AIB All-Ireland Club Intermediate Hurling Championship Quarter-Final – Youghal (Cork) 0-14 St. Gabriels (London) 0-9

Delight for Cooney as Youghal rise to challenge

Youghal 0-14 St Gabriel’s 0-9

Report from the Irish Independent newspaper

Youghal booked a semi-final date with Kilnadeema-Leitrim of Galway after an impressive victory over 14-man St Gabriel’s at Ruislip. The Cork and Munster champions were too sharp for the home side, with Brendan Ring and captain Bill Cooper in free-scoring form at the Emerald Grounds. “Today was a massive challenge for us because of having to travel over and stay in London,” said the Youghal manager, former GAA president Christy Cooney. “We prepared extremely well for this. We knew we were coming over to face a very good team and thankfully we performed.”

The visitors dominated the opening exchanges, hoovering up breaking ball around midfield and putting Gabriel’s under serious pressure from their own puck-outs, and their lead stood at six points with 20 minutes on the clock. The Londoners hit a purple patch late in the half, firing three points without reply, but their hopes of reaching back-to-back All-Ireland finals were dashed on 28 minutes when Neil Rogers was given a straight red card for a late challenge on Nigel Roche. Youghal should have wrapped up victory shortly after the restart when John Grealish fouled Alan Frahill-O’Connor inside the area, but the Gabriel’s goalkeeper redeemed himself by saving Leigh Desmond’s penalty. That miss didn’t prove costly, however, as Gabriel’s struggled to find a way through Youghal’s miserly defence and went scoreless for 20 second-half minutes.

Scorers – Youghal: B Ring 0-6 (4fs), B Cooper 0-3, J O’Mahony, L Desmond, C O’Mahony, A Curtin, D Ring 0-1 each.

St Gabriel’s: M Finn (1f), E Kelly (1f) 0-2 each, K Coen, S Egan, G Hennelly, B Gaffney, K Walsh 0-1 each.

Youghal – R Cunningham; B O’Sullivan, J Grace, K Walsh; M Cronin, C Spillane, B Ring; L Desmond, N Roche; D Ring, A Frahill-O’Connor, B Cooper; J O’Mahony, C O’Mahony, B Ring.

Subs: A Curtin for O’Mahony (36), B Coleman for D Ring (53), J Ormond for J O’Mahony (57), D Scanlon for B Ring (60).

St Gabriel’s – J Grealish; F Tierney, B Costello, N Coady; E Collins, M Ryan, E Cooney; PJ Rowe, E Kelly; K Coen, L Hands, N Rogers; G Hennelly, M Finn, B Gaffney.

Subs: P Sloane for Tierney (21), S Egan for Hands (h-t), K Walsh for Coen (36), C Hands for Coady (57).

Ref – A Stapleton (Laois)

Fixture Details

01.12.2013 (Sun)

AIB GAA Hurling All Ireland Intermediate Club Championship 13/14 Quarter Final

Ruislip 13:00

St Gabriel’s (Londain) v Youghal (Corcaigh)

Referee: Anthony Stapleton (Laois)

(E.T. if Necessary)