Finnegan the hero for Gort U-21 hurlers

Date Published: {J}

Gort 1-14

St. Thomas’ 1-10

John McIntyre

In Ballinalsoe

THE Galway Hurling Board may have broken the mould this year by completing the U-21 A championship before the end of April, but it still made no difference to the poor record of St. Thomas’ in recent county finals as the club’s under-performing charges again failed to do themselves justice on the big day.

It didn’t help, of course, that Saturday evening’s opponents at Ballinasloe have a tradition of winning championships and Gort’s latest crop of young hurlers certainly held their nerve in the hectic closing stages with goalkeeper, Kris Finnegan, emerging as the hero of the hour.

No, he didn’t stop a bullet in the dying seconds, but rather sent an injury time 65 straight between the St. Thomas’ posts to secure a hard earned but probably deserved victory as Gort retained the title they had only secured last December against their South Galway neighbours.

This repeat of last winter’s decider had offered St. Thomas’ a strong opportunity of revenge, but having hit the front with a majestic David Burke point from the left wing in the 57th minute, they were unable to close the deal with a previously subdued Keith Killilea and Finnegan snatching the spoils for Gort with late points.

This was a slow-burning affair fought out in front of a decent crowd and with Duggan Park’s tight confines contributing to an awful lot of bunching, the first-half action was largely forgettable as Gort, with the influential Richie Cummins pointing four frees, establishing a 0-7 to 0-4 interval advantage.

The highlight of that opening-half was a wonderful long range point from wing back Jason Grealish, who was later forced to retire with an injured ankle, in the 18th minute while the strong running of Albert Mullins also stretched a St. Thomas’ defence where centre back Donal Cooney took a while to get going.

Ironically, Cooney made his first major contribution when surging upfield to pick off a cracking score after a David Burke pass in the 20th minute, but it still couldn’t compensate for St. Thomas’ troubles up front in the first-half with not one of their six forwards registering a score.

It was left to midfielder Burke to account for their three other points up to half-time, two of which came from frees. Gort weren’t faring much better, but Cummins’ frees together with a 65 from Grealish and a Mullins point from play gave them the initiative on the scoreboard at half-time after both teams were guilty of some wayward shooting.

Initially in the second-half, it appeared that Gort were going to win with something in hand. Points from Cummins (two) and another Grealish 65 left them 0-10 to 0-4 up despite facing the breeze. St.Thomas’, however, were thrown a lifeline when a long Patrick Skehill free was eventually finished to the net by Justin Cunningham in the 38th minute.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.