Newmarket began brightly as John Lane and Colin O’Sullivan pointed within six minutes. Meelin scored their first point in the twelfth minute in the midst of a heavy downpour with Jonathan Flaherty making light of the conditions by pointing from a difficult angle a minute later. Meelin were next to score but midway through the half, Newmarket corner forward Barry O’Leary gathered possession and crashed an unstoppable shot to the roof of the net for the games first goal. A scoreless ten minute spell followed as both sides missed a number of good scoring chances in the poor conditions. As the half entered the closing minutes, Meelin finished very strongly. Three points followed in as many minutes before the productive period ended with a telling goal in the final minute of the half. Newmarket did have time to register another point with Kevin O’Sullivan on target from a long range free to leave Meelin in front by 1-5 to 1-4 at the halfway mark.

Meelin stretched their advantage within three minutes of the restart before John Ryan pointed for Newmarket two minutes later. In their next attack, Newmarket regained parity with John Ryan converting a free. Twelve minutes into the half Shane Murphy edged Newmarket in front but the lead was short lived as Meelin equalized from the resultant puckout to leave the score at 1-7 apiece. Meelin seized the initiative at this stage and a brace of points forged them in front again. John Lane reduced the lead to a minimum again with little over ten minutes remaining, but this proved to be Newmarket’s final score of the contest. Meelin pointed before a match clinching second goal followed with little over six minutes to play. The visitors sealed their victory with a further point towards the end to claim a place in the final.

The Newmarket team and scorers…

Barry O’Leary (1-0), John Ryan (0-2), John Lane (0-2), Kevin O’Sullivan (0-1), Shane Murphy (0-1), Jonathan Flaherty (0-1), Colin O’Sullivan (0-1).

Shane McAuliffe
Michael O’Leary		Brendan Stack		Paudie Allen
Michael Kenneally		Kevin O'Sullivan		Robert Stack
	Tony O'Keeffe		Shane Murphy
Jonathan Flaherty		Colin O'Sullivan		John Ryan
Barry O'Leary		Billy Daly		John Lane
Subs: Nicky Flanagan, Ian Flanagan, David Quinlan, Timothy Murphy.

Meelin began brightly and took an early two point lead. Newmarket were guilty of hitting a succession of wides during the half and were made to pay as Meelin added a third point in the eleventh minute. Newmarket eventually got off the mark a minute later when John Lane pointed after forging out a chance for himself. John Ryan converted a free before Meelin added to their tally after nineteen minutes. Conor Cronin pointed spectacularly from an impossible angle before John Lane tied the sides for the first time at 0-4 apiece after twenty two minutes. The sides again traded points as Conor Cronin restored parity for Newmarket as the half came to a conclusion. Meelin forged in front again before Newmarket received a major boost in the last moments of the half. Colin O’Sullivan launched a high dropping ball that fell on the edge of the Meelin square and John Lane was on hand to supply a finish to the net as Newmarket took the lead for the first time, 1-5 to 0-6 at the end of the opening half.

Newmarket resumed with John Lane pointing smartly from play before John Ryan added a sublime point from distance with a sideline cut in the sixth minute. Meelin had the next score but a John Ryan free restored a four point advantage for the home team. Meelin added the next point but as the game entered the final quarter, Newmarket assumed the ascendancy and the scores followed as a result. John Lane and John Ryan pointed before Newmarket were awarded a penalty with eight minutes remaining. John Lane pointed the resultant penalty to stretch the lead to five points. A minute later, Newmarket having seen a few previous goal scoring chances come to nothing, found the net for a second time when Conor Cronin whipped the ball superbly to the bottom corner of the net from fourteen yards. The confidence flowed as substitutes Tony O’Keeffe and Niall O’Connor made telling contributions as they both added to the scoreboard.

As the game came to a conclusion Meelin replied with a whirlwind finish as two quickfire goals found the net before the home side held on for the win.

The Newmarket team and scorers…
John Lane (1-5), Conor Cronin (1-2), John Ryan (0-4), Tony O’Keeffe (0-1), Niall O’Connor (0-1).

