Cuala Ease Past St Brigids In Go-Ahead Ireland Senior 1 Hurling Championship Tie

CUALA 1-28 

ST BRIGID’S 0-13 

Cuala delivered an impressive team performance when comfortably accounting for St Brigid’s by eighteen points in their one-sided Go-Ahead Ireland Dublin Senior 1 Hurling Championship Group 1 encounter at a sunny Parnell Park on Saturday afternoon.

After a relatively even opening quarter, Cuala assumed complete control of matters with three points by Jake Malone and two apiece from Liam Murphy, Kevin Kirwan and Con O’Callaghan helping build a healthy 0-14 to 0-6 lead by half-time.

An intricate team move saw Murphy pounce for the game’s solitary goal in the 42^nd minute and the misery for St Brigid’s was complete in the final quarter with Jonathan McGuirk and Ronan McLoughlin both dismissed by the final whistle.

It was Cuala that started off on the front foot and they pushed two points clear by the 3^rd minute following scores by Malone and Murphy (free).

It didn’t take long for their opponents to restore parity as points in quick succession from the returning Paul Winters and Brian Moran saw the teams deadlocked by the 6^th minute.

Cuala enjoyed another small pocket of control, kickstarted by an excellent point from distance by goalkeeper Seán Brennan and augmented by ensuing scores by Jack Twomey and Colm Cronin.

While St Brigid’s struck back via a second Winters free and a battling Donnacha Ryan score to trail by a solitary point by the end of the first quarter, their challenge unravelled alarmingly from that point as Cuala dominated the remainder of the half.

Kevin Kirwan popped over a deserved score and substitute O’Callaghan inexplicably shot over the crossbar in the 21^st minute with an open goal at his mercy as the Dalkey outfit clicked through the gears.

Malone, Kirwan, Murphy, Diarmuid Ó Floinn and O’Callaghan all added to their tally as the half progressed with late points from the tidy Conor Groarke and Malone leaving them eight points clear by the interval.

St Brigid’s stemmed the flow in the early stages of the second-half through points by Winters and Ryan but Cuala still remained a threat, as reflected in scores from Ryan Malone and Murphy.

A 37^th minute score by James O’Connell briefly brought the margin down to seven points but Cuala once again raised their levels, hitting 1-6 without reply in the following nine minutes to effectively settle the issue.

O’Callaghan, Twomey and Murphy all pointed before O’Callaghan clipped a smart pass into the stride of Cillian Sheanon, who unselfishly released Murphy for a facile finish past the helpless Alan Nolan.

All semblance of competitiveness petered out from the contest by that juncture although O’Connell and substitute Diarmuid Breslin both added two points apiece for a dispirited St Brigid’s as the half evolved.

However, McGuirk and McLoughlin both received their second yellow cards in the final quarter as Cuala eased home with Murphy taking his personal tally to 1-9 by the close.

Scorers – Cuala: L Murphy 1-9 (0-6f); C O’Callaghan 0-5; J Malone 0-3; J Twomey, C Cronin, K Kirwan 0-2 each; S Brennan, D Ó Floinn, R Malone, C Sheanon, C Groarke 0-1 apiece. St Brigid’s: P Winters 0-4 (3f, 1 ’65); J O’Connell 0-3; D Ryan, D Breslin 0-2 each; A Dunphy, B Moran 0-1 apiece.

Cuala: S Brennan; M Conroy, D Ó Floinn, E O’Callaghan; C Groarke, A Power, R Malone; S Moran, J Conroy; J Malone, C Sheanon, C Cronin; J Twomey, K Kirwan, L Murphy. Subs: C O’Callaghan for Conroy (19), D Twomey for J Malone (57), C Spain for Cronin (60).

St Brigid’s: A Nolan; B O’Sullivan, C Doyle, J O’Neill; A Dunphy, R McLoughlin, B Moran; M Kavanagh, L Doolin; D Ryan, P Winters, D McLoughlin; J McGuirk, J O’Connell, K O’Sullivan. Subs: D Breslin for D McLoughlin (38), E Leen for B O’Sullivan (44), C Kellett for Kavanagh (54).

Referee: Thomas Gleeson (Naomh Fionnbarra).