Davis weather Ballyboden surge to bag first SHC win
THOMAS DAVIS picked up their first win in the Senior B Hurling Championship after beating neighbours Ballyboden St Enda’s 1-15 to 1-20 in Pairc Ui Mhurchu last Saturday.
Winners of the Intermediate Championship last season, this Davis team is looking to keep pushing on and it showed early on in this match as they opened up a seven-point lead by the break.
Ballyboden's Austen O'Lionnsigh breaks his hurl in his aerial clash with Sean O'Brien of Thomas Davis
Sean O’Reilly accounted for their only goal some 15 minutes in while Kevin Ward proved very clinical both from play and the dead ball, emerging with nine points to his credit.
Three points from Morgan Ryan and one from Mattie Weldon were all Ballyboden had to show for their first half efforts, but they certainly stepped up a gear in the second.
A goal and point from Shane Kennedy at left half forward, coupled with much improved performances from Naoise McGuire, Conor Kennedy and Morgan Ryan, saw the hosts draw to within a solitary point of their rivals.
But Davis managed to weather the storm and pull away with the help of midfielder Daire Kerr who struck five points from play, Sean Reilly who registered a goal and two points and a couple of points from last season’s Dublin Minor team captain David Keogh.
Delighted with the performance of his players, Davis manager Johnny McGlynn told The Echo “We had a good first half, but then went to sleep in the first ten minutes of the second.
“They [Ballyboden] came back at us very strong, but we had done a lot of heavy training in pre-season and I think that really stood to us and helped see us through.
“While it’s not the end of the world if you lose your first match, getting the early win is huge in trying to make the quarter finals.
Huge effort
“The lads have put in a huge effort and have stepped it up after coming out of intermediate. We’re still learning at this level, but we’re progressing at a nice pace,” he added.
Speaking after his side’s loss, Ballyboden manager Brendan Moran said “We were very slow out of the blocks and Thomas Davis were a lot more sharp.
“We came back into it in the second half and got it back to a point, but maybe tiredness affected the guys and they came up that bit short.
“I was happy with the second half performance. The lads showed a lot more endeavour and determination. They were a lot more focused, but in the first half we were like rabbits caught in headlights a little and, overall, Thomas Davis deserved their win,” he admitted.
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