Newmarket on Fergus 1:11 Ruan 3:17. Before the match, Seamie dropped a First Aid Kit into the dressingroom. Never mind that, someone laughed wryly, what we need is an ambulance!
The thing about these u15 players is that along with hurling, many also compete very successfully in rugby and soccer. It’s a time of year when all three sports overlap so the demands on young bodies are high. There was no serious injury, Thank God, but the week leading up to this match saw three different lads visit A&E. There were X-rays, trips to the physios and ice. Lots of ice.
It wasn’t ideal preparation to face a fine Ruan team who tore into the match from throw in, scoring the first four points. By halftime they had built a commanding lead, Ruan 2:10 Newmarket 1:3. Matters continued in much the same way in the second half. Ruan’s central players were combining well to cut channels down through our centre and they had a good spread of scorers to finish each move. Best of luck to them in the quarter final.
Our lads however, even the walking wounded, did not give up even as the tide washed over them repeatedly. Showing huge resilience long after a comeback was really possible they kept fighting until the end. Of the last eight scores, six of them were by Newmarket, with four different lads clipping over the bar. It bodes well for their prospects at U16 next summer. All the way to the finish line they were defying the inevitable. Because that is what these lads do.
Newmarket; Adam Enright; Brian Morrissey, Dylan Crowe, Darragh Jones; Daniel McDarby, Jamie Power, Aaron Moroney; Sol Frost (0;5), Brian Molloy; Mark Delaney, Seadhna Liddy (1:2), Jack Moloney; Conor Meehan, Michael Costello(0:2), Lee Cregan Substitutes: Josh Ryan (o:1), Emmet Calvey(0:1), Eamonn Cavanagh, Robert Hanton, Declan Howard, Seamus Quinn, Conor Crowe
Ruan: Kealan Mounsey; Daire Corey, Jason Power, Tom O’Halloran; Piaras O’Se, Jamie Neilan, Conor Foley; Darragh McInerney, Ryan Power; Michael Barry, Thomas O’Halloran, Frankie Lyons; Alan Woodford, Jack McDonagh, Joey Lyons