Longford Slashers ease into the county senior hurling final

Longford Slashers . . . 5-17 Wolfe Tones . . . 1-15

Reigning county champions Longford Slashers are through to the county senior hurling final after recording their second successive championship win by defeating Wolfe Tones by 5-17 to 1-15 at Allen Park on Friday night.

Although Slashers nine-point interval lead had been whittled down to five points with fifteen minutes remaining, the county champions pulled away in the last quarter to run out winners by fourteen points.

After twelve minutes, Slashers were five points to three ahead. Reuben Murray, Stephen Murray, David Buckley, Harry Mulvihill and Buckley again, this time on the turn from a pin-point Reuben Murray pass clocked up the scores for Robbie Stakelum’s charges.

In reply, Killian Courtney twice, and a sixty-five slotted over by Cathal Mullane provided Wolfe Tones with their three points.

The first of the five goals for Slashers came in the fourteenth minute. Niall Hawes raced in on goal only to be brilliantly tackled by Ciaran McNally, but Hawes regained possession and passed to Buckley who fired the sliotar to the net.

Buckley with his third point of the match and two Reuben Murray scores (one from a free) increased the lead to eight points before Killian Courtney replied for the Edgeworthstown men with his third point of the game on twenty-one minutes.

Two minutes later, Niall Hawes went on a brilliant run cutting in from the right and his precision shot from a tight angle found the back of the Tone’s net. Reuben Murray and Mullane then exchanged two points each with both scoring a point from play and a free.

Slashers almost raised a third green flag in first-half injury time when Johnny Casey’s shot came back off the upright and although Stephen Murray reacted the quickest, his shot went across the face of the goal and was narrowly off target.

Mullane slotted over his fourth point of the contest just before the break for Wolfe Tones to leave Slashers ahead by 2-10 to 0-07 at the interval.

At the start of the second half, Evan Tully who was in goals in the first half went outfield and John Mulhern who was full-forward for the opening thirty minutes went into goals for Wolfe Tones.

By the forty-third minute, Wolfe Tones had reduced the arrears to just five points as Mullane slotted over four points including two frees with Maitiú Donohoe and Adam Quinn also splitting the uprights, while Reuben Murray (free) and Buckley responded for Slashers.

However, Slashers got their third goal on forty-five minutes with an excellent move. The referee threw the ball-in after a free award had been overturned for foul play. Possession was won by Daire Regan and he flicked the ball to Mulvihill who in turn spread the ball out to Casey, and Casey’s long ball forward sailed over the head of two jumping players, one from each side, and substitute Sean Tiernan ran in from the left to collect the ball and score what has to be described as a very fortuitous goal.

After that very lucky third goal, Micheál Mulcahy, Rueben Murray and two Ronan O’Halloran points helped the county champions to an eleven-point advantage with a Mullane point, the sole reply from Wolfe Tones.

Late on, Sean Tiernan registered his second goal and Slashers fourth with a brilliant run in from the left, but this time it was a brilliant finish from the forward, and when another substitute Ronan Kenny added a point, it was a fifteen-point cushion.

Wolfe Tones scored their only goal of the game on fifty-eight minutes when Ronan Courtney passed to Luke Kelly, and Kelly fired home from very close range. Kelly then added a point on fifty-nine minutes, but Slashers concluded the scoring when substitute Gary Hand raised a green flag for his side’s fifth goal in stoppage time.

Longford Slashers: Adam Murray, Daryl Swaris, Stephen Oates, Ronan Kelly, Daire Regan, Diarmuid Caslin, John Murray, Reuben Murray (0-07, 4f’s), Harry Mulvihill (0-01), Ronan O’Halloran (0-02), Darragh Caslin, Johnny Casey, David Buckley (1-04), Stephen Murray (0-01), Niall Hawes (1-00).

Substitutes: Sean Tiernan (2-00) for Stephen Murray, Micheál Mulcahy(0-01) for Niall Hawes, Matthew Hawes for John Murray (all half-time), Ronan Kenny (0-01) for Diarmuid Caslin, & Gary Hand (1-00) for Darragh Caslin.

Wolfe Tones: Evan Tully, Ciaran McNally, Martin Coyle, Cian McLoughlin, Adam Quinn (0-01), Shane Fahy, John Gaffney, James Connell, Ronan Courtney, Liam Browne, Cathal Mullane (0-09, 4f’s, 1 65’) , Dylan Hutchinson, Maitiú Donohoe (0-01), John Mulhern, Killian Courtney (0-03).

Substitutes: Pearse McNally for Ciaran McNally, Thomas Finn for Maitiú Donohoe (42 minutes), Luke Kelly (1-01) for Browne (50 minutes), Ali Iqbal for McLoughlin (52 minutes), Padraig Cahill for Hutchinson.

Referee: John Emo (Cavan).