Rathnure take hard-earned victory

Rathnure 3-10 Buffers Alley 2-9

The victors had to battle against a Buffers Alley side who finished with 13 players after Pat Doran and veteran Tom Dempsey were sent off.

Rathnure started slowly and were behind to a fifth minute Tom Dempsey goal, before Paul Doyle tagged on a point.

Rathnure responded with goals of their own through Trevor Hogan and Sean O’Neill to lead 2-1 to 1-1 after thirteen minutes. With Paul Codd and Dempsey going on to exchange a series of points it was Rathnure who led 2-6 to 1-6 at the interval.

The second half was a dour affair with defences on top. Rathnure with points from Codd, Eoin Murphy and Sean O’Neill, were clinging to a single point lead after a Paul Doyle goal had left the minimum separating the sides 2-10 to 2-9.

But teams with the battling tradition of Rathnure were always going to come out on top in a tense finish and it was Eoin Murphy who found the net from close in to give them a hard earned victory.

Rathnure scorers: E. Murphy 1-2; T. Hogan, S. O’Neill 1-1 each; P. Codd 0-5; J. O’Connor 0-1.

Buffers Alley: T. Dempsey 1-5; P. Doyle 1-0; P. Doran 0-2; K. Burke, J. Hughes 0-1 each.

In a second senior hurling first round game, Monageer.Boolavogue recorded a 1-12 to 0-2 victory over Naomh Eanna (Gorey).