It’s a chilly morning here in Cappincur as the Coláiste Choilm 2nd year hurlers arrive at 10:40am, 50 minutes prior to throw in for what looks to be a very entertaining game between the talented group of boys and a gallant Coláiste Mhuire Mullingar side.
The players don’t mess about, getting straight into an intensive warmup from the leadership of coaches Seán O’Rourke, Ms O’Brien and Mr. Cassidy to get them sharp and ready for the challenge ahead and to battle through the freezing conditions of this cold January morning.
Game on! The game gets to a start with Keith O’Rourke winning the throw in but the Coláiste Choilm attack is quickly put to bed as the Mullingar defenders make the ball move into an intense ruck where no team had a dominant amount of possession.
Mullingar receive the first wide ball of the game as they intercept a Coláiste Choilm pass but it was too good to be true for the attacker as it just drifted wide.
First score of the game! Corner forward Conway cuts inside from the right to put it over the bar.
All even! A score of pure excellence from the Mullingar hurler who drills the ball over the bar from a sideline with a very tight angle! What a start this is turning out to be.5th minute.
Coláiste Choilm start of strong defensively as Staunton intercepts a Mullingar pass and wins a free, rapidly getting the ball back into Tullamore possession. We also see great defensive effort from the Coláiste Choilm forwards such as Heffernan and Cassidy chasing the ball with determination.
This game is turning into an end to end thriller as one second, Mullingar have the ball, and the next Coláiste Choilm have the ball over the ball with Keith O’Rourke smashing the ball over the bar twice in a row, one from a free and one from play.
So close! Sam Heffernan dribbles the ball through the defence almost netting a goal, but the keeper was a brick wall, keeping it out.21st minute.
Point for Mullingar. The free- taker calmly passes it over the bar from 45 yards out. 3 to 3 points in the 27th minute.
Half time: Coláiste Choilm 0-04 Coláiste Mhuire 0-04.
A very end to end and intensely tight half comes to an end which both teams will have no complaints about as both are really going hell for leather.
Second Half
The second half gets off to a rough start with Evan Doran winning the ball and getting fouled in the process.
Coláiste Choilm start the half convincingly as Heffernan drives towards the goal, giving it to Minnock who shoots , but it just drifts wide of the posts. Although no score came of this attack, the team are showing good signs.
Point for Mullingar. They score another free 40 yards out which puts the score to 5 points to 4 for Mullingar.
Level again! Conall Minnock drives it in between the posts without a doubt in his strike. 5 points to 5 . What a game this is turning out to be.
Again! Minnock drills it over the bar to put us ahead in the 38th minute which suggests that the boys have strongly been influenced by the half time team-talk by the management team. 6 points to 5.
Another point from a free to Mullingar from 50 yards out. 44th minute.
Another point from Mullingar directly after the free which sailed between the posts. The game is getting extremely close.
Another arduous point from Mullingar which has really put down the lads’ momentum and given Mullingar a bigger lead. 45th minute.
Back in it! Eoin Byrne sends the ball with composure over the bar to get us back into competition for this highly anticipated and intense game to bring the gap back to only one point with five minutes left.
Point for Mullingar from yet another free. 2 points in it with 2 minutes left. Can the boys manage to come back?
Coláiste Choilm win a free with 1 left. They calmly convert. Come on!
We win another free with 3 seconds left but it was just to tight an angle for Minnock where it drifts wide.
The boys win a sideline, Daly drives down the wing he gives it to Minnock and he scores!!!! 2 points up in the 65th minute!
Minnock wins the ball breaks away on the counter, but falls to a Mullingar defender.
Mullingar wins a free at the edge of the semi circle, he dips it into the box, and it lands into the net, which was a controversial decision as the umpire had declared that the ball was clearly wide, but the referee thought otherwise.Game over in the 66th minute.
After an extremely hard fought battle, the boys were so close to an excellent comeback win but it just wasn’t to be for them with an unlucky last minute goal which would have never went in on any other day.
Overall, it was a performance to be proud of from the boys but the frees cost them, with Mullingar converting almost 100% of their scoreable frees which caused them this heartbreaking defeat in the most cruel manner.
Final score: Coláiste Choilm 1-09 Coláiste Mhuire 1-10.
Starting XV: T Lynch, J Conlon, D Staunton, M Cunningham, D Galvin, F Connolly, D Foley, C Minnock, E Doran, T Cassidy, K O’Rourke, A Mangan, S Heffernan, J Daly, D Conway.
By Seán Finlay Scanlon.