Buttevant 2-18
O’Donovan Rossa 0-11
JOHN MURPHY REPORTS
WHAT are the ingredients necessary for hurling success? Here’s one answer: to possess a full forward of the calibre of Mark Lenehan who clocked up 2-8, including a contender for fastest goal of the season scored after 27 seconds, and having to face a depleted O’Donovan Rossa side shorn seven first-team regulars.
Such was the story at balmy Bandon in this Co-Op Superstores Confined Junior B Hurling Championship Group 2 clash as unbeaten Buttevant deservedly took the spoils, edging out Rossas for top spot in the group, with both sides still advancing to the quarter-final stage.
O'Donovan Rossa's Micheál O'Donovan on the move.
It was always going to prove a tough task for Rossas, who needed a positive start. Unfortunately, the reverse was the case. From the throw-in, Buttevant pivot Chris O’Toole sent a long delivery into the path of the swashbuckling Mark Lenehan who blasted the sliotar past Alan Foley. It was the beginning of a period that saw Buttevant go into scoring autopilot.
While free-taker Eugene Daly was in unerring form, midfielder Micheál O’Donovan grafted hard in the middle and Seán Connolly, Flor Crowley, Niall McCarthy, Kevin Cotter, Shane Carty and Seán Hodnett put their shoulders to the wheel in the Skibbereen cause, nevertheless the pressure was overpowering in defence and a lack of scoring power was not helping the West Cork men.
Eugene Daly pointed a couple of frees, Micheál O’Donovan raised a lovely white flag after neat inter-play with Seán Connolly but the Buttevent scoring juggernaut rolled relentlessly onwards, though they did shoot 13 first-half wides. With the score reading just 1-4 to 0-3 at the first water break, Skibbereen were still in the hunt, but Lenehan showed what a ruthless finisher he is, shrugging aside a bevy of tackles to shoot his second goal in the 20th minute. Shane Carty bisected the uprights and with Daly finding the range from a free, it read 2-6 to 0-6 at the interval, brave Rossas still resilient but facing a mammoth task.
While Kevin Cotter and Eugene Daly cut the deficit on resuming there was no stopping Buttevant as Mark Lenehan, substitutes Edmund O’Donoghue and Aaron Horgan, John O’Neill, Jamie O’Brien and the prolific Shane O’Callaghan shared a point-scoring bonanza.
In fairness, Skibbereen never gave up the ghost, forcing Brian O’Shaughnessy into a series of fine saves as Daly and Kevin Cotter came close, while the ever-reliable Alan Foley split the posts twice. But it was merely a case of scoring respectability as Charleville cruised home.
O'Donovan Rossa's Flor Crowley is held by Buttevant's Shane O'Callaghan.
However, it was not all doom and gloom, O’Donovan Rossa manager Alan Keane stressing that the positives outnumbered the negatives and the guaranteed place in the quarter-finals was a huge plus.
‘While we were short seven players, the fact that the younger lads got a run was a real positive. Buttevant had some superb first-touch hurlers and in Mark Lenehan a player capable of competing at a higher level. While our panel was depleted, they had 33 players togged out,’ Keane said.
‘It is no shame to be defeated by a team with the hurling capabilities that Buttevant have. The bottom line is we are in a county-quarter final – that’s our main objective achieved so far.’
OUR STAR: Mark Lenehan was head and shoulders above everybody. Form may be temporary but class is permanent, a sweet striker of the ball. He scored 2-8.
GOOD JOB: Well done to Bandon GAA Club for the match programme, a rarity so far this season in the games we have covered.
Scorers
Buttevant: Mark Lenehan 2-8 (4f); Shane O’Callaghan 0-5; Seán Madigan, John O’Neill, Aaron Horgan, Jamie O’Brien, Edmund O’Donoghue 0-1 each.
O’Donovan Rossa: Eugene Daly 0-5 (5f); Alan Foley 0-2 (1 65, 1f); Micheál O’Donovan, Shane Carty, Kevin Cotter, Seán Cotter 0-1 each.
Buttevant: Brian O’Shaughnessy; Niall O’Riordan, Kevin Lenehan, Denis O’Sullivan; Jamie Whelan, Chris O’Toole, John O’Neill; Jamie O’Brien, Kevin Crowley; David Keane, Seán Madigan, Anthony O’Neill; Donal Ryan, Mark Lenehan, Shane O’Callaghan.
Subs: Edmund O’Donoghue for David Keane (40), Seamus Madigan for Kevin Crowley (40), Aaron Horgan for Donal Ryan (40).
O’Donovan Rossa: Alan Foley; Colm Keohane, Shane Carty, Jack O’Driscoll; Tom Foley, Flor Crowley, Niall McCarthy; Micheál O’Donovan, Michael Sheehy; Patrick Crowley, Eugene Daly, Seán Hodnett; Seán Connolly, Kevin Cotter, Eoin O’Sullivan.
Subs: Cian Young for Colm Keohane (40), Gary Walsh for Jack O’Driscoll (48), Andrew Scannell for Seán Hodnett (52).
Referee: Oisín Doyle (Bandon).
