TAD continue breakthrough season as Larkins bow out

Tynagh/ Abbey-Duniry 1-17

Tommy Larkins  1-15

The much-anticipated meeting of these neighbouring south east Galway rivals saw Tynagh/Abbey-Duniry prevail on Sunday as Mike Finn’s team continued their breakthrough 2018 with a place in the senior hurling quarter-finals.

After narrowly missing out on promotion from Senior B the last two years, Tynagh/Abbey-Duniry will ply their trade next season among the county’s top 12 sides and face defending champions Liam Mellows for a place in the semi-finals.

Ultimately, it was scores at the end of both halves that ultimately separated this meeting between two unbeaten teams as John Conroy and Shane Moloney sent over the winning scores. This wasn’t just any local rivalry, this was two clubs who share the same camogie team – Davitts – battling for bragging rights.

A large crowd arrived in Ballinasloe for this championship showdown and it didn’t disappoint from the opening attack as Jason Flynn scored his 50th point of this year’s competition inside 40 seconds.

It was the start Tommy Larkins needed and they built a 0-4 to 0-1 lead on six minutes as Ronan Murphy, Kevin Hooban and David Hickey also troubled the umpires.

However, the Woodford/Ballinakill outfit weren’t registering the margin their early spell merited and they hit five wides in the first quarter. Colm Larkin put over the first for Tynagh/Abbey-Duniry before Maloney converted his first on eight minutes.

Tynagh/Abbey-Duniry were starting to settle and a quick move on nine minutes could have secured the maximum when Micheal Dervan supplied John Conroy who opted to send a pacey pass towards Thomas Gordon that went abegging.  But they were rewarded on 10 minutes.

Maloney’s run created panic in the Tommy Larkins defence despite the best efforts of defender Conor Nevin before Gordon’s ground stroke provided the goal. When Padraig Brehony split the posts on 12 minutes, Tynagh/Abbey-Duniry led 1-3 to 0-4.

While this year’s draw specialists Tommy Larkins managed to get back on par six times over the hour (and briefly led), their opponents’ ability to register a combination of scores proved vital before the conclusion.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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