Recap

Match Report by: Neil O’Brien.

So, after the dizzying highs of the epic rollercoaster that was the May tournament/70th banquet weekend it was back to business for the Montreal Shamrocks Last Monday night with the first two games of our Summer league for 2018.

First up was the repeat of the Winter League Hurling final as St Henri Harps took on said champions, Na Fianna Rouge. Na Fianna, without the evergreen Olivier Sakr in goals started the brighter of the two with Alan Baxter in fine form clipping over a couple of lovely early scores. Indeed, Na Fianna raced into an early four-point lead 0-5 to 0-1 before club legend Jake Ouellette, standing on one leg rifled home to the net after some great work from Vero and Curtis to make it a one-point game. Both sides exchanged blows just before the half with scores from captain fantastic Laura Brody for harps and Damian (no one can spell my surname) Conneelly adding one for Na Fianna to leave it a one-point game going into the interval.
Much like the first half Na Fianna started the second period a little bit sharper than their opposition with some early scores from Baxter, Twomey, Conneelly and the Athenry antelope Ronan Corbett who marauded forward from full back to pop one over off the weak side. (he struggled to get back though God love him). However, Harps came out fighting like the warriors they are led by full back extraordinaire ‘Magic’ Mike johnson who claimed his side’s MVP award on the night. With 5 points in it Conneelly resorted to some time wasting antics with a theatrical fall to the ground after a cracking shoulder hit from the very impressive Curtis Watson. Conneelly’s embarrassing screams could be heard all the way back in Clifden. But again, the Harps rallied and the banner legend Paul ‘Bomber’ Ryan took the game by the scruff of the neck, tapping over a handy free before weaving his way through the Rouge defense of Tony ‘Rocco’ Cunningham and Corbett before firing past the hapless Conneelly in the nets, who figured his earlier diving antics might be better served between the sticks. There was now the bare minimum in it and there was ding dong battles going on all over the pitch. New players such as Tiphaine Levrat and Paola Ruckholdt were growing into the game with each passing minute and old timers such as Julie Morrice and Michelle Lee didn’t give an inch in every tussle they had for any ball that came their way. Harps kept huffing and puffing but just couldn’t find their way past the immovable object that was Stephen Ashworth at the heart of the Rouge defense who was deservedly named as Na Fianna MVP. Hard to believe this guy is a rookie. With Brody and Conneelly exchanging scores the game still hung in the balance until that man Baxter stepped up with minutes remaining to fire to the net and so sink the final nail in the Harps coffin.
A cracking game of hurling to kick off our summer league. May well have been a different outcome had one of Harps star players Paddy Bourke not jetted off home to vote ‘NO’ in the referendum. Special mention to all new players and indeed to one of our returning players Niamh Devaney who was back playing for the first time in almost two years.

Final score: Na Fianna Rouge 2-10 St Henri Harps 2-6