COLLEGES HURLING LEINSTER FINAL Good Counsel 1-13 Castlecomer CS 2-8: A LATE GOAL gave Good Counsel, New Ross, a nail-biting victory over Castlecomer Community School in an entertaining Leinster colleges senior hurling final at Nowlan Park on Saturday.
Castlecomer looked like taking the spoils when, four minutes from the end, they raced into the lead when Charles Dwyer bagged his second goal (2-7 to 0-12).
The winners got back level thanks to a point from centre-back, Matthew O’Hanlon but within two minutes Declan Murphy turned a right wing cross from Ger Aylward into the net to earn Counsel the title and a place in the All-Ireland semi-finals. Castlecomer will face off against St Caiman’s of Shannon in the quarter-finals on Saturday.
Good Counsel were full value for their victory and at the end of the opening quarter they led 0-6 to 0-2, a lead they increased to 0-9 to 0-3 just before the interval.
Castlecomer grabbed two late points through their lone scorer in the half, Canice Maher, to reduce the deficit to 0-5 to 0-9 at the break. The winners pushed on smartly after the turn and added a brace of points through free-taker James Cassin to take a firm grip on proceedings. But when ’Comer goaled out of the blue through Dwyer in the 41st minute, the game was back in the melting pot.
When Dwyer repeated the act later it looked like the Kilkenny lads might steal a victory but late goalscorer Declan Murphy was the late hero for the Slaneysiders.
GOOD COUNSEL: K Kehoe; M Cody, J Breen, M Furlong; A Nolan, M O'Hanlon (0-1), J Lyng; W Walsh (0-1), I Duggan (0-1); N Doyle (0-1), J Cassin (0-8, six frees), L French; G Aylward, M Crowdle, D Murphy (1-1). Sub: S Barron for N Doyle.
CASTLECOMER CS: L Lacey; S Staunton, A Moran, E Mealey; B Cahill, G Callinan, J Morrissey; C McDermott, G Kavanagh; D Dunne, T Breen, M Hawley; M O'Dwyer, C Maher (0-7, five frees), C Dwyer (2-1).
Referee: A Stapleton(Laois).
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