Impressive Brickeys claim top seed in Championship Group
Brickey Rangers' Tom O’Connell with the sliothar ahead of Tramore's Dan Morrissey during their PIHC clash in Fraher Field. Photos: Sean Byrne.
While the result never looked like being in doubt here Brickey Rangers needed to win this game by a minimum of seventeen points to dislodge Clashmore from top spot and from being one point short of that total with ten minutes to play they put in a storming finish to add 1-6 without reply before the final whistle and so achieved their goal.
Tramore, fielding a much changed side from that which saw them rise from Junior A to Premier Intermediate over the last few years were no match for a Brickeys side on a mission having won the Intermediate title last year and now are serious contenders for promotion to senior ranks.
The Brickeys did not take long to get into their stride here with early points from play by Tom O’Connell, Conor Whelan and Peter Cummins setting the pace before Conor Butler had Tramore’s opening score in the 5th minute. Brendan Cullinane and Ian Thompson (F) exchanged points before Brickeys tok a firm hold on the game between the 12th and 17th minutes with two points from play by Tom O’Connell and one apiece from Peter Cummins (F) and Conor Whelan either side of Cormac Deevey’s 14th minute goal.
Tramore looked like getting into the game when Conor Butler found the net with a fine strike in the 18th minute before a Sam Lenehan point cut the deficit to five points a minute later. Brickeys replied with points from O’Connell (F) and Sean Ronayne but in the 22nd minute their defence was caught cold as Ian Thompson got through for his side’s second goal to leave just four points between the sides.
That was as good as it was going to get for Tramore as the Brickeys hit back almost immediately with fine goals from Sean Ronayne and Peter Cummins, who streaked through the opposing defence. Cormac Deevy followed up with a point and though Ian Thompson replied with a point on the stroke of halftime it was clear that Tramore’s fate had been sealed as they trailed by 3-11 to 2-4 and would face the breeze in the second-half.
The second-half was all about Brickeys reaching their target on the scoreboard. By the 38th minute Cummins and O’Connell had added five points between them to two in reply from Ian Thompson and Dan Morrissey before Cormac Deevy scored his second goal in the 39th minute. Tramore hit back with two points from Thompson and Morrissey but Brickeys pushed on with three points from O’Connell, Cummins and Cillian Ryan before Thompson had his side’s last point in the 48th minute.
From that point on it was a case of what the winning margin would be as Tom O’Connell and Peter Cummins completed their scoring with two points apiece with Cormac Deevy and Sean Ronayne scoring one each with Deevy weighing in with his third goal and his team’s fifth in the 60th minute.
It was a very impressive performance by the Brickeys albeit against weak opposition. With forwards of the calibre of Tom O’Connell, Peter Cummins and Cormac Deeevy they will be a handful for any opposition in the knockout stages. For Tramore, it is a case of taking stock and regrouping for the future.
Brickeys’ reward is a quarter final in two weeks against a struggling Dunhill side while Tramore face a daunting quarter final against high flying Ballysaggart.
– Cormac Deevy 3-2, Peter Cummins 1-7 (0-1F), Tom O’Connell 0-10 (7Fs), Sean Ronayne 1-2, Conor Whelan 0-2, Cillian Ryan and Brendan Cullinane 0-1 each.
– Ian Thompson 1-5 (0-4Fs), Conor Butler 1-1, Dan Morrissey 0-2, Sam Lenehan 0-1.
– Jamie Kiely, Brendan Cullinane, Oran Keevers, Darragh O’Grady, Mark Cummins, Philip Walsh, Cillian Ryan, Cormac O’Grady, Sean Lennon, Conor Whelan, Niall Browne, Sean Ronayne, Cormac Deevy, Tom O’Connell, Peter Cummins. – Conor Phelan for Cullinane (52).
