Craobh cruise to SHC ‘A’ victory over Barrs

DUBLIN SHC 'A' GROUP 3

CRAOBH CHIARAIN 7-23 NH FIONNBARRA 1-6

Craobh Chiaráin cruised to a 35-point victory over and understrength Nh Fionnbarra in Thursday night's Dublin SHC 'A' Group 3 encounter in Parnell Park.

The Donnycarney men made light of the conditions, which deteriorated into the second half, as they played an attractive brand of accurate first-time hurling.

Barrs' cause was not helped, to state the obvious, by the loss of several players to injury including Dublin forward Eamonn Dillon.

Cian Derwin starred for Craobh in the half-forward line and apart from striking over eight frees he also hitting five from play as well as contributing well to his side's game-plan.

However, it was Nh Fionnbarra who raised the first green flag of the net when Jay Roe found the net following good work by Ger Dodrill and Seán Mac Donnacha.

That gave the Cabra side a 1-1 to 0-2 lead in the fifth minute but they were soon rocked by two Craobh goals in quick succession.

Billy Ryan and Robbie Mahon both rattled the Barrs net to propel their side into a 2-4 to 1-1 lead by the ninth minute and they never looked back as they led 2-9 to 1-4 at the interval.

Six minutes into the second half James Finn, who had tallied 0-2 in the first half, hit the first of his two goals after good selfless interplay by Chiaráins.

In the 43rd and 44th minutes Craobh grabbed two more goals when Billy Ryan and Paul Kelly were the score-getters to make it 5-13 to 1-5.

Finn scrambled home goal number six in the 46th minute after Derwin originally drove for goal from 25 metres and before the finish Mahon added their seventh goal.

SCORERS - Craobh Chiaráin: C Derwin 0-13 (0-8f), J Finn 2-3, R Mahon 2-1, B Ryan 2-0, P Kelly 1-2, F Usanga, A McCrabbe, C Ryan K McGouran 0-1 each. Nh Fionnbarra: J Roe 1-0, G Dodrill (0-2f), C Carberry, D Curley 0-2 each.

CROABH CHIARAIN: S Chester; S Finnegan, E Farrell, Damien O'Reilly; D Kelly, K Hetherton, G Kelly; A McCrabbe, C Ryan; P Kelly, R Mahon, C Derwin; J Finn, F Usanga, B Ryan. Subs: S McDonnell for B Ryan (44), K McGouran for D Kelly (44), D Cullen for Finnegan (51), Derek O'Reilly for McCrabbe (51), A Kenny for C Ryan (57).

NH FIONNBARRA: L Sweetman; B Hyland, J Fitzsimons, B Owens; T O'Neill, A Milne, S McDonnacha; G Dodrill, D Curley; C Carberry, A Costello, G Dodrill; D Owens, J Roe, M O'Neill. Subs: J Gunnery for Hyland (43), S Carey for M O'Neill (56), L Stone for Fitzsimons (58).

REF: D Harrington (St Sylvester's).