Eugene Organ fields a high ball, with Thomas Gillespie and Kevin Kenny competing
Ulster Senior Hurling Táin League Division 2
Aodh Rua 1-10
St. Eunan’s 2-14
St. Eunan’s got the better of their county rivals Aodh Rua in the opening game of this year’s Ulster Senior Hurling League in Fr. Tierney Park Ballyshannon on Monday.
After Colm Breathnach opened the scoring for the visitors with a 4th minute free, Chris Kilgallon put the home team ahead when he cut in from the corner and finished to the net from a narrow angle.
Seán McVeigh and Kevin Kenny exchanged scores before a Kevin Meehan pass on 16 minutes put Eugene Organ through on goal.
Despite pressure from goalkeeper Kevin McDermott, Organ managed to get his shot away to send his team ahead.
Playing with a strong wind, Aodh Rua now had their best spell of the game, tagging on two points from Chris and Ciaran Kilgallon along with a Kenny free.
Only strong defensive work from Eunan O’Donnell and Sean Halvey in the visitors full back line prevented this pressure being converted into further scores.
Two late Letterkenny points from play by Organ and Breathnach were cancelled by frees from Kenny and Kilgallon, leaving Aodh Rua one point ahead at the break, 1-7 to 1-6.
Kenny extended the home team’s lead in the first minute of the second half with a long range free. However, from that point on, St. Eunan’s gradually took control of the game.
With Conor O’Grady and Colm Flood providing the platform around the middle of the field, the visitors reeled off six points in the next fifteen minutes from Breathnach, Organ and Caoimhin Lennon.
A Kenny free on 44 minutes was Aodh Rua’s sole reply. The decisive moment of the game came in the 47th minute.
Cian Durack found Organ bursting through at pace and his determined run through the Ballyshannon defence was finished by a strike to the top corner of the net. Aodh Rua battled on but, finding scoring against the wind difficult, they only had a final Kenny free to show for their possession.
Three late points from Breathnach and Durack sealed a seven point win for St. Eunan’s.
St. Eunan’s: Sean McBride, Sean Halvey, Eunan O’Donnell, Brian McIntyre, Aaron O’Connell, Adie Gaffey, Conor O’Grady, Colm Flood, Steven Doherty, Darragh McCarthy, Kevin Meehan, Eugene Organ (2-5, 4 frees), Sean McVeigh (0-2, 1 free), Colm Breathnach (0-5, 3 frees), Cormac Hartnett. Subs: Cian Durack (0-1), Caoimhin Lennon (0-1), Eoin Scanlon, John McIntyre, Paddy Flood.
Aodh Rua: Kevin McDermott, Ciaran Rami, Stephen Sheerin, Jack Matthews, Thomas Gillespie, Kevin Kenny (0-6, 6 frees), Brendan Gillespie, Cian Dolan, Ciaran Kilgallon (0-1), Stephen Connolly, Chris Kilgallon (1-3, 2 frees), Conor McNeely, Rory Cullen, Liam Coughlin, Gary Loughlin. Subs: Patrick Faherty, Ryan O’Brien, Martin Larkin, Gary O’Brien, Shane McNulty, Kevin Loughlin, Aidan Begley.
Referee: Aidan Ferguson (Fermanagh).
Man of the match: Eugene Organ.
