Round-Up: PTSB Dublin Senior 2 Hurling Championship- Round 4

St Oliver Plunkett/Eoghan Ruadh joined Castleknock at the summit of the PTSB Dublin Senior 2 Hurling Championship Group 2 table after accounting for Ballyboden St Enda’s by 1-25 to 2-18 at a damp Páirc Uí Mhurchú on Thursday night.

The hosts started brightly through a Leon Kennedy goal but Plunkett’s replied in kind thanks to Conal Doohan while the free-taking of Ger Ryan kept the away scoreboard ticking over as the contest evolved.

Three points in quick succession from Cian Boland helped the visitors take a 1-15 to 1-10 lead by half-time and they continued to add to their tally thanks to four points from midfield by Cillian Hayes.

Ballyboden continued to impress through the efforts of Keith McCarron, Fionn Maguire and Eoghan O’Neill as they trimmed their deficit to just two points following a Jamie Mahon goal.

However, Plunkett’s kept them at bay thanks to strong displays by Neil Clerkin and Cian O’Connor with Ryan’s free-taking allowing them to edge home by the final whistle.

Across in Somerton Park, Castleknock remain unbeaten but were forced to settle for a share of the spoils as they drew 1-16 to 2-13 against Commercials.

The final match in Group 2 saw Ballinteer St John’s register their first win of the campaign on Saturday night as they proved far too strong for Naomh Mearnóg, winning by 0-26 to 1-7 in Marlay Park.

Having drawn their Round 1 encounter against Castleknock, the hosts had lost their previous two matches but were back to their best in difficult conditions with Tommy Cullen leading the way in terms of scores with 0-12, half of which came from open play.

Both Tom Aherne and Dylan Bannan chipped in with three points apiece as St John’s moved away from the relegation play-off spots thanks to influential performances from Niall O’Doherty, Sean Mulligan and Cody Graham.

In Group 1, Clontarf and Craobh Chiaráin continue to dominate as they registered their fourth wins on the bounce when recording away wins at Thomas Davis and Kilmacud Crokes respectively.

While Craobh defeated Kilmacud Crokes by 1-18 to 2-9 in Silver Park, Clontarf also had six points to spare when getting the better of Thomas Davis by 2-19 to 0-19 at Kiltipper Road.

The hosts raced out of the traps to lead by five points by the end of the first quarter but Clontarf gradually settled into the tie with a Kevin Lillis goal and Killian Keogh’s points leaving them 1-10 to 0-9 ahead by half-time.

The contest remained similarly tight after the break with the visitors remaining resolute at the back through the displays of Rob McGill, Charlie Digan and Odhran McGuckian and they landed a decisive blow as Mikey Devine netted in the final quarter.

Devine top scored with 1-4 over the hour while Joe Sheppard (0-3), Tommy O’Brien (0-3) and substitute Andrew Keegan (0-2) also made vital contributions on the scoreboard.

Raheny and St Sylvester’s moved away from the relegation spots as they drew 3-11 to 1-17 in St Anne’s Park.        

PTSB SHC2 Group 1 Results: Thomas Davis 0-19 Clontarf 2-19; Kilmacud Crokes 2-9 Craobh Chiaráin 1-18; Raheny 3-11 St Sylvester’s 1-17.

PTSB SHC2 Group 2 Results: Ballyboden St Enda’s 2-18 St Oliver Plunkett/ER 1-25; Castleknock 1-16 Commercials 2-13; Ballinteer St John’s 0-26 Naomh Mearnóg 1-7.