Sunday July 31 - Senior Hurling: Wexford v Fr. Tom Burke's

Fr. Tom Burkes and Wexford met on Sunday afternoon in a match that had flashes of brilliance but lacked the end to end intensity that characterized the ladies contest earlier in the day. Tom’s were the sharper team from the start, with Cormac Power leading the charge from center forward. 

Owen O'Rourke - Tom's Keeper

Power ignored the Wexford man hanging off him and took the defender along for the ride as he drove a superb score between the posts. Tom’s scored a number of fine points in the early going, including a Robbie Hanley effort from a tight angle, as they jumped out to a 0-09 to 0-02 lead. 

Shane Ryan kept Wexford firmly in the match with a free followed by a point from play. But Padraic Guinan extended Tom’s lead with a goal that flew past the Wexford keeper. Wexford didn’t wait long before closing the gap, as Tom Mahoney danced past four Tom’s defenders and hit the target from close range. At halftime, Fr. Tom’s led 1-14 to 1-08.

Wexford cut into the Tom’s lead with points from Rory Sludds and Paul O’Connor. But Robbie Hanley sent the umpire reaching for the green flag when he rocketed a shot just underneath the crossbar. The same-colored flag was soon rippling at the opposite end as a hopeful ball launched into the Tom’s square ended up in the back of the net. Fortunately for the men in green and black, Owen O’Rourke has a short memory, and the keeper made a brilliant reflex save to deny Wexford a goal. He followed that stop with another save, getting his hurl to a Wexford penalty that would have cut Tom’s lead to two points. Rory Sludd’s did hit the top corner for a Wexford goal in the final seconds, but it was too little too late as Fr. Tom’s won this one 2-23 to 3-16.

Wexford: D. O’Callahan, D. Guinan, J. McCarthy, R. Sludds, B Phelan, D. Walsh, J. Broderick, J. Kehoe, P. Guinan, E. Kavanagh, T. Mahoney, P. O’Connor, S. Ryan

Fr. Toms: O. O’Rourke, C. Burke, G. Forde, S. Riordan, K. Kennedy, G. Brennan, P. Whelan, L. Lyons, A. LaTouche, C. Power, A. Morey, A. Hogan, R. Hanley

By Mark Dunphy