On Wednesday May 24th, the St Brendans Ladies Football 1st XV, sponsored by McGowans, firmly put one hand on the Division 4 league Trophy with a comprehensive 5-10 to 0-6 victory at home to Naomh Mearnog, but now must wait until August 9th to physically get their hands on the trophy as focus turns to the Division 4 Cup competition over the next six Wednesday evenings, starting in Balheary and a fixture against Fingallians
That same evening in Clontarf Road, The Ladies Football 2nds bid for a second successive win in Division 8 ended with a 0-12 to 1-6 loss against Scoil Uí Chonaill and will also be focusing on the Division 8A Cup, this time over the next four Wednesday Evenings, starting at home against Craobh Chairain.
Fresh from getting back to winning ways last Tuesday week the 23rd, with a 2-12 to 0-12 victory over Naomh Olaf, The St Brendan’s Hurlers, sponsored by Bodibro, continued their quest for promotion from Division 7 with a fixture against Kevin’s on a splendid Tuesday Evening in Longmeadows.
The Dark Force opening the scoring thinks to Liam Kennedy after Noel Lane made a sideline cut to Shane Nolan and finally onto Kennedy. Kevin’s took advantage of loose defending by hitting a brace of points to lead momentarily, JJ ‘72’ Lennon levelled matters with a free in after a foul in The Wexican Oisin Carley.
More loose marking was exposed as Kevins struck for point number 3, but Lennon, despite hitting a 65 wide, notched up his sides 3rd point with the first of his hat trick of free in’s, after a foul on Michael Harte, his second free in was another close range free in after a throw ball from Kevin’s and his third was also close range after Liam Kennedy was chopped down.
That became 0-6 to 0-3 with Patrick Lambe hit an air shot but regained composure and a ground stroke found Noel Lane and The Longford Slasher hit a super strike over the bar.
16:46 gone in the first half and Kevins levelled the contest when a sideline cut was whipped in, Ritchie ‘Steve Earle’ Barry, got a connection with the bas of his hurl but Kevins rebounded with a groundstroke into the net. The level game lasted just 90 seconds as another Lennon free in gave St Brendan’s the lead again and a minute later, the second of Lennon’s brace ensured a two point lead 0-8 to 1-3.
Cian Walsh was about to implode as Kevins once again exposed defensive frailties with a second goal to make it 0-8 to 2-3. Lennon repeated the threepeat with a second hat trick of free in’s after a Lane foul, and that second free was turned into a four timer after Sean Whyte draw the foul. A Kevins point was the last action first half as the referee whistled up for half time without the need for Barry to puck out. Half Time score 2-4 to 0-10.
JJ ‘72’ Lennon picked up where he left off in the second half after pointing a 65 after a Sean Whyte sideline cut was about to be caught by the Kevins goalkeeper, but the slioter bounced off his hand and over the end line for a 65. Lennon increased his tally to 0-10 in bizarre circumstances when Kevins made a turnover, but the player stood still with three St Brendan’s players around him demanding a free out, but conceded a free in instead for over carrying, in which Gavin ‘The Goal Getter’ Muldoon humoursly quipped “This is not Basketball”.
Lennon completed his third hat trick of free in’s this time from a longer distance after a foul on Jack ‘The Relegater’ McCarron. Kevins were down to 14 men after a player was sent off and flung his helmet in the ground in disgust and nearly lost the helmet forever when flunging it into the path of the big lawnmower steered by Billy Kelly. While he was mowing, Sean Whyte whipped in a sideline cut and connected to Liam Kennedy and buried the ball into the net to make it 1-13 to 2-5.
After Kevins scored back-to-back points from play and blaming Billy Kelly’s Lawnmower for distracting them for putting simple straight forward free in’s wide, St Brendan’s had the ball into the net thanks to Shane Nolan after Patrick Lambe caught the slioter following an Oisin Carley and got shouldered losing the slioter from his grasp, but Nolan struck a perfect ground stroke into the net. 2-13 to 2-7 with 14 minutes to go.
Mark Kinsella rolled back the years with a sublime clearance towards Brian Kennedy and finally Sean Whyte to pucked the slioter into acres of space. Patrick Lambe won the footrace and picked up superbly and went one on one with the goalkeeper and only one outcome and that was a third St Brendan's goal.
Less than 10 minutes to go and JJ Lennon put the contest to bed once and for all when rattling in a penalty goal following a foul in Lambe. Lennon made it a 1-12 personal tally with his 12th free in following a foul on The Goal Getter, who didn’t find the net this evening.
The substitutes Connor Madden, Sean ‘The Dream Maker’ Dardis and Gary ‘The Motorcyclist’ Mason all contributed to the final score of the evening with Madden drawing the foul, and Lennon making it 1-13 for the night and 4-15 overall for St Brendan’s as the referee whistled up for full time as soon as the slioter sailed between the posts for a huge win and consolidate third place in Division 7 with two games to go. The next fixture is on June 11th away to St Brigid’s.
Final Score from Longmeadows St Brendan’s 4-15 Kevin’s 2-7.
Meanwhile on the same evening in Sandyford, The St Brendan’s Football 1st XV took on Naomh Olaf and finished the evening winning 3-9 to 0-12 with Cillian ‘Return of The Mack’ Morrisson with two goals and Luke ‘The Miracle Worker’ McDonagh the other goal, with Diarmuid Cooney and Michael ‘The DJ’ Cahill featuring prominently. The win leaves the 1st Xv in 5th place on AFL5 with a game in hand and that will be against bottom of the table St Monica’s on June 6th.
