Nenagh make light work of Kiladangan B

GAA: Hibernian Inn North Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship Quarter final

Nenagh Eire Og 2-31

Kiladangan ‘B’1-10

Report: Liam Hogan in Borrisokane

MATCH DIGEST

Player of the Match: Pearse Morris (Nenagh Eire Og)

SCORERS – Nenagh Eire Og: Michael Heffernan 0-7 (4 frees, 1 '65), Pearse Morris 1-4; Jake Morris (2 frees), Tommy Heffernan 0-4 each; Ben West 1-0; Paddy Murphy, Anthony Walsh 0-3 each; Killian Gleeson, Adam Healy 0-2 each; James Mackey, Jamie Cottrell 0-1 each.

Kiladangan: Ciaran Kelly 1-3 (0-1 s-cut); Shane Gleeson 0-5 (2 frees, 1’65), Eoin Kelly, Ronan Ducie 0-1 each.

Nenagh Eire Og proved much too strong for an injury hit Kiladangan ‘B’ side in a very one-sided North Tipperary Senior Hurling championship quarter final on Tuesday evening.

A much closer contest was expected but the writing was on the wall once Nenagh reached the first water break 0-9 to 0-3 in front following a run of six unanswered points. Any hopes of a fightback from Kiladangan were sorely tested when Pearse Morris’s 21st minute goal left Nenagh 1-13 to 0-4 clear.

Such was their dominance by then that seven of the team had scored including Adam Healy and the six starting forwards. Michael Heffernan had supplied four points including three frees and a 65 while Tommy Heffernan added three points, the same total as Jake Morris who had added one from a free with Paddy Murphy and Anthony Walsh also on target.

Shane Gleeson with three points and Eoin Kelly were Kiladangan scorers as they found little leeway from the Nenagh defence where Conor Ryan was clearing at will from half back.

By half time it was 1-17 to 0-5 half as Tommy Heffernan, Walsh, Michael Heffernan from a free and Pearse Morris had added a point each.

Nenagh signalled there was more to come in the second half as Killian Gleeson pointed within nine seconds of the restart. Points from Paddy Murphy, James Mackey and Jake Morris stretched the lead to nineteen before Shane Gleeson replied with a point from play in the 37th minute.

Back came Nenagh with three more through Morris, Anthony Walsh, and a brilliant Paddy Murphy score from an acute angle before Ciaran Kelly drilled over a brilliant side-line ball for Kiladangan.

With Darragh Ryan and Ruairi Gleeson fighting hard to keep Kiladangan in touch they depended on the hard-working Eoin Kelly plus Shane Gleeson and Kelly for scores and Kelly beat three Nenagh defenders to steer home a goal in the 50th minute as the scoreline read 1-24 to 1-8.

Nenagh added four more points before Ben West defied the close marking Darragh Ryan to provide Nenagh’s second goal in the 56th minute and by then Nenagh were well focussed on their semi-final clash and no team will want to meet them based on this performance.

TEAMS – Nenagh Eire Og: Mark Tuite; Paul McLoughlin, Barry Heffernan, Adam Grattan; Daire Quinn, Conor Ryan, Adam Healy; James Mackey, Killian Gleeson; Paddy Murphy, Pearse Morris, Jake Morris; Tommy Heffernan, Anthony Walsh, Mikey Heffernan.

Subs: James Cottrell for T Heffernan (38); Ben West for J Morris (40); Conor Hennessy for Quinn (46); Sean Phelan for Murphy (51).

Kiladangan: Darragh Egan; John O’Meara, Shane Seymour, Darragh Ryan; Conor Culhane, Ruairi Gleeson, Ronan Ducie; Martin Minehan, Matthew Cleary; Eoin Sharkey, Eon Kelly, Shane Gleeson; Stephen James Gleeson, Ciaran Kelly, Eoin Meagher.

Sub: Paddy Gallagher for Seymour (45 inj).

Referee: Kieran Delaney (Toomevara).