Gaelic Games

UL get their Fitzgibbon defence off to winning start

WIT stage brilliant comeback win over St Pat’s; Mary I beat NUI Galway

UL’s Brian Stapleton and Gerard Hegarty compete with John Henderson and Jack Guiney of DIT during the Fitzgibbon Cup first-round game at Parnells GAA Club in Dublin. Photograph: Dan Sheridan/Inpho
Thu Jan 28 2016 - 21:46

Dublin IT 0-14 University of Limerick 0-20

Former Clare star Brian Lohan watched his holders University of Limerick get their Fitzgibbon Cup campaign off to a winning start with a six-point victory over Dublin IT on Thursday afternoon.

UL came from three points down at half-time to claim a comfortable win at Parnells GAA club in Coolock.

DIT shot 10 first-half wides and needed a bigger lead than the 0-10 to 0-7 advantage amassed at the break, having played with a strong breeze at the start.

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Westmeath player Derek McNicholas enjoyed a productive outing for DIT but his efforts proved in vain as UL came back strongly after the interval to prevail.

DIT: P McKenna; C Robinson, T Doyle, S McClelland; D Guinan, L Chin (0-3), S Barrett; G Whelan, R Greville; C Sheehan (0-1), J Guiney (0-1, free), J Sweeney; AJ Murphy, D McNicholas (0-9, three frees, one 65, one sideline), C O'Donoghue.

Subs: J Henderson for Murphy (half-time), B Kelly for Sweeney (50 mins).

UL: P Maher; S Finn, J Browne, S Roche; G Hegarty, J Forde (0-1), B Stapleton; A McGuane, K Hehir (0-1); D Fitzgerald, C Martin (0-2), T Morrissey; K O'Brien (0-4), J McGrath (0-7, all frees), T Heffernan (0-4).

Subs: M Casey for Roche (38 mins), B Heffernan (0-1) for McGuane (52 mins), C McInerney for Fitzgerald (58 mins), L O'Sullivan for O'Brien (60+2 mins).

Referee: A Kelly (Galway).

St Pat’s Drumcondra 0-9 Waterford IT 1-19

Waterford IT staged a stunning second-half display in wet conditions in Drumcondra.

Colm Bonnar’s side trailed by 0-6 to 0-4 at half-time, with Westmeath’s Eoin Price; Jack McGrath and free-taker Patrick Curran on target for the hosts.

WIT fired seven first-half wides, including five from Austin Gleeson, but the Waterford Senior player came good in the second half.

Pat’s were restricted to three second-half points – all Curran frees in the third quarter, with a 35th-minute Gleeson goal paving the way for a 13-point win.

ST PAT'S, DRUMCONDRA: J Higgins; D Egan, C Shaw, K Treacy; P Spellman, R Fitzpatrick, J McGrath (0-1, free); N Mullins, J Barron; P Walshe, M Collins, E Price (0-2); E McIntryre, P Curran (0-6, six frees), T Devlin.

Subs: P Sutton for Devlin (39 mins); F Ó Cuirrín for Barron (50 mins); J Bruton for McIntyre (55 mins).

WIT: M Fanning; W Hahessy, G Teehan, J Maher; T Fox, J Dwyer, F McGrath; J Langton (0-1), S McNulty; C Guiry (0-1), E McGrath (0-1), J Hayes; L McGrath (0-8, three frees, one 65), S Roche (0-1), A Gleeson (1-5, two frees).

Subs: K O'Brien (0-1) for McNulty (26 mins); M Lynch (0-1) for Guiry (34 mins); J Henderson for F McGrath (45 mins); J Doyle for Hayes (49 mins).

Referee: Christy Browne (Galway)

Former Clare star Brian Lohan watched holders University of Limerick get their Fitzgibbon Cup campaign off to a winning start with a six-point victory over Dublin IT yesterday.

UL came from three points down at half-time to claim a comfortable win at Parnells GAA club in Coolock.

DIT shot ten first half wides and needed a bigger lead than the 0-10 to 0-7 advantage amassed at the break, having played with a strong breeze during the first half.

Westmeath player Derek McNicholas enjoyed a productive outing for DIT but his efforts proved in vain as UL came back strongly after the interval to prevail.

NUI Galway 0-13 Mary Immaculate College 1-16

Mary Immaculate College got their Fitzgibbon Cup campaign off to a good start when they saw off NUIG in their Pool C clash at Dangan. Limerick senior Declan Hannon was the decisive figure, shooting 1-9 in a game where three players were sent off.

Limerick’s Cian Lynch was first to go when he given a straight red for a challenge on All Star Cathal Mannion early in the second half.

NUIG were then reduced to 14 when Mannion’s brother Pádraig picked up two yellow cards, while the Galway college lost sub Ger Hennelly to a straight red late on.

NUIG never got going early on against the wind, and Mary I cruised into a 0-4 to 0-0 lead, and held a 0-11 to 0-7 lead at the break after playing with the wind at their backs in the first half.

Hannon hit six points in the first half, but Bobby Duggan’s four scores kept NUIG in touch.

However, six minutes into the second half Darragh O’Donovan set up Hannon for the crucial goal. Lynch was sent to the line moments later, but NUIG could never bridge the gap, as Mannion got his marching orders with 17 minutes remaining. Duggan brought the gap back to five late on, but that was as close as they got with Colm Galvin shooting a late point for Mary I.

NUI GALWAY: C Tuohy; C Ryan, B Fitzpatrick, G Forde; P Mannion, J Hanbury, S Cooney; N O'Brien (0-2), O Donnellan; B Duggan (0-6, five frees), C Mannion, A Helebert (0-1); J Fox , C Whelan (0-1), K McHugo (0-1).

Subs: M Mullins (0-1) for Helebert (42 mins), S Ward for Fox (49 mins), E Brannigan for Forde (53 mins), G Hennelly (0-1) for McHugo (54 mins), S Whelan for Cooney (63 mins).

MARY IMMACULATE COLLEGE: M O Conghaile; C Barry, E Quirke, R English; R Maher (0-1), M O'Neill (0-1), J Meagher; D O'Donovan (0-1), C Galvin (0-1); S Cahill, D Corry (0-1), C Lynch (0-1); A Flynn, D Hannon (1-9, seven frees), D Reidy (0-1).

Subs: T Stapleton for Reidy (19 mins), C Twomey for Barry (30 mins), T Monaghan for Cahill (56 mins), J Peters for Twomey (60-62 mins).

Referee: Fergal Horgan (Tipperary).