Newmarket had to field without four players who played a huge part in their victory in the previous round but the team showed great spirit and resolve for much of the game. The prolific Paul Verling opened the scoring with a well pointed free in the first minute. Castlemagner added two points before Paul Verling restored parity in the seventh minute. Castlemagner hit the front when they scored the games opening goal midway through the half. Newmarket were grateful for the accuracy of Paul Verling who converted his third point in the eighteenth minute. Newmarket competed admirably with Billy Lane, Anthony Crowley and Shane Anthony Murphy to the fore in defence. As the half entered the closing minutes, Castlemagner hit a purple scoring patch on adding four points in quick succession. Paul Verling completed the scoring for the half as Castlemagner turned over in front by 1-6 to 0-4.

Castlemagner increased their advantage within a minute of the restart but Newmarket hit back in fine style. A fine team effort was rewarded with four points in a five minute spell as Paul Verling added three further points to his tally and Eddie Allen found the target with a well taken score to cut the deficit to two points. Castlemagner hit a point before a minute later the game turned on a pivotal second goal which turned the outcome considerably in the victors favour. Paul Verling added his eighth point of the evening but Castlemagner took a stranglehold on the contest for the remainder of the hour as they went on to add one goal and seven points without reply. 

The Newmarket team and scorers…

Paul Verling (0-8), Eddie Allen (0-1).

John Scanlon
Donnacha Fitzpatrick		John McSweeney		Billy Lane
Shane A Murphy		Anthony Crowley		Nicky Barrett
	Eddie Allen		Donnacha O'Dea
Patrick Kelly		David Quinlan		Jack Birthley
Danny O'Connell		Kieran Lehane		Paul Verling
Subs: Denis McCarthy, Matthew Fitzpatrick

Newmarket were first off the mark when full forward John McSweeney saw his goalbound effort narrowly graze the crossbar for a point in the fourth minute. Castlemagner replied instantly within seconds, from the puckout as they struck for a fine goal and added a further two points to establish a four point lead.

Newmarket had their second point courtesy of David Quinlan before Conor Cronin who gave a superb display from long distance placed balls had his first point of the night. Newmarket were in full flow at this stage of the game and they made their dominance show on the scoreboard. Gavin Forde scored two fine points from play either side of two converted frees from distance by Conor Cronin as Newmarket forged into the lead. Paul Verling added Newmarket’s seventh point in succession to give the home side a lead of 0-8 to 1-2 by the nineteenth minute. Castlemagner ended their scoreless spell with a point but again, Conor Cronin was unerring with another two well struck points. As a high scoring first half came to a conclusion, Castlemagner struck three points in rapid time before Conor Cronin pointed for the sixth time in the half. A closing point to Castlemagner left the minimum of margins between the sides at the turnover as Newmarket held a slender lead of 0-11 to 1-7.

Castlemagner pointed within two minutes of the restart to tie the contest for a second time but significantly, Newmarket responded with Paul Verling on hand to finish to the net from close range following a goalmouth scramble in the next minute. The sides traded points as Gavin Forde maintained a three point advantage for Newmarket. The crucial moment of the contest came six minutes into the half as Newmarket were awarded a close in free. Gavin Forde stood up and drilled the resultant free to the roof of the Castlemagner net despite a posse of defenders on the goal line. When Gavin Forde again found the target from a free, Newmarket enjoyed a seven point advantage, 2-13 to 1-9 after eleven minutes of the half.

Faced with an uphill task, Castlemagner proceeded to slowly take control of the game for the remainder of the contest. Four points followed but luckily for Newmarket despite the heroic efforts of their defensive rearguard led by the leadership of Brendan Stack and  Paudie Allen, Castlemagner also saw a succession of efforts waved wide. As the pressure of the challenge escalated, Newmarket manfully held firm and a grateful respite came courtesy of a Paul Verling point as the game entered injury time. There was still time for Castlemagner to muster a few more attacks and a close in free resulted in a late point but Newmarket had just done enough to hold out for a fine win.
 
The Newmarket team and scorers…

Gavin Forde (1-4), Conor Cronin (0-6), Paul Verling (1-2), David Quinlan (0-1), John McSweeney (0-1).

Shane McAuliffe
Paudie Allen		Brendan Stack		Michael O’Leary
Billy Daly		Michael Kenneally		Robert Stack
	Eddie Allen		Conor Cronin
Jonathan Flaherty		David Quinlan		David Enright
Paul Verling		John McSweeney		Gavin Forde
Subs:

The game began brightly for Newmarket with John Scanlon scoring a fine point in the second minute as Newmarket had to contend with playing into a swirling breeze. As Castlemagner began to dominate, they were also guilty of kicking a succession of wides.

