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You are > Home > Good early work holds the key as hurlers make it
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Thursday, February 04, 2010
Good early work holds the key as hurlers make it
Wexford 2-16 UCD 1-13
A PATCHY second-half displays illustrates that there’s still some work to do.
Well, that’s hardly surprising considering it was only January 31st.
But the fine quality of their wind assisted first-half performance held the key to the Wexford senior hurlers’ getting the better of the students of University College Dublin for the second year running in the quarterfinals of the Walsh Cup tournament last Sunday at freezing Gorey.
Wexford numbered several newcomers on the first-15, each of whom bought into a good work ethic throughout the first period, which the locals quickly took control of when surging ahead by 1-4 to no-score after only nine minutes.
Captain Diarmuid ‘Gizzy’ Lyng flung over three dead-balls, and Darren Nolan grabbed a topclass point, with Stephen Banville goaling just after Lyng had broken the ice in the fifth-minute; the goal resulted from a throw-in awarded after the UCD ‘keeper stepped outside the square while making a puck-out, with Lyng breaking the ball to Banville who flashed home.
Wexford stretched ahead by 2-6 to 0-2 after eighteen minutes, with the complete tally for the game up to that juncture having stemmed entirely from Wexford players – as Bunclody’s Peter Atkinson pointed two frees for the students, who also numbered James Foley (Buffers Alley) in attack and Shane Rackard (Duffry Rovers) at wingback.
Meanwhile, the surefiring ‘Gizzy’ Lyng (frees) replied to each of Atkinson’s opening contributions for UCD, before Faythe Harriers’ Jim Berry eased Wexford ten points clear midway through the half when kicking the loose ball to the net after a line-ball from Lyng broke in the square.
The purple-and-gold were functioning satisfactorily enough in most positions, with Keith Rossiter providing great leadership in defence.
In fact, Rossiter’s direct opponent, Kilkenny’s David Lyng was getting absolutely no change out of the OulartThe Ballagh man, which led to the UCD management switching Lyng out to a three-man midfield, while Rossiter stayed back to keep things steady there.
The students grabbed four points in the closing stages, with Atkinson hitting two more frees, while Wexford’s control was emphasised by further points from ‘Gizzy’ Lyng (2 frees) and another five-star strike from Darren Nolan.
Turning around to the face the stiff breeze coincided with a diminishing of Wexford’s supremacy, as UCD redoubled their effort, although the visitors mightn’t have finished as close as they did in the end had Wexford not been unfortunate to lose their ever exemplary wing-back Darren Stamp to a second yellow-card with 15 minutes remaining.
When that harsh dismissal occurred the home boys were up ten points (2-15 to 0-11) despite the depreciation in their game.
Points from ‘Gizzy’ Lyng (2, including one free), Nolan (2), Banville and midfielder Colm Farrell (in his first competitive game since serious injury struck in last year’s National League) more than matched whatever UCD’s early fight-back had to offer.
But, once UCD gained that numerical advantage they got a bit of a run on Wexford, causing them plenty of panic at the back, and while the visitors never really threatened to cancel out the deficit, they made a real dent with four minutes to go when Cian Waldron got a flick on a free from Joey Boland to find the net.
That proved to be the last score, with Wexford emerging happy to have secured a home date next Sunday with Dublin – the team which last summer overtook them as the secondbest team in Leinster.
While it’s only shadowboxing at this stage of the year, Wexford will surely be keen to get one over on the Dubs.
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