White’s Cross produced one of their finest Junior A Championship performances in recent years with a commanding 2-24 to 1-14 victory over Blackrock in the opening round of the City Division Junior A Hurling Championship in Ballinlough on Sunday evening.
The sides were evenly matched throughout the opening quarter before White’s Cross gained the upper hand. Daniel Kelleher struck for a crucial first-half goal after 16 minutes, while the accuracy of Eddie Coughlan from placed balls and the lively Conor Buckley from play helped the Cross build a 1-10 to 0-8 half-time advantage.
Blackrock reduced the gap with a couple of early second-half scores, but White’s Cross responded in emphatic fashion. Excellent points from Daniel Kelleher, Michael Goggins, Conor Buckley and Gearóid Fleming underlined the team’s attacking quality, while the introduction of Brendan Quain made an immediate impact with two well-taken scores.
The decisive moment came midway through the half when Daniel Kelleher finished brilliantly for his second goal, extending White’s Cross’s lead beyond reach. Although Blackrock replied with a goal of their own, White’s Cross continued to dominate, with Ruairí Quinlan adding to the scoring and Eddie Coughlan finishing with an excellent tally from frees and play.
In total, eight different White’s Cross players scored from play in a superb all-round team performance. The result puts White’s Cross in an excellent position ahead of their second group game against St. Vincent’s in three weeks’ time.
TEAM
- Shane Cahill
- Evan Quain
- Seamus Quinlan
- Chris Dunne
- Ronan Quaine
- Gearoid Fleming (0-01)
- PJ O’Donovan
- Ronan Healy
- Ruairi Quinlan (0-01)
10.Michael Goggins (0-01) - Conor Buckley (0-06)
- Eddie Coughlan (0-11, 9 frees)
- Donncha Murnane
- Daniel Kelleher (2-01)
- John McElhinney (0-01)
SUBS USED: Aidan Docherty, Brendan Quain (0-02)