CUALA 1-19 BALLYBODEN ST ENDAS 3-9
Ballybodens dream of achieving what no club has ever achieved before six Dublin SHCs in-a-row can to a shuddering halt at Parnell Park on Thursday night.
The five in-a-row champions looked a pale shadow of their formerselves this campaign and following their defeat to Lucan two weeks ago this reversal sees the Dalkey men join Lucan from Group C in the quarter-finals.
Its not like the didnt go down without a fight as they rallied in the second half to edge in front by a point with less than 15 minutes remaining but the class of Cuala told out in the finish as they hit five unanswered points to emphatically claim victory and qualify for the last-eight for the first time since 2006.
Cuala started well and led by three points inside the opening four minutes and they were 0-11 to 1-3 clear by the interval with Simon Lambert claiming the Boden goal.
Dublin U21 dual player Mark Schutte was in commanding form for Cuala while the accuracy of Barry Connolly and defending of Seán Barron were instrumental in this victory.
A Paul Ryan free nosed Liam Hogans men in front, 3-9 to 1-14, with 14 minutes left but Cuala had all the answers from then to the finish with five points in-a-row with Cian Waldron, Schutte, and Barry Connolly (two) on target.
SCORERS Cuala: B Connolly 1-9 (0-8f); M Schutte 0-5; D Treacy, C Waldron 0-2 each; S Barron 0-1. Ballyboden St Endas: P Ryan 1-3 (1-3f); S Lambert 1-1; C Keaney 1-0; N McMorrow 0-2; C McCormack, S Nagle, S Durkin 0-1 each.
CUALA – F OBrien; A Hudson, S Kiely, S Timlin; C Gough, O Gough, S McGee; B Browne, S Stapleton; B Connolly, D Cunningham, M Schutte; C Waldron, D Treacy, S Barron. Subs: B Fitzgerald for Cunningham (50); D Keating for Browne (51).
BALLYBODEN ST ENDAS – G Maguire; D Sweeney, T Sweeney, S Nagle; C Moffat, S Hiney, D Curran; S Durkin, S OConnor; D OConnor, S Lambert, N McMorrow; P Ryan, C McCormack, C Keaney. Subs: P Buckeridge for Curran (ht); D Curtin for Moffat (ht); E Carroll for Nagle (45).
REF – F McGreevy (St Oliver Plunketts/ER).
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