Subs:

The opening exchanges were tight and even but Meelin eventually took the lead in the fourth minute. Two further points followed before John Lane slotted over a free for Newmarket after ten minutes and he cut the arrears to a point in similar fashion from distance minutes later. Meelin regained the initiative on scoring the next two points but Barry O’Leary kept Newmarket in contention with a point from play after twenty two minutes. Newmarket were well served by their defensive rearguard with Robert Stack and Ian Flanagan prominent and full back John McSweeney also performing well. Newmarket missed a couple of scorable opportunities as the half concluded while a brace of Meelin points gave them an advantage of 0-7 to 0-3 at the turnover.

Within two minutes of the restart, the game swung clearly in Meelin’s favour. They were awarded a penalty which was duly converted to the net and the game ended as a contest when in the fourth minute a long deliver was brilliantly doubled to the net for a second goal. This double blow clearly shattered Newmarket and they struggled badly for the remainder of the game. Meelin added four points in succession by the end of the quarter before Kevin O’Sullivan raised a white flag for Newmarket on converting a free. The terrible conditions failed to deter Meelin’s hurling ability and a further three points followed. Newmarket gained some consolation when Kevin O’Sullivan goaled from a penalty but for good measure Meelin also goaled with their next score before rounding off a comprehensive win with a final point. Newmarket will now face Tullylease in a bid to remain in the championship.  

The Newmarket team was…

Paul Verling
Ian Flanagan		John McSweeney		John Ryan
Shane Murphy		Pa O’Brien		Robert Stack
	Niall O’Connor		Barry O’Leary (0-1)
Tony O’Keeffe		John Scanlon		Anthony Crowley
John Lane (0-2)		Colin O’Sullivan		Kevin O’Sullivan (1-1)
SUBS: Conor Cronin, Nicky Flanagan, Michael Kenneally, William O’Flynn.

Newmarket got off to an ideal start when midfielder Conor Cronin converted a well taken long range free from just inside his own half within the opening minute. Meelin quickly gained parity and set about their task by rifling over an array of points of different varieties to lead by 0-6 to 0-1 after fifteen minutes. Newmarket struggled to cope with their opponents’ brand of quickfire hurling and three more points followed before Ian Flanagan added Newmarket’s second point in the twentieth minute. The sides exchanged the next couple of points with Ian Flanagan again on target. Meelin however confirmed their supremacy in the remaining minutes of the half on adding three points before eventually finding a way past Newmarket’s excellent goalkeeper Paul Verling, who produced a string of memorable saves during the contest, in the closing moments of the half to turnover with a lead of 1-13 to 0-3.

Meelin further increased their lead on adding two points before Ian Flanagan had a Newmarket point from a free. Newmarket improved considerably as the game progressed and this coincided with the introduction of the lively and industrious Tony O’Keeffe who laid a ball into the path of Shane Murphy and his pass across field in front of the Meelin goal was caught by the inrushing Robert Stack and he found the net from close range. Newmarket were further boosted when Ian Flanagan after being upended, stepped forward and crashed a free to the back of the net for a second Newmarket goal. A converted free from the impressive Kevin O’Sullivan left the score at 1-17 to 2-5 entering the final quarter. Meelin, maintained their superb accuracy on the night by adding the next four points in as many minutes but Newmarket kept up their momentum and the endeavours of Robert Stack contributed to a third goal which was finished clinically by Nicky Flanagan. The home side had the final say by scoring the last two points to run out very clear victors.

The Newmarket team was…

Paul Verling
Barry O’Leary		John Scanlon		Donnacha Fitzpatrick
Brendan Stack		Kevin O’Sullivan (0-1)		Anthony Crowley
	John Ryan		Conor Cronin (0-1)
Shane Murphy		Robert Stack (1-0)		Colin O’Sullivan
Nicky Flanagan (1-0)		John McSweeney		Ian Flanagan (1-3)
SUBS: Tony O’Keeffe, Timmy O’Keeffe, Michael Kenneally, David Kelly.

Newmarket’s under 21 hurlers progressed to the quarter final of the championship when they defeated Meelin by 3-14 to 4-9 in a thrilling contest at Meelin on Sunday.

