Cuddihy's goals steers Gunners to final triumph
Ballygunner's Joint Captains Patrick Fitzgerald and Craig OâKeeffe hold the Tony Mansfield Memorial Cup High following the presentation by Sean Michael OâRegan, Chairman Co.GAA Board much to the delight of their team mates. Photo Sean Byrne
This U-20 final played out very much according to script in sunny, but windy, Fraher Field on Sunday last where two second half goals by Eoin Cuddihy saw defending champions Ballygunner shake off the dogged challenge of a game Abbeyside team that, thanks to the scores of Charlie Treen, kept pace with the winners up to the last ten minutes.
For much of this game it looked like shaping up to be a contest on the scoreboard between senior stars Patrick Fitzgerald and Charlie Treen before Ballygunner’s Eoin Cuddihy, whose late points in last year’s final meeting between the same sides gave the Gunners a two point win, again proved Abbeyside’s tormentor with two goals in the 40th and 48th minutes that left the challengers, and Charlie Treen, with just too much ground to make up.
Abbeyside won the toss and elected to play with the breeze blowing into the dressing room end in the first half. A fine point from Charlie Treen opened the scoring inside a minute but the Ballygunner reply was immediate with Eoin Cuddihy finding the target on his side’s first attack. Treen again showed his class as he dispossessed Aaron O’Neill and shot his side back into the lead in the 3rd minute. The sides were level for the second time inside five minutes with Patrick Fitzgerald sending over a free following a foul on Mark Hartley and by the 10th minute the teams were level for the third and last time in the game as Fitzgerald and Treen (F) traded further points.
Abbeyside’s hopes of using wind advantage to set Ballygunner a target going into the second half looked bleak as the champions moved four points clear with scores from play by Colm Hartley, Mark Hartley and Patrick Fitzgerald (2) between the 11th and 16th minutes but by the 21st minute Abbeyside had cut the four point deficit back to a single point with Diarmuid Mackle and Treen sending over from play and Treen following up with yet another point from a free. Eoin Cuddihy eased the Gunners into a two point lead again but Charlie Treen continued to keep Abbeyside in the game as he sent over another free from midfield. The final minutes of the first half are dominated by Ballygunner with Patrick Fitzgerald bringing his first half tally to eight points with four more points from frees to one in reply by Tommy Flynn for Abbeyside leaving the halftime score at Ballygunner 0-12 Abbeyside 0-8.
Four points down and facing into the breeze Abbeyside had it all to do going into the second half but within a minute of the restart they had the ball in the Ballygunner net with Sean Prunty finding the gap through a mass of defenders from close range to leave just a point between the teams. Ballygunner quickly reasserted their authority with points from play by Mark Hartley and Patrick Fitzgerald . Treen and Fitzgerald (F) exchanged points before Treen sent over a free to leave just two points between the sides with just eight minutes played in the second half.
It was at that point that Eoin Cuddihy fastened on to a breaking ball, sending a cracking ground stroke past Sean Walsh to the far corner of the Abbeyside net. The same player followed up immediately with a point for a six point lead but once again it fell to Charlie Treen to keep his side’s fading hopes alive as he sent over two more points, from a free and play.
Eoin Cuddihy and Tommy Flynn exchanged further points but in the 48th minute Abbeyside’s fate was sealed as sub Tom Spain provided the assist for Eoin Cuddihy’s second goal. Colm Hartley followed on to give his side an eight point lead but Abbeyside created one last goal scoring chance with Sean Prunty making a great catch in front of goal and laying off to Flynn whose shot was saved for a fruitless ‘65’. Charlie Treen pulled back a point from play but three points from Patrick Fitzgerald between the 56th and 58th minutes sealed his side’s victory. Abbeyside continued to contest every ball up to the final whistle with Billy O’Connell and Brian Callaghan getting forward for points in added time leaving just eight points between the sides at the final whistle.
It was a valiant effort by Abbeyside but it must be said that despite the best efforts by Charlie Treen to keep the scoreboard ticking over Ballygunner never looked like losing this game. The champions always had that bit extra in hand to deal with anything Abbeyside could throw at them and in the end they had the game changers in Eoin Cuddihy and Patrick Fitzgerald with Cuddihy again showing himself to be a player for the future. Others to stand out for the winners were Cathal O’Sullivan, Fiachra Cooney and Mark Hartley. Apart from Charlie Treen others to catch the eye for Abbeyside were Billy O’Connell, David Mackle, Sean Prunty and Tommy Flynn.
Patrick Fitzgerald 0-13 (7Fs), Eoin Cudihy 2-4, Mark Hartley and Colm Hartley 0-2 each.
Charlie Treen 0-11 (5Fs), Sean Prunty 1-0, Tommy Flynn 0-2, Diarmuid Mackle, Billy O’Connell and Brian Callaghan 0-1 each.
Cian Troy, Craig O’Keeffe, Fiachra Cooney, Philip Power, Tony Brennan, Cathal O’Sullivan, Aaron O’Neill, Scott Fleming, Tommy Phelan, Conor Tobin, Colm Hartley, Mark Hartley, Charlie Whitty, Patrick Fitzgerald, Eoin Cuddihy.
Tom Spain for Whitty (40), Ollie Fives for Fleming (51), Darragh Nolan for M. Hartley (58), Adam Dawson for Cooney (61).
Sean Walsh, Fionn Dwyer, Aidan Higgins, Fergie Slevin, Fionn O’Murchu, Billy O’Connell, Jack McGrath, Diarmuid Mackle, Darragh Walsh, Sean Prunty, Cathal Sweeney, Robert Prunty, Brian Callaghan, Charlie Treen, Tommy Flynn.
Niall McCarthy for McGrath (18), Oisin Brazil for Sweeney (34), Daniel Morrissey for R. Prunty (40), Conor Byrne for Dwyer (54), Charlie Feeney for Dwyer (62).
Michael O’Brien (Portlaw)
