Jude’s set up SHC ‘A’ final against Cuala

ST JUDE'S 1-16 LUCAN SARSFIELDS 1-11

St Jude's progressed to the Dublin SHC 'A' final after finishing strongly to overcome Lucan Sarsfields in Wednesday night's semi-final at Parnell Park.

The Tymon North outfit will face Cuala in the decider on Saturday week at the Donnycarney venue (3.0) with the SFC final taking place the following afternoon (4.0).

Jude's will be hoping to go one better than last year as they were runners-up to Kilmacud Crokes 12 months ago but will enter the final in confident mood off the back of this showing.

The started well also and after Chris Crummey had opened the scored for Lucan Jude's replied with an unbroken chain of five points to move into a healthy early lead.

The impressive Joey McManus hit two fine points after Fionn Ó Riain Broin had converted a free.

Danny Sutcliffe filled Jude's sails with a fine point before Joey McManus clipped his third point from play of the night.

Lucan needed to responded and they did when Kevin O'Reilly blasted a 20-metre free to the net.

Chris Crummey's second point boosted Lucan before another O’Reilly free put Lucan in front in the 19th minute.

By the interval Lucan had established a four-point lead, 1-9 to 0-8, after concluding the half with a flurry of scores as Kevin O'Reilly scored a goal just before the break to add to a free he converted himself and a point from play from Tommy Sommers, leaving eventual winners Jude's with plenty to do in the second half.

Four minutes into the second half came Jude's goal when Tom Devlin cracked home a goal and it ignited the Jude's charge for the winner's enclosure with points from Fionn Ó Riain Broin, Paul Maguire and and sub Stephen Larkin set up their final meeting against Cuala.

However, five minutes from time Lucan subs David Quinn had a gilt-edged goal-scoring chance and with it went Sarsfields' chances of making the decider.

In the curtain-raiser St Oliver Plunkett's/Eoghan Ruadh defeated Castleknock 1-13 to 0-10 in the Leinster IHC play-off replay and will now face Wicklow's Bray Emmett's this Sunday in Aughrim (2.15) in Leinster club action.

SCORERS - St Jude’s: T Devlin 1-1, F Ó Riain Broin (0-1f, 0-1 ‘65’), J McManus 0-4 each, D Sutcliffe 0-2, W Hutchinson (f), P Maguire, R Hardy, N Mangan, S Larkin 0-1 each. Lucan Sarsfields: K O'Reilly 1-5 (1-4f), C Crummey, J McCaffrey 0-2 each, S McClelland, T Somers 0-1 each.

ST JUDE'S: M Hartnett; E McLoughlin, G McManus, C Mangan; C Ó Riain Broin, W Hutchinson, R Hardy; N Mangan, P Maguire; R Joyce, D Sutcliffe, J Kennedy; F Ó Riain Broin, T Devlin, J McManus. Subs: S Larkin for Kennedy (48), J Ryan for Joyce (57), A O’Beirne for C Mangan (59).

LUCAN SARSFIELDS: K Roche; M May, M McCaffrey, B Aird; T Somers, C Crummey, J Bellew; J McCaffrey, Emmett Ó Conghaile; T Lee, P Carroll, K O’Reilly; Eoghan Ó Conghaile, K Fitzgerald, S McClelland. Subs: P Crummey for Lee (43), D Quinn for Carroll (48).

REF: S McCarthy (St Vincent’s).