Newmarket began brightly when Ian Flanagan clipped over a neat point in the second minute. Despite an encouraging start Newmarket were rattled in the fourth minute when a speculative Meelin effort ended in the back of the net and this was followed by a seventh minute point. Newmarket regained their composure and two John Ryan frees reduced the deficit but Meelin had the next two points to establish a 1-3 to 0-3 lead by the seventeenth minute. Newmarket hurled well throughout the field and were rewarded with a string of scores. John Lane pointed a free before Ian Flanagan added his second point. John Lane tied the sides for the only time with a fine point from play following some neat teamwork, at 0-6 to 1-3 by the twenty second minute. John Ryan gave Newmarket the lead and a minute later and their endeavour was further rewarded when Kieran Lehane finished to the net from the edge of the square. Meelin replied with a point but the excellent Robert Stack added a fine point for Newmarket. The sides exchanged points before the break with a John Lane point leaving Newmarket in front by 1-9 to 1-5 following an entertaining half of hurling.

Robert Stack finished well for the first point of the second half before Meelin got the next two points. Conor Cronin converted a long range free to re-establish a four point advantage. A turning point came twelve minutes into the half when John Lane on taking a close in free, elected to shoot for goal and he found the net for a crucial second Newmarket goal which he followed up with two more points. Meelin responded to this nine point deficit by gaining a second goal which was supplemented with a point. Newmarket were further boosted when some clever play from the inside forward line left Ian Flanagan bearing in on goal and he finished neatly for a third goal. A brace of points were exchanged as once more John Lane was on target. However, Meelin as expected came with a storming finish and two quickfire goals added to a climactic finish but Newmarket just held out and an excellent all round performance was rewarded with victory.

The Newmarket team was…

Paul Verling
William O’Flynn		John Scanlon		Timmy O’Keeffe
Brendan Stack		Kevin O’Sullivan		Nicky Flanagan
	Conor Cronin (0-1)		John Lane (1-6)
Billy Daly		Robert Stack (0-2)		John Ryan (0-3)
Kieran Lehane (1-0)		Denis McCarthy		Ian Flanagan (1-2)
SUBS:

Newmarket took the lead on a greasy day for hurling, when Shane Murphy pointed sublimely from the sideline in the second minute. Meelin tied matters within a minute and quickly went into a two point lead as they posed a major threat to the Newmarket rearguard. Shane Murphy converted a free for Newmarket before the superb Robert Stack hit a fine effort to tie the scores for a second time, 0-3 apiece after twelve minutes. Meelin gained the ascendancy again on gaining two points before Shane Murphy cut the deficit for Newmarket. Another brace of points increased Meelin’s advantage to three points but Newmarket finished the half well with two well worked scores from Robert Stack and Conor Cronin. Meelin went into the break by adding a further point and led at the halfway mark by 0-8 to 0-6.

A few switches to the Newmarket team worked in their favour six minutes into the second half, when Michael Kenneally was on hand to pounce on a loose ball from a dropping sixty five to rattle the net and gain Newmarket the lead. Meelin were on terms again within a minute as a very even second half developed. Billy Daly was rewarded for some great industry throughout, when he clipped over a fine point to edge Newmarket in front but by the end of the third quarter a Meelin point had the sides’ level for fourth time, 1-7 to 0-10. Both sides tried valiantly to gain the upper hand as a neat finish from Paul Verling gave Newmarket a slender advantage once more. There followed a ten minute scoreless period, with some great endeavour throughout the pitch with Brendan Stack and Pa O’Brien prominent in defence while Conor Cronin came to the fore at midfield. Fittingly, for Newmarket it was Robert Stack who delivered the crucial score of the game, three minutes from time when he was alert to a Michael Kenneally effort that rebounded off the Meelin upright and crashed the ball home for a second goal, a very worthy goalscorer given his immense contribution. Meelin pointed to ensure a tense climax but Newmarket held firm and came through to claim victory.

