Round-Up: AHL 1 & AHL 2 Friday 15th May

Castleknock picked up the second win of their campaign when edging Faughs by 1-18 to 2-14 in their Dublin Adult Hurling League Division 1 encounter at Tymon Park on Friday night. 

There was never much to separate the sides throughout with Conal Purcell a hugely influential figure in the Castleknock engine room. 

Cian Boyle top scored with 0-11 and with Luke Whelan (1-1), Conor Chawke (0-2) and Neil Hogan (0-2) all adding to the away tally, the visitors claimed the crucial victory courtesy of a point from debutant Tadhg Coyle in the dying minutes.   

At Páirc Naomh Uinsionn, St Vincent’s bounced back from two successive defeats when overcoming St Brigid’s by 1-18 to 0-15. 

The hosts started impressively to lead by three points and they held that margin for the large part with James Mulcahy netting from Brian Bolger’s pass to build a 1-10 to 0-10 interval lead. 

Paul Winters kept the visitors in the hunt from placed balls but with Tom Connolly scoring 0-9 at the opposite end, Vinnies pushed on thanks to three Bolger scores and further points by Mark Sweeney, Paul Reynolds Hand, Sean Mulcahy and Stephen Williams. 

The Marino side remain four points behind league leaders Lucan Sarsfields, who remain unbeaten following their 4-17 to 1-16 win over Kilmacud Crokes in Páirc de Búrca. 

The visitors blitzed their opponents early on through goals by Ciaran Dowling and Darragh Meehan before Crokes hit back thanks to points by Oisin O’Rorke, Cian Mac Gabhann, Alex Considine and Caolán Conway. 

Lucan reaffirmed their control as Matt Coogan added a third goal while points by Charlie Keher and Ryan Clancy left Sarsfields with a healthy five-point interval lead. 

Points at regular intervals from Eoin Keys and Gearóid Flannery saw the hosts remain in the hunt after the break but Lucan confirmed their sixth successive victory as Dowling’s second goal was augmented by scores from substitutes Luke Mooney and Kevin Fitzgerald. 

AHL1 Results: Kilmacud Crokes 1-16 Lucan Sarsfields 4-17; St Vincent’s 1-18 St Brigid’s 0-15; Ballyboden St Enda’s 1-20 Na Fianna 1-16; Cuala 1-24 Naomh Barróg 1-24; Faughs 2-14Castleknock 1-18; St Jude’s 0-15 Craobh Chiaráin 1-15. 

In AHL2, Commercials registered a morale-boosting 2-22 to 2-13 victory over Fingallians in Rathcoole, ending a run of four straight losses in the process. 

The hosts welcomed back Daniel O’Kelly to their starting line-up and the Dublin Under 20 attacker didn’t disappoint as he amassed a match-winning 0-10, with five of those points coming from play. 

David Dungan was another to impress as he finished with 1-2 from corner-forward and Commercials remained in the ascendancy thanks to strong defensive displays by full-back Kyle Butler and wing-back Conor McCarthy with Sean McCarthy also shining at centre-forward. 

It proved far tighter in Páirc Mearnóg as Clontarf got the better of Naomh Mearnóg by 0-19 to 0-18. 

There was a Championship feel to the encounter with both teams committed from the first whistle as the visitors kept their scoreboard ticking over thanks to twelve Mikey Devine points. 

The ‘Tarf defence were best served by Adam Jermyn and Tom Briody while Tommy O’Brien, Kevin Byrne and Andrew Keegan were equally influential in their narrow success. 

Events were far more straightforward at Páirc Uí Bhriain as Naomh Olaf proved too strong for Ballyboden St Enda’s, winning by 3-22 to 1-17. 

The hosts were buoyed by a brace of goals from Daragh O’Brien with Matthew Sharpe also netting for the Balally outfit. 

Goalkeeper Eoin Murphy was rock solid between the sticks as Olafs pulled away through the efforts of Sean Bourke and Victor Hennessy (0-3). 

There are now no less than five teams sharing top spot on eight points with Clontarf joined by an Erin’s Isle team that beat previous leaders St Oliver Plunkett’s/Eoghan Ruadh by 3-21 to 1-19 while Ballinteer St John’s moved to the summit following their 3-18 to 1-24 draw away to Thomas Davis.    

AHL2 Results: Erin’s Isle 3-21 St Oliver Plunkett’s/Eoghan Ruadh 1-19; Thomas Davis 3-18Ballinteer St John’s 1-24; Naomh Olaf 3-22 Ballyboden St Enda’s 1-17; Naomh Mearnóg 0-18 Clontarf 0-19; Commercials 2-22 Fingallians 2-13; Raheny 0-17 St Sylvester’s 2-16.