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Image courtesy Mark McDonagh
WHITEHALL COLMCILLE 0-24
CUALA 0-18
Whitehall Colmcille pulled away in the final quarter on their way to a deserved six-point win over Cuala in their niggly Go-Ahead Ireland Dublin Senior 1 Hurling Championship Group 2 clash at Parnell Park on Friday night.
The Dalkey outfit struggled for fluency initially but the placed-ball accuracy of Donal O’Shea pushed them into a 0-14 to 0-12 lead at half-time.
However, Whitehall were the dominant side after the break and with Cuala being reduced to twelve players, they took full advantage with Paddy Spellacy proving their match-winner with a personal tally of 0-14.
Enda O’Donnell served early notice of Whitehall’s intent as he burst through from the throw-in to open the scoring inside ten seconds with Cuala levelling matters through a Cillian Sheanon point a minute later.
A Spellacy free restored the Colmcille lead in the 4th minute and an excellent point from play by the former Dublin minor was just reward for his influential start.
Spellacy and Eoghan O’Donnell added to the Whitehall tally soon after with their opponents staying in contention through points by Dara Twomey and Davy Ryan.
Colmcille were dealt a blow in the 11th minute as Jamie Raftery, so impressive in last year’s campaign, was forced off through injury but they showed few ill effects initially as they continued to dictate matters.
A fine Ronan Murray save when denying Cuala’s Jamie Conroy resulted in a Cormac Costello point at the opposite end and Spellacy was afforded far too much time and space when pushing his side four points clear by the 17th minute.
Without playing close to their best, Cuala gradually reeled in their opponents as they struck five points on the bounce through a brace of Donal O’Shea frees and further scores from Ryan, Conroy and Kevin Kirwan.
Murray thwarted Conroy a further two times during this period as Spellacy restored parity in the 26th minute when converting a free he cleverly engineered for himself.
Cuala replied with three points in quick succession and a late ‘65’ by O’Shea, his seventh score of the half, saw them enter the break with a marginal two-point advantage.
An excellent Conor Sheedy point in the 33rd minute halved the Colmcille deficit and the sides were deadlocked three minutes later as substitute Niall O’Connor split the uprights.
Seán Brennan produced a spectacular save to deny the marauding Lee Gannon and while Spellacy popped over a free from the advantage, O’Shea did likewise for Cuala as parity was restored.
With Spellacy and Adam McDermott adding to the Whitehall tally, their chances were enhanced at the end of the third quarter as Sheanon received his second yellow card for a late challenge on Gannon.
Two further red cards were brandished in the 52nd minute as Cuala’s Jake Malone and Colmcille’s Seán Foran were dismissed on the advice of the linesman.
Points from Sheedy and Spellacy (free) extended Whitehall’s lead to three points and they were rarely troubled in the closing stages with Cuala’s misery compounded by the sending-off of Jack Twomey in added time.
Scorers – Whitehall Colmcille: P Spellacy 0-14 (11f); C Sheedy 0-3; C Costello 0-2; E O’Reilly, A McDermott, Enda O’Donnell, Eoghan O’Donnell, N O’Connor 0-1 apiece. Cuala: D O’Shea 0-10 (9f, 1 ’65); D Ryan 0-2; D Ó Floinn, J Malone, D Twomey, J Conroy, K Kirwan, C Sheanon 0-1 apiece.
Whitehall Colmcille: R Murray; E O’Reilly, J Thorp, D Ryan; D Noonan, D Gray, L Gannon; A McDermott, Enda O’Donnell; S Foran, C Costello, J Raftery; C Sheedy, Eoghan O’Donnell, P Spellacy. Subs: N O’Connor for Raftery (11), C Cummins for Eoghan O’Donnell (63), S Dunphy for Noonan (67).
Cuala: S Brennan; J Lahart, E O’Callaghan, C Groarke; D Ryan, S Moran, S Roche; D Ó Floinn, J Twomey; J Malone, C Sheanon, D O’Shea; D Twomey, K Kirwan, J Conroy. Subs: P Egan for D Twomey (49), C Spain for Ryan (67).
Referee: Fergal McDonagh (Round Towers Clondalkin).