The Newmarket team was…

Kieran Hayes
William O’Flynn		John McSweeney		Donnacha Fitzpatrick
Michael Kenneally (1-0)		Pa O’Brien		Brendan Stack
	Colin O’Sullivan		Conor Cronin (0-1)
Billy Daly (0-1)		Timothy Murphy		Robert Stack (1-2)
Paul Verling (0-1)		Shane Murphy (0-3)		Sean Irwin
SUB: Denis McCarthy

The home side were razor sharp from the outset getting on the scoreboard within the opening minute. Newmarket did provide an equalizer when Brian Daly pointed a free in the fifth minute but Meelin soon got into their stride and four unanswered points followed. Brian Daly scored Newmarket’s second point in the fifteenth minute but Newmarket failed to gain any impetus whatsoever as a rampant Meelin hit over a string of impressive scores. As the half concluded a shell shocked Newmarket trailed by 0-11 to 0-2

Any hopes Newmarket harboured of any sort of a comeback were quashed instantly upon the restart as two more sublime points from distance followed for Meelin. Brian Daly had his third point of the game but the Meelin machine struck back with three points in as many minutes. A brief highlight for Newmarket came nine minutes into the half when Donnacha O’Dea placed a neat pass across goal towards Shane Murphy and he gathered before flashing a shot to the back of the Meelin net to leave the scoreline at 0-16 to 1-3.

The sides then exchanged points with Kevin O’Sullivan registering Newmarket’s first from play. Newmarket simply had no answer to their opponents and once more an array of  memorable points followed for Meelin as the lead was increased by a further five points. Newmarket had points before the finish through Brian Daly twice and Colin O’Sullivan but the devastating home side never relented and made the breakthrough for their goal six minutes from time before concluding the most emphatic and comprehensive of winners.

The Newmarket team was…

John Ryan
Donnacha Fitzpatrick		John McSweeney		John Scanlon
Nicky Flanagan		Pa O’Brien		Anthony Crowley
	Conor Cronin		Tony O’Keeffe
Barry O’Leary		Brian Daly (0-5)		Kevin O’Sullivan (0-1)
John Lane		Colin O’Sullivan (0-1)		Donnacha O’Dea
SUBS: Shane Murphy (1-0), Robert Stack, Bryan O’Connell

Meelin opened the scoring with a point in the first minute, in what was Newmarket’s first league outing this year. Newmarket settled and impressed as a string of points followed from the excellent Bryan O’Connell who pointed twice, Colin O’Sullivan and Shane Murphy and all three enjoyed a productive evening in the scoring stakes.

Newmarket’s lead was wiped out on Meelin finding the net for the first time in the twelveth minute and a point followed as they edged in front. Newmarket regained the lead at the end of the first quarter, 1-4 to 1-2, when a Conor Cronin free found the net. Shane Murphy pointed next as the sides exchanged points. Newmarket dominated for a spell and an array of fine points followed. Six points were scored in total with the prolific Shane Murphy getting three, Colin O’Sullivan two and Paul Verling one. Newmarket enjoyed a substantial eight point lead at this stage but critically Meelin found the net for a second time in the dying seconds of the half and Newmarket went into the break leading by 1-11 to 2-3 after a highly entertaining half.

Newmarket were minus the services of the influential Conor Cronin for the second half and the first ten minutes proved pivotal to the final result as Meelin plundered two goals and two points without reply during this spell to completely turn the contest around in their favour as they led by 4-5 to 1-11. Newmarket recovered from this blitz with the excellent Bryan O’Connell scoring a brace of points and at the three quarter stage, just a point separated the sides again, 4-5 to 1-13. A contest that flowed from end to end saw the sides exchange points as Shane Anthony Murphy found the target twice for Newmarket before Colin O’Sullivan tied proceeding for a third time, 4-7 to 1-16 with seven minutes to play. Meelin edged in front again but Newmarket after labouring for a period appeared to rescue a point when Colin O’Sullivan landed an equalising point from distance, but in the remaining seconds the home side proceeded to add the decisive score and claim the points from an exciting contest.

