Crusheen/Tubber collected two points in the opening round of the Minor B Hurling Championship on Friday evening.
Crusheen/Tubber 4-21
Newmarket-on-Fergus 3-12
Venue: Crusheen
A strong first half from Crusheen/Tubber laid the foundations for their victory as they shipped past four goals the Blues who had taken their time in acclimatising to championship pace.
Newmarket had edged three points to one in front with eight minutes played, however everything changed from the puckout as Breffni Horner struck for goal at the other end to swing momentum in their favour.
Further goals were added via Éanna McMahon and Horner as the amalgamation built up a 4-09 0-08 half time advantage.
From the resumption Newmarket upped their game considerably and brought the fight to their opponents, regrettably for them it came thirty minutes too late as bridging the thirteen point deficit was out of their reach on this particular outing.
Shane Lynch led their fightback as he picked up a hat-trick of goals. Indeed Newmarket scored more than their counterparts in the second half but it wasn’t enough to steal the points.
Ross Hayes and Breffni Horner were very sharp for the victors while Éanna McMahon chipped in with some valuable scores. This win will give them a real lift as they start of their championship bid with hopes of reaching for the knockout stages quite high.
Best for the Blues were Shane Lynch, Tom Nedelec and James McMahon. They may be disappointed with the outcome but by looking at the positives they will know they were able to match Crusheen/Tubber when they got going, the trick is to ensure a stronger display for the full hour in their next encounter.
Crusheen/Tubber: Murrough McMahon; Tadhg Deane, Cian Ketelaar, Diarmuid Mullins; Alan Naughton, Ross Hayes, Cian O’Callaghan; Joey Droney, Ian O’Brien; Oisin McDonagh, Éanna McMahon, Tommy Nolan; Paddy Brown, Breffni Horner, Lee Canty.
Newmarket-on-Fergus: Paudi Guilfoyle; Alan Baker, David Frost, Kieran McMahon; PJ Enright, Darragh Burke, Oisin Cavanagh; James McMahon, Eoin Guilfoyle; Jason Duggan, David Hall, James Barry; Shane Lynch, Jack Enright, Tom Nedelec.
Referee: Andy McMahon (Cratloe)