Father Murphys 3-15 vs 1-22 Robert Emmets

Father Murphys narrowly missed out on a memorable victory in their return to the senior ranks of London hurling, falling to last year’s runners-up Robert Emmets in a thrilling Round 1 clash of the London Senior Hurling Championship at Greenford.

In a fiercely contested encounter, the Murphys showed they are more than capable of competing at this level, pushing Emmets all the way before eventually losing out by the slimmest of margins.Murphys made a bright start, registering the opening scores through Ryan Meyler and Des Coyne. However, Emmets, who were beaten finalists last year against St Gabriels, responded with a well-worked team goal. Both sides exchanged scores throughout the first half, with Meyler proving accurate from placed balls.Murphys’ first goal came midway through the half when Ciaran Kelly pounced on a long ball from midfield to finish from close range. Their second goal arrived five minutes before the break, when Kelly turned provider, feeding Eoin O’Leary who soloed towards goal and unselfishly passed to Meyler, who rifled the ball to the net. Despite the Murphys’ efforts, Emmets found success with a series of long-range points and went into the break leading 1-14 to 2-8.The second half began in electric fashion, with Murphys striking their third goal when a long puck-out broke kindly for Meyler, who finished superbly from a tight angle. At the other end, defenders Mark Gethings, Paul Ryan, and Alan Griffith began to get the upper hand, stifling the Emmets attack and launching several counterattacks.Midfield duo Aaron O’Gara and Tom Foley also played a pivotal role, tirelessly breaking up play and winning turnovers that led to scoring chances. The Murphys drew level with 15 minutes to go and traded points with Emmets in a tense final quarter. Scores came through long-range efforts from O’Leary, frees from Barry Burke, and some sharp finishing by Meyler.However, it was Emmets who had the final say, edging ahead with one of the last pucks of the game.

Father Murphys will be back in action in Round 2 of the Championship against Brother Pearse, once again in Greenford, on Sunday, August 17th at 1:30pm. Gavin and the team would greatly appreciate all support on the day.

Team

1 Michael Casey 2 Alan Griffith3 Mark Gethings4 Seamus McMahon5 Darragh O’Connor6 Barry Burke7 Paul Ryan8 Tom Foley9 Aaron O’Gara10 Eoin O’Leary11 Daniel Burke12 Des Coyne13 Ryan Meyler14 Ciaran Kelly15 John Kehoe

Subs

Keefer Roche for O’Connor

Colin Maher for Coyne

Adam O’Callaghan for Kelly