The Newmarket team was…

Kieran Hayes
William O’Flynn		John McSweeney		Donnacha Fitzpatrick
Brendan Stack		Pa O’Brien		Billy Daly
	Conor Cronin (1-0)		Timothy Murphy
Bryan O’Connell (0-4)		Shane Anthony Murphy (0-2)		David Kelly
Paul Verling (0-1)		Colin O’Sullivan (0-5)		Shane Murphy (0-5)
SUB: Séan Irwin

John Lane set the tone on pointing a second minute free but Meelin replied within a minute. Brian Daly restored Newmarket’s lead before Shane Murphy found the target with a fine effort. Meelin had three points in succession to claim the lead for the first time on fourteen minutes. An even contest ebbed and flowed with Newmarket pointing through Barry O’Leary and a John Lane free. Meelin responded in turn and the sides went on to exchange another brace of points, John Lane on target for a third time before the sides were deadlocked for the fifth time in the half. A crucial turning point developed in the closing moments of the half as firstly Meelin edged ahead before they scored the first goal of the contest to suddenly enjoy a four point lead, 1-7 to 0-6 at the turnover.

Newmarket turned over in highly impressive fashion that produced their best period of the game. Shane Murphy landed his second superb point in the fourth minute before John Lane was once more on target from a placed ball two minutes later. Barry O’Leary pointed from distance before once more John Lane pointed to gain parity ten minutes into the half.

Newmarket maintained the momentum when some terrific play in defence resulted in a quick flowing move and the ever industrious Tony O’Keeffe pointed from distance to give Newmarket the lead again, 0-11 to 1-7. Crucially, Meelin responded in the best possible fashion and when a goalbound shot rattled the crossbar they reacted fastest to the rebound to plunder a second goal. This was followed by two quickfire points and suddenly Meelin enjoyed a four point lead again.

Kevin O’Sullivan reduced the arrears but Meelin hit back with two further scores. Once more Shane Murphy hit a fine point from play for Newmarket but a free flowing Meelin put daylight between the sides with five minutes remaining with their third goal. Newmarket’s endeavour was rewarded within a minute when Donnacha O’Dea struck for a goal and the issue was right back in the balance when an overhead pull from Robert Stack ended in the back of the Meelin net to leave just two points the margin in the closing minutes. When John Lane pointed in injury time the game was on a knife edge but Meelin sealed a thrilling contest in their next attack with the final score of an excellent tie.
The Newmarket team was…

John Ryan
Michael Kenneally		John Scanlon		Donnacha Fitzpatrick
Kevin O’Sullivan (0-1)		Pa O’Brien		Anthony Crowley
	Tony O’Keeffe (0-1)		John Lane (0-6)
Colin O’Sullivan		Brian Daly (0-1)		Robert Stack (1-0)
Donnacha O’Dea (1-0)		Shane Murphy (0-3)		Barry O’Leary (0-2)
SUBS: Conor Cronin, Ian Flanagan

Newmarket took the lead when Kevin O’Sullivan landed the opening point within a minute from a free. Shane Murphy added a second for Newmarket before Meelin opened their account in the sixth minute and quickly knocked over another three points within the first ten minutes. The sides exchanged points in the next thirteen minutes with Shane Murphy once more finding the target for Newmarket. Meelin finished the half in the ascendancy and three points in succession gave them an interval lead of 0-8 to 0-4.

Meelin resumed the stronger quickly adding two points within the opening minutes of the half. Shane Anthony Murphy pointed for Newmarket but Meelin increased their advantage with two further scores. Colin O’Sullivan was on target from a long distance free but Meelin responded with a point and significantly the games opening goal to take a commanding 1-14 to 0-6 advantage. Kevin O’Sullivan pointed next but Meelin dominated and added a further goal and three points. Kevin O’Sullivan registered Newmarket’s final score but Meelin were clear victors long before the finish.
The Newmarket team was…

John Ryan
Donnacha Fitzpatrick		Brian Daly		John Scanlon
Nicky Flanagan		John McSweeney		Conor Cronin
	Kevin O’Sullivan (0-4)		Colin O’Sullivan (0-1)
Shane Anthony Murphy (0-1)		Shane Murphy (0-2)		John Lane
Donnacha O’Dea		Robert Stack		Tony O’Keeffe
SUBS: Michael Kenneally, Sean Irwin, Micheal Murphy