Newmarket were economical in possession in the early stages with Michael Kenneally adding a well taken second point in the seventh minute. Castlemagner opened their account with an eleventh minute point but as the conditions deteriorated considerably throughout the contest they had numerous wides all through the game. Castlemagner eventually took the lead when a speculative effort from an acute angle nestled into the top corner of the Newmarket net in the twenty first minute. Two points quickly followed as they gained a four point advantage. Newmarket cut the deficit late in the half with Shane Murphy slotting over a free to leave the scoreline reading 1-3 to 0-3 at half time.

Shane Murphy was again on target early into the second half but Castlemagner replied with a point two minutes later. The second half followed a similar pattern to the first as Castlemagner enjoyed the superior of the possession and despite two further points by the end of the third quarter; they were again guilty of wayward shooting as they built up a lead of 1-6 to 0-4. Newmarket to their credit kept plugging away and were driven on by the efforts of Pa O’Brien and John McSweeney in defence. Shane Murphy added two further points to his tally as Newmarket came to within a goal of their opponents but eventually time ran out and the visitors claimed an opening day victory.

The Newmarket team and scorers…
Shane Murphy (0-4), Michael Kenneally (0-1), John Scanlon (0-1)

David Quinlan
Michael O’Leary		John McSweeney		Pa O’Brien
Sean Doody		Brendan Stack		David Enright
	Robert Stack		Conor Cronin
Gavin Forde		Shane Murphy		Michael Kenneally
John Scanlon		Liam O’Callaghan		Bryan O’Connell
Subs: Patrick Kelly, Andy Twomey, Nicky Barrett, Con McAuliffe, Donnacha Drumm

Newmarket got off to a great start when the excellent David Enright converted a long range free. The Newmarket defence had to withstand a barrage of early Castlemagner pressure but contained their opponents to two points after nine minutes. Newmarket eventually came to terms with their opponents with David Guiney, Timothy Murphy and David Enright to the fore. Newmarket received a considerable boost when a long range effort from midfielder Brian Daly found the net in the sixteenth minute after some fine approach play involving Donnacha Fitzpatrick and Vinny Molloy. Within two minutes Newmarket had a second goal after a scramble in the Castlemagner square ended with Kieran Lehane pulling the ball to the net from the edge of the square. Newmarket had the ascendancy at this stage and Vinny Molloy converted a free to put two clear goals between the sides. The half concluded without any further score which left Newmarket with an advantage of 2-2 to 0-2 at the halfway mark.

Castlemagner turned around a different team for the second half. Within eight minutes the sides were level after a spell that yielded a goal and three points to Castlemagner. Newmarket struggled to make an impact in the second half but David Enright edged them in front again with a pointed free, thirteen minutes into the half. A crucial turning point came five minutes later, after a long delivery broke in the Newmarket square, Castlemagner swept the rebound to the net for a second goal and they regained the lead, 2-5 to 2-3. They added two further points as the game entered the final ten minutes. Newmarket battled gamely to the end with Bryan O’Connell in fine form during the second half. Jack Birtley reduced the deficit on pointing a free and when Brian Daly snapped a point from close range, just two points separated the sides, late in the game. It was Castlemagner however who powered to the finish line with three impressive quickfire points closing out victory.

The Newmarket team was…

Kieran Hayes
Donnacha Fitzpatrick		Brendan Stack		David Guiney
David Enright (0-2)		Timothy Murphy		Bryan O’Connell
	Brian Daly (1-1)		Jack Birtley (0-1)
Kieran Lehane (1-0)		David Quinlan		Vinny Molloy (0-1)
Denis McCarthy		Michael O’Neill		Nicky Barrett
SUBS: Billy Daly

In a game played in perfect conditions, both sides took time in the initial stages to settle into a pattern. Newmarket took the lead in the fifth minute thanks to a fine point from Seanie Francis O’Connor. Newmarket increased their lead thanks to their lively corner forward Ian Flanagan who was prominent throughout, before a trademark Seanie Francis O’Connor finish gave Newmarket a three point advantage.

