), F Ryan for Kennedy (40-42), Ryan for Dunleavy, F Murphy for McDwyer, J Norris for Ryan (all 42).

Lucan Sarsfields: S McClelland; M McCaffrey, P Rigney, L Mooney; J Behan, C Crummey, R Smith; C Kennedy, K Costelloe; C Keher, B Coffey, S Harkness; D Meehan, M Coogan, P Crummey. Subs: D Flannery for Coogan (44), K Fitzgerald for Harkness (51), M Pappalardo for Mooney (52), C Dowling for Meehan (54).

Referee: Sean McCarthy (St Vincent’s).