The early exchanges were tight and close on a perfect playing surface before Meelin registered the first score in the fifth minute and quickly followed with a second three minutes later. Newmarket got off the mark when their most potent forward, John Lane converted a free in the ninth minute. The sides then exchanged a brace of points with John Lane finding the target for Newmarket before a Meelin point gave them an advantage of 0-4 to 0-2 at the end of the first quarter. Once more the sides traded points, again, John Lane finding the target for Newmarket. Meelin proved more clinical and sharper as the game developed and a burst of three points in as many minutes created a five point lead. Newmarket responded with T.J. Bodie neatly pointing after some good build up play and John Lane pointed another placed ball as the half entered the closing five minutes. Meelin ended the half by adding another point and they enjoyed a four point advantage, 0-9 to 0-5 at the turnover.

Meelin added a point within three minutes of the restart but in a tight third quarter both attacks were kept at bay, however once Meelin got the next point they cruised to victory in the final fifteen minutes as they added nine unanswered points in total during the second half while unfortunately for Newmarket they failed to add to their tally. Newmarket were put under intense pressure towards the end of the game but the defence did well, particularly goalkeeper John Ryan and Nicky Flanagan who were in fine form throughout.

The Newmarket team was…

John Ryan
David Kelly		John Scanlon		Nicky Flanagan
Brendan Stack		Niall O’Connor		T.J. Bodie (0-1)
	Kevin O’Sullivan		Conor Cronin
John Lane (0-4)		Robert Stack		Timothy Murphy
Ian Flanagan		Michael Kenneally		Bryan O’Connell
SUB: William O’Flynn

Conditions and a difficult cross field breeze got the better of both sides as numerous scoring opportunities went a begging during the hour. The home side registered the first point in the second minute and doubled their advantage six minutes later. John Lane got Newmarket on the scoreboard in the ninth minute. Scores were at a premium and Newmarket had plenty of possession but failed to add to their tally. Meelin added two more points to their total to take a three point advantage. Substitute, Ian Flanagan was given the task of taking a free in when introduced and he duly found the target with just five minutes left to play in the half. Meelin restored a three point advantage, 0-5 to 0-2 as a dour first half came to a conclusion.

Newmarket resumed brightly and Denys O’Brien burst forward to hit over a point within a minute. Meelin replied with a point but Ian Flanagan converted a free to reduce the arrears to two points. The sides exchanged two more points as Ian Flanagan was again on target and by the end of the third quarter, Newmarket trailed by two points, 0-5 to 0-7. Meelin gradually increased their lead thanks to two further points. Newmarket battled gamely with John McSweeney, Brian Daly and Anthony Crowley prominent in defence and Barry O’Leary a driving force at midfield. Unfortunately, Newmarket failed to breach the Meelin rearguard and were unlucky on a couple of occasions not to get the games opening goal. As the contest came to a conclusion Meelin grew in stature and added three more points to run out clear victors.

The Newmarket team was:

John Ryan
Pa O’Brien		Brian Daly		John Scanlon
Kevin O’Sullivan		John McSweeney		Anthony Crowley
	Colin O’Sullivan		Barry O’Leary
Tony O’Keeffe		Denys O’Brien (0-1)		John Lane (0-1)
Seanie Francis O’Connor		Robert Stack		Maurice Feehan
SUBS: Ian Flanagan (0-3), Nicky Flanagan, Shane Anthony Murphy, Niall O’Connor

Meelin got off to the best possible start by finding the net within the very first minute. Robert Stack got Newmarket off the mark with a sixth minute point before Ian Flanagan was instrumental in setting up David Buckley and he showed fine composure in finishing to the net. Ian Flanagan and Robert Stack added points before Meelin’s first point left the score 1-3 to 1-1 in Newmarket’s favour at the end of the first quarter.

A couple of Meelin points tied the sides for the first time before Ian Flanagan slotted over a free for Newmarket. Meelin regained the lead after gaining their second goal of the evening but Ian Flanagan was on target from placed balls either side of a Meelin point to restore parity late in the half. Newmarket’s hopes received a major boost when amazingly they struck for two goals just prior to the interval. The outstanding Ian Flanagan crashed the ball to the net from a close in free before David Buckley was on hand to claim his second goal of the half. This gave Newmarket a clear advantage at the break by 3-7 to 2-4.