The full forward line was very prominent, won a lot of possession and looked potent in possession. The third member of the trio, Shane Murphy was next on the scoresheet and he added two quickfire points as Newmarket enjoyed a five point advantage at the end of the opening quarter. Newmarket also performed resolutely in defence and it was the nineteenth minute before Castlemagner registered their opening point. Newmarket failed to build on their early platform and became wasteful in attack with several efforts dropping short. Eventually, their impressive wing back Anthony Crowley surged forward and he clipped over a fine point. Castlemagner pointed in injury time which left the half time score 0-6 to 0-2 in Newmarket’s favour at the halfway mark.

Newmarket increased their advantage thanks once more to the endeavours of Ian Flanagan but Castlemagner quickly replied with a point. Both sides struggled to breach the respective defences for long spells and it took until the fifteenth minute of the half for the next point, when Nicky Flanagan converted a long distance free. Once more, Castlemagner struck immediately with a point but Newmarket continued to enjoy a four point lead. Midfielder, Timothy Murphy added a superb point for Newmarket well into the final ten minutes, but Castlemagner upped the tempo for the remainder of the game as they sought to salvage a result.

Newmarket defended excellently with John Scanlon and John McSweeney prominent while Kevin O’Sullivan launched many counter attacks from his half back position. Castlemagner searched for a goal and their perseverance eventually paid off when they found the net in the closing minutes. A tentative few minutes followed for Newmarket but they saw out the remaining moments to claim victory.

The Newmarket team was…

David Quinlan
John Scanlon		John McSweeney		Brendan Stack
Sean Doody		Kevin O’Sullivan		Anthony Crowley (0-1)
	Robert Stack		Timothy Murphy (0-1)
Nicky Flanagan (0-1)		Colin O’Sullivan		Michael Kenneally
Ian Flanagan (0-2)		Shane Murphy (0-2)		Seanie Francis O’Connor (0-2)
SUBS: Trevor Murphy, Shane Anthony Murphy, Donnacha Fitzpatrick, David Guiney

Shane Murphy pointed a free in the sixth minute before Castlemagner tied proceedings two minutes later. Castlemagner edged in front before Seanie Francis O’Connor tied matters for a second time after twelve minutes. Two points gave Castlemagner the advantage again but a resolute Newmarket side responded through points from Shane Murphy and Seanie Francis O’Connor. Late in the half Castlemagner gained the interval lead with a fifth point to gain a slender advantage.

Newmarket got a major boost in the opening minute of the second half when John Scanlon delivered the ball into the square and Shane Murphy was on hand to finish to the net with a bullet of a shot. Castlemagner hit back with three unanswered points but Ian Flanagan tied the contest for a fourth time with little over ten minutes remaining. Colin O’Sullivan edged Newmarket in front but it was Castlemagner who finished the contest the much stronger point and four points in succession saw them run out victors in the end.

The Newmarket team was…

David Quinlan
Brendan Stack		John McSweeney		Donnacha O’Dea
Michael Kenneally		Mark Murphy		Anthony Crowley
	Robert Stack		Colin O’Sullivan (0-1)
Anthony Lynch		Seanie Francis O’Connor (0-2)		Jerry McCarthy
Kieran Lehane		Shane Murphy (1-2)		John Scanlon
SUBS: Matthew Fitzpatrick, Ian Flanagan, David Guiney, John Cronin, Donnacha Fitzpatrick.

Newmarket started in flying fashion with Michael Kenneally scoring a brace of points, one either side of a John Cronin double, to put Newmarket four points in front after only seven minutes. Castlemagner pointed next but a John Ryan points restored Newmarket’s advantage. Castlemagner had a good spell at this stage which yielded three points to reduce the deficit to a solitary point after eighteen minutes. Timothy Murphy then pointed with what proved to be the final score of the half to leave the score 0-6 to 0-4 at the halfway mark.

John Cronin knocked over two quick fire points after the resumption before Castlemagner got their next score. John Cronin pointed again as the sides exchanged scores at the three quarter mark. Timothy Murphy’s second point gave Newmarket once again a four point lead and this proved to be the final score and margin at the end.

Newmarket were well served by their midfielders Gerard Casey and Shane Murphy, while Paul Cashman had an impressive debut in a very solid backline.

The Newmarket team was…

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Niall O’Connor
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Brian O’Riordan		Brian Daly		Bart Daly
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Paul Cashman		Bart Trevor Murphy		Matthew Fitzpatrick
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	Gerard Casey		Shane Murphy
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John Ryan (0-1)		Â T.J. Bodie		Michael Kenneally (0-2)
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Kevin O’Sullivan		Timothy Murphy (0-2)		John Cronin (0-5)
SUBS: Nicky Flanagan, David Guiney.