Loughrea show their resolution again in a high tempo struggle

Date Published: 18-Jul-2012

Loughrea 2-16

St. Thomas’ 3-13

Darren Kelly in Ballinasloe

EVEN though both sides had already qualified for the senior hurling championship quarter-finals, you wouldn’t have thought so last Sunday as a highly entertaining encounter couldn’t separate these title contenders.

The first half was played at an intense championship pace as both St. Thomas’ and Loughrea desperately tried to lay down a marker before the summer recess.

Barely 10 seconds had been counted when the game’s first goal was registered. Straight from the throw-in, St. Thomas’ worked play down the central channel and Bernard Burke finished to the net for the perfect start. It was a sign of things to come.

Johnny Maher and Johnny O’Loughlin responded for Loughrea before a long range Darragh Burke effort and a Conor Cooney free restored the Kilchreest/Peterswell’s three point advantage. Then David Burke nearly got in for a second major only to be denied by some resolute defending while O’Loughlin forced a save from Patrick Skehill the other end.

Maher and Emmet Mahony from distance made it 1-2 to 0-4 but David Burke wouldn’t be denied his second goal chance and the game was still only nine minutes old. Anthony Kelly was the provider into the danger area and the Galway attacker helped the sliothar home.

It wasn’t just the scoring but the exchanges were physical and some challenges were committed that nobody was holding back. A couple of St. Thomas’ players were on the deck for a brief period while O’Loughlin did have to be substituted in the 14th minute after picking up a knock while scoring. It wasn’t a dirty game despite some mild flare ups, but certainly wasn’t for the faint hearted either!

The next six scores were shared to leave it 2-5 to 0-7 on 20 minutes as Kenneth Colleran, Maher and O’Loughlin (before being replaced by Neil Keary) pointed for Loughrea; Cooney twice and Bernard Burke landed the replies for St. Thomas’.

But any chance of the pace dropping didn’t materialise and St. Thomas’ had their third goal in the 25th minute when David Burke hit his second from the left. After their opening day loss to Gort, St. Thomas’ were looking for a big scalp to justify many pundits’ opinions that they are potential champions, but Loughrea didn’t make themselves a top four club by making things easy for anyone.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.