Ryan points the way for ‘Boden

Cuala deliver early on but champs stamp mark of quality

By Niall Scully, Evening Herald

 

THE message on the Cuala website stated that they had been building up to last night’s Evening Herald Dublin SHC ‘A’ Group 2 game since January.

Within 10 seconds, they showed their impatience as Paul Schutte flashed the sliotar over the Boden bar.

Cuala maintained that tempo for most of the journey. The champions knew they were in a game.

It was level seven times. The decent-sized crowd lapped it up.

Stephen Hiney looked on in his street clothes. The atmosphere crackled along in the compact theatre that is Páirc Uí Mhurchú.

Handy

It was 0-9 each at the break. Boden took a long time in re-emerging from the dressing-room.

In the last 15 minutes, Boden moved clear. But there was nothing handy about the victory. Cuala were more than pleased with their effort. The summer months in Dalkey will be fuelled with encouragement.

Cuala had the stiff breeze at the start. It blew into the clubhouse end. Boden’s centre half-back, Stephen Nolan, was busy, and outstanding too.

Cuala led by five points to one inside 10 minutes, and six points to two on 16 minutes. Treacy was ticking over the frees, and there were returns from Cian Waldron and John Sheanon. There was a real zest in their play.

Paul Ryan fired a few arrows of his own, and a neat point from Malachy Travers tied things up for the first time on 24 minutes. It remained nip and tuck until it was time for the jaffa cakes.

The question among the audience at the interval was could Cuala keep it up. They gave their answer. Boden made more of an impact on the restart. They created many openings, yet they still weren’t able to pull away.

Three times they led, but Cuala levelled each time. Shane Stapleton’s strike, from wide on the right that made it 0-13 each, was the pick of the Cuala crop.

With 15 minutes left, it was 0-14 each. David Curtin nudged the hosts in front, and then, in the 47th minute, came the only goal as Emmet Carroll’s clever pass saw Conor McCormack rattle the right-hand stanchion.

Ryan, Cillian Moffat, Curtin, McCormack and Shane Durkin put a couple of coats of gloss on Boden’s solid work.

And they could have also had a couple of certain goals only for the brilliance of the Cuala ‘keeper, Fintan O’Brien, in saving from Carroll and Conal Keaney.

Cuala’s Dublin duo, Oisín Gough and David Treacy, had to leave the action before close of business after picking up slight injuries.

BALLYBODEN ST ENDA’S 1-20, CUALA 0-14

SCORERS – Ballyboden St Enda’s: P Ryan 0-9 (8f, 1 ’65’); C McCormack 1-4; D Curtin (1f), C Keaney 0-2 each; S Durkin, M Travers, C Moffat 0-1 each. Cuala: D Treacy 0-6 (4f, 1 ’65’); C Waldron 0-2; S Kiely, S Stapleton, P Schutte, C Sheanon, D Cunningham, J Sheanon 0-1 each.

BALLYBODEN ST ENDA’S: G Maguire; D Sweeney, P Buckeridge, D Curran; S Lambert, S Nolan, S Durkin; M Travers, D Curtin; C McCormack, C Keaney, D O’Connor; P Ryan, J Doody, E Carroll. Subs: C Moffatt for Lambert (47); T Sweeney for Doody (55); B Treacy for D Sweeney (inj, 60).

CUALA: F O’Brien; R Reid, O Gough, S Timlin; D Holden, S Kiely, B Browne; S Stapleton, P Schutte; C Sheanon, D Cunningham, J Sheanon; R Doyle, D Treacy, C Waldron. Subs: P Butler for Doyle (ht); S Barron for Treacy (inj, 49); C O’Farrell for Gough (inj, 55); JJ Ryan for Waldron (60).

REFEREE: JC Ryan (St Mark’s).