Fourmilewater forwards on fire en route to final four
Fourmilewater's Michael Morrissey gets around the challenge from Passage's Tom Dalton during the JJ Kavanagh & Sons Senior Hurling Championship Quarter Final clash at Cappoquin Logistics Fraher Field. Photo: Eddie Dee
An inspirational performance from Aaron Ryan saw Fourmilewater reach the last four of the Waterford Senior Hurling Championship for the first time since 2023, as they saw off Passage by seven points at Cappoquin Logistics Fraher Field.
Ryan hit 0-14, 0-5 from play as the Nire side are now just a win away from a first ever appearance in the county senior hurling final.
A deserved victory began as Liam O’Brien continued his recent fine form as he opened the scoring with just 33 seconds on the clock, but Mark Fitzgerald provided an instant reply to level matters on the minute mark.
Ryan got his first from play having been teed up by Michael Morrissey, before Tadhg Walsh brilliantly blocked down Fitzgerald as he went for goal. The sliotar broke upfield for Conor Gleeson, who made it 3-1. Morrissey was denied by Eddy Lynch amid a frantic opening three minutes, before a 65 from Ryan made it 4-1 in favour of Fourmilewater.
Two in quick succession from Thomas Carey, the first a free and the second from play, brought the deficit back to the minimum for Passage - but Sean Walsh opened his account and then teed up the outstanding Ryan for another from play at the opposite end.
A lovely catch and score from Fitzgerald and a Carey free continued the lively start, before Carey launched a missile from range to level it again. A Carey dead ball gave Passage the lead for the first time, and Evan Spelman and Kevin Cullinane opened their accounts as there was very little to separate the sides.
Three in succession from Walsh, a Ryan free and another from Spelman handed momentum back to Fourmilewater, but three successive frees from Carey tipped the scales back the other direction. Fourmilewater led at the break however, hitting a purple patch with four on the spin through another from O’Brien, a great strike from Tholom Guiry and two Ryan frees to make it 0-14 to 0-11 at the interval.
Another free from Ryan resumed the scoring, before Carey responded for Passage, but further white flags from Spelman and Morrissey made it seven of the last eight points for Fourmilewater as momentum was firmly with the Western side. Passage needed something inspiring, and it arrived on 35 minutes.
Fitzgerald beat three men on the right flank and squared to Dale Cullinane, and he unselfishly offloaded to Rory Jacob who was on hand to bat to the net from close range as the scoreboard read 0-17 to 1-12 in Fourmilewater’s favour.
With the game in the melting pot, Ryan then took matters firmly into his own hands. He converted another free before Sean Kelly pointed for Passage, and Guiry then notched his second from distance. Guiry’s score was the start of six on the spin for the Nire men as Ryan tapped over a close range free, before adding his tenth score with another from play. He soon added a fourth from play, and in the next few seconds - he was afforded too much room and notched a fifth.
Another free from the Fourmilewater number fifteen made it 0-24 to 1-13 as the game quickly got away from Pasage going into the final ten minutes, but a Carey free and a Kevin Cullinane strike did bring them back within six points.
Two pieces of top-class full-forward play from Sean Walsh yielded another two scores as Fourmilewater looked home and hosed with 0-26. Jacob rounded out Passage’s scoring, and there was still time for a late penalty save - as Sean Kelly was dragged back by Tadhg Walsh, but Stephen Ryan was on hand to deny Carey on what was a day to remember for Fourmilewater.
Aaron Ryan (0-14; 0-8f; 0-1 ‘65); Sean Walsh (0-4); Evan Spelman (0-3); Liam O’Brien and Tholom Guiry (0-2 each); Michael Morrissey (0-1)
Tom Carey (0-10; 0-8f); Rory Jacob (1-1); Kevin Cullinane and Mark Fitzgerald (0-2 each); Sean Kelly (0-1)
Stephen Ryan; Chris Ryan, Tadhg Walsh, Pat Walsh; Tholom Guiry, Oisin Walsh, Dermot Ryan; Tom Barron, Paddy Spelman; Conor Gleeson, Liam O’Brien, Evan Spelman; Michael Morrissey, Sean Walsh, Aaron Ryan.
Jamie Barron for Conor Gleeson (42); Conor Walsh for Michael Morrissey (55); Fionn Hallinan for Chris Ryan (56)
Eddy Lynch; Eoghan Power, Callum O’Neill, Eoin Walsh; Pa Walsh, Gary Cullinane, Daniel McLoughlin; Mark Fitzgerald, Sean Cullinane; Kevin Cullinane, Liam Flynn, Tom Carey; Rory Jacob, Dale Cullinane, Sean Kelly.
Tom Dalton for Eoghan Power (3; inj); Conor Drohan for Mark Fitzgerald (23; blood); Brian Cullinane for Daniel McLoughlin (37); Jason Roche for Dale Cullinane (47); Mikey Cummins for Liam Flynn (50); Mike Hutchinson for Callum O’Neill (56)
Eoin Morrissey (Erin’s Own)
