Sarsfields boys shake off a dogged Davis
By Fergus Balfe
AN IMPRESSIVE second-half showing saw Lucan Sarsfields battle to a deserved victory over hosts Thomas Davis in a hard-fought Under 16 Hurling League Division One clash at Kiltipper Road on Tuesday evening.
Despite a bright start from Davis, it was Lucan who were more ruthless as clinical forward pair Oisín Ryan and Charlie Keher contributed three goals and 12 points respectively for the visitors.
Lucan Sarsfields pulled away in the second half
Indeed, Thomas Davis produced a promising opening quarter, as half-forwards Bryan Keogh and Conor Cronin, along with midfielders Sam Stewart and Gerard Prentice, all got off the mark with some well-worked scores.
Lucan slowly gained the upper hand however, largely through superior ball retention high up the pitch, while the irrepressible Keher kept their scoreboard ticking over, both in open play and from the dead ball.
Davis goalkeeper Ben Rogers was beaten for the first time when Ryan linked up with corner forward Charlie Caseley, before firing in his first of the game.
Keogh and Keher exchanged further scores, while both Rogers and opposing ‘keeper Jake Mooney did well to repel a series of attempts raining down on them, leaving the match finely poised at the break, with Lucan holding a two-point advantage.
The visitors set about putting daylight between themselves and their opponents when play resumed as their lead grew to six points, thanks to Keher and Caseley.
It could have been worse for Davis had it not been for a good Rogers double save, denying Ryan and fellow corner forward Oisín Twamley in quick succession, before the Tallaght side responded through Keogh and Stewart, following good work from half-back Luke Dempsey.
The game was becoming very open as Thomas Davis chased, and this allowed Lucan to notch an excellent second goal, when half-forward Seán Balfe charged forward and fed Ryan on the right to cut inside and finish.
Hectic final ten minutes
A hectic final ten minutes full of action saw Davis threaten an unlikely comeback from nine points down, as good work from Keogh, following the industrious Stewart’s pass, led to full forward Trevor Grehan directing the ball into the net.
This was backed up by an excellent individual goal from the influential Keogh, as his solo run ended with him finding the bottom corner, with Lucan managing only a Ben O’Toole point in reply.
However, the homeside would come up short, as Ryan completed his hat-trick at the death.
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