St Lachtains proved their worth last Sunday after they battled hard to take home the Intermediate silverware when they beat Dicksboro in Nowlan Park.
The first half of the game was very tight, both teams were scoring inspiring points on a tit-for-tat basis.
However, the ‘Boro seemed to slow down their stride and drove far too many wides in the second half culminating in their loss of the title.
Dicksboro looked really up for the match in the opening minutes with two fantastic points to get the ball rolling. The first came from full forward Shane Maher who picked up the rebound ball from a shot by Eddie O’Donoghue. Corner forward Adrian Stapleton scored the second after a shot by Paul O’Flynn landed in his direction.
Eoin Guinan for Freshford was the first to score for his team with a point from the half forward line. He went on to score two more points minutes later, one from the right half forward position and another from a free.
Adrian Stapleton displayed his great style and control on the ball with another point for the ‘Boro.
Over the next 10 minutes, both teams scored some fantastic points from all angles of the field. For Dicksboro, Cillian Starr, whose pace was so rapid it was a if there were hot coals under his feet, scored two stylish points and Derek O’Gorman also added his name to the list of scorers.
Bill Beckett, Ollie O’Connor, John Fitzpatrick and Eoin Guinan kept Freshford ahead by a point with ten minutes to go in the first half.
Dicksboro then changed the pattern of the game with a goal by half forward Paul O’Flynn after a great run by Eddie O’Donoghue making the score, 1-6 to 0-7.
The goal created a good opportunity for the ‘Boro men to get further into the lead, however they seemed to relax too much, which St Lachtains took advantage of. John Fitzpatrick and Eoin Guinan brought the game back to a tie as the half time whistle blew with the score at 1-7 to 0-10.
The second half saw Freshford start with a bang, with Eoin Guinan scoring a point from a free and Robbie Dowling sending two terrific points sailing over the bar.
Cillian Starr still looked lively and put a point over for the ‘Boro. However, at this stage in the game the ‘Boro side had far too many wides.
Eoin Guinan who was having an excellent game so far, made a legendary sprint down the right hand side of the field to score an inspired point. John Costello who really was a rock for the Freshford team throughout the day, stepped up to score another point which was followed once again by Eoin Guinan with a converted free.
At this stage, with seven minutes to go, the ‘Boro, having been hurled off the field for the previous 15 minutes, seemed to get a grip on the game once again. A goal chance could have changed the game around but alas they weren’t successful. Eddie O’Donoghue put two points over the bar and Paul Flynn, with an epic point, scored the last score of the game so that the final score saw St Lachtains 0-16 to Freshford’s 1-11.
Throughout the game the quality of players on both teams was very impressive.
For Dicksboro Michael Fagan was a consistent player in mid-field and the driving force of the team on the day. It was as if his hurl was a magnet to which the sliotar was attracted. His first touch was perfect and something any senior hurler would be proud of. John Fagan was also a very strong hurler at half back. Forwards Cillian Starr and Adrian Stapleton displayed great skill and speed on the day.
For Freshford, Bill Beckett was my man of the match. He was in every position and gave a very strong performance throughout the entire 60 minutes. John Costello also gave a tremendous performance at half back and really kept the ‘Boro forwards out of the game in the second half. Robbie Dowling was another force to be reckoned with throughout the game. Eoin Guinan was another star player and his hurling style was magical to watch.
