The inaugural Under 13 Hurling Championship Finals certainly lived up to expectations last Saturday, with St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield, Scariff-Ogonnelloe and Parteen garnering the major honours thanks to their superior goal threats.
Three late majors in the space of eight minutes through Leon Talty (2) and Kyle Lillis ensured that St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield finally overcame Ballyea by 4-13 to 1-13 to claim the prestigious Under 13A crown in Clarecastle.
With the O’Sullivan brothers Fergal (Doora/Barefield) and Diarmuid (Ballyea) involved as mentors on opposite sides of the divide, a brilliant contest unfolded, with the Parish snatching the whip hand in the opening period. Led supremely by centre-back Graham Ball and towering scorer0in-chief Leon Talty who finished the hour with a remarkable 3-9 haul, St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield defied the conditions to take a 1-11 to 0-07 advantage into the half-time break, only for Ballyea to bounce back off the ropes in the second period.
A Sean O’Sullivan rebound goal after only 90 seconds of the new half immediately ignited Ballyea’s challenge that was again fronted by dynamic duo Dara Kennedy and Eoin O’Connor to finally regain parity entering the final ten minutes at 1-13 apiece.
However, the pendulum would swing back in Doora/Barefield’s direction when Kyle Lillis kicked to the net in the 50th minute, quickly followed by a brace of clinical finishes by Leon Talty to fittingly clinch the A honours.
In contrast, it was Scariff-Ogonnelloe’s lightning start that provided the confidence and platform to grind out a 3-14 to 2-8 victory over Clooney-Quin in the Under 13B Final in Clonlara. Oisin Madden’s goal helped the East Clare combo to grab 1-1 inside two minutes of the throw-in, settling scores that kickstarted Scariff-Ogonnelloe to lead from start to finish.
1-5 from Madden helped his side to a commanding 1-9 to 0-4 interval cushion but a defiant Clooney-Quin weren’t about to accept their perceived fate and thanks to a Marcas Fitzpatrick goal, they eventually whittled the deficit down to just three by the two-thirds mark at 1-11 to 1-8.
Scariff-Ogonnelloe refused to panic though and got back on track with a goal either side of the final water break through Luke Kavanagh and Donnacha McKenna to cement the silverware despite a late consolation goal for Seanie Considine.
A powerful final quarter completed a historic Under 13C Hurling and Football Championship double in Broadford on Saturday morning after overcoming Whitegate by 3-9 to 1-9.
A week on from powering to the Under 13 Division 3 Football title, a buoyant Parteen raided for timely goals through Gavin Marshall, Finn Cahill and finally Shane Curtin.
A Jake Gibbons inspired Whitegate had gotten back on level terms by the final water break, only to be hit by an unanswered rally of 1-3 as Parteen’s encouraging season continued unabated.
The Under 13 Shield Finals along with the concluding stages of the Under 17 Hurling Championships take place this Saturday, with the Minor A Semi-Finals seeing table toppers Inagh-Kilnamona face Clarecastle while there’s also a last four derby between Clooney-Quin and St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield.
