Buckley seals Crosshaven League Win

Crosshaven 2-15

Valley Rovers 0-12

Crosshaven blended youth and experience to defeat Valley Rovers in the South-East Junior B Hurling League in Ballinhassig on Sunday morning.

In the first half, Crosshaven played with the wind at their backs, but it took three wides, including a free, before Daniel Dransfield split the posts. Minutes later he was on target again, this time finding the net with a shot that beat Darragh Looney in the Valley Rovers goal.

Ruairc Sisk added two more points for Crosshaven before Valley Rovers' Conor Tahney got his side off the mark. Redvers McGrath then extended Crosshaven's tally, the first of three points he would score from play on the day.

Tahney replied with three points in a row for Valley Rovers, before Senan Buckley answered with a well-struck effort from distance. Tomas Sweetnam raised a white flag for the visitors, but further points from McGrath, Dransfield, Buckley and another goal from Padraic O’Malley gave Crosshaven a seven-point lead at half-time.

The Crosshaven team and management following their victory over Valley Rovers

Valley Rovers began the second half the stronger side, with points from Cormac Kilduff, Niall Lawton, Richard Fleming and Tahney cutting into Crosshaven's advantage without reply. The visitors came close to a goal that could have changed the course of the game, but a superb save by Anthony Burke in the Crosshaven goal denied them.

It took 15 minutes for Crosshaven to register their first score of the second half, a free converted by Fionn O'Rourke. Tahney and Kilduff again reduced the deficit for Valley Rovers, but further points from Fionn Mansfield, O'Malley, McGrath and Buckley, along with another free from O’Rourke pushed Crosshaven's lead back out.

In the closing minutes, Valley Rovers pushed hard for a goal, but a crucial block from Dransfield secured victory for Crosshaven.

Senan Buckley was named man of the match, with strong performances also from Jack Kent, Ruairc Sisk and Redvers McGrath helping Crosshaven to their first piece of hurling silverware in nearly twenty years.

Crosshaven: A Burke; L McCarthy, P Fitzgerald, S Glossop, L Walsh, R Sisk, D Flemming, D Cogan, S Buckley, D Dransfield, F O’Rourke, C Tuhoy, F Mansfield, P O’Malley, E Murphy, J Fitzgerald, R McGrath, O Buckley, J Glossop, M Dalton, P Foley, J kent, C McCarthy, J McCarthy, J Cox

Valley Rovers: D Looney; K Kelleher, B Hawkes, D Brady, R Lehane, C O’Donovan, B Lordan, N Lawton, S O’Regan, R S Sweetnam, C Killduff, R Flemming, T Sweetnam, C Tahney, J Kelleher, G Jones, M O’Mahony, N Hennessy, L Kearney, S Dineen, D Sweetnam, A Sheehan, D Draper, E O’Sullivan, L O’Sullivan, P Horgan, D Galgey, E Galgey, M Croke, D O’Donovan

Ref : Alan O'Connor, Ballygarvan

Declan O'Neill, Carrigdhoun GAA presents Senan Buckley with his man of the match award