As in the first half, Meelin struck for an early goal but Colin O’Sullivan and Seanie Francis O’Connor added points from distance for Newmarket. Meelin cut the deficit by adding two points while Ian Flanagan maintained his prolific form with his first point of the half. Meelin’s fourth goal at the end of the third quarter reduced the arrears to a solitary point 3-10 to 4-6. Two more Ian Flanagan points kept Newmarket in front but once more Meelin got to within a point thanks to two unanswered points. An exciting climax developed with the final score of the game coming courtesy of a fine point from distance from Timothy Murphy and Newmarket’s defence withstood a strong Meelin challenge to hang on for victory.

The Newmarket team was…

Eamon Moynihan
William O’Flynn		John Scanlon		David Kelly
Kieran Hayes		Anthony Crowley		T.J. Bodie
	Colin O’Sullivan (0-1)		Seanie Francis O’Connor (0-1)
Timothy Murphy (0-1)		Robert Stack (0-2)		Ian Flanagan (1-8)
David Buckley (2-0)		Martin O’Doherty		Damien Kelly

The visitors started strongly and built up a sizeable lead of 1-6 to 0-1 before Newmarket eventually settled into the contest and scores from John Lane, Barry O’Leary, Seanie Francis O’Connor and two points from Denys O’Brien brought them to trail by 1-9 to 0-5 at the interval.

Meelin pointed upon the restart before John Lane found the target for Newmarket. Meelin continued to impress and added two points before a goal ten minutes into the half gave them a very commanding twelve point advantage. Denys O’Brien and John Lane pointed for Newmarket and this left the score at 2-12 to 0-8 at the three quarter stage. Meelin continued to find the target from various distances and angles but Newmarket kept plugging away and had points from Denys O’Brien and Robert Stack before a free from Denys O’Brien found its way to the back of the net. Ian Flanagan had the final score of the contest but Meelin had long since ensured they claimed the points and advance to the semi finals.

The Newmarket team was…

Eamon Moynihan
Pa O’Brien		Brian Daly		David Kelly
Tony O’Keeffe		John McSweeney		Anthony Crowley
	Kevin O’Sullivan		Denys O’Brien (1-4)
Maurice Feehan		Barry O’Leary (0-1)		Colin O’Sullivan
John Lane (0-3)		Robert Stack (0-1)		Seanie Francis O’Connor (0-1)
SUBS: John Scanlon, Shane Murphy, Ian Flanagan (0-1)

Culloty’s goal clinched title for Newmarket

NEWMARKET regained the Duhallow Junior hurling league title after a lapse of six years, their last victory having been in 1977, when they defeated Meelin by 2 two-point margin in a hard-fought final at Banteer on Sunday.

The outcome was very much in the balance when the sides were level with 10 minutes to go, but a goal for Newmarket by Danny Culloty five minutes from time proved decisive.

It was an interesting game all through, with never much between the teams on the play. Conditions were not at all favourable, as the ground was slippery after heavy rain and a continuous mist made the ball greasy.

Meelln there pre-match favourites because of the championship win over the same opposition, but Newmarket made their presence felt early on when they went through for a goal and a point in the first six minutes.

The point came from long-distance free by Jerry Cronin and the goal caught Meelin by surprise as it seemed as if the ball was going wide when Ted Burke pulled it back from the line and placed it the path of Connie O’Callaghan, who deposited it in the net.

The first quarter ended with Newmarket leading by 1-1 to nil, but Meelin did better in attack after that, with Pat O’Connor, Donie Buckley and John Brosnan picking off some nice points. At half-time when Newmarket led by 1-3 to 0-5, it was oblivious that a very close battle for the title was in prospect in the second half.

Meelin’s fortunes got a considerable boost within five minutes of the resumption when Pat O’Connor goaled after Donie Buckley had made a fine run through the Newmarket defence before parting to Denis Fitzpatrick who in turn gave the ball to O’Connor.

But the jubilation that followed this score was short-lived, as Newmarket were quickly back attacking and had a goal by Damien Murphy from close range after Connie O’Callaghan had worked hard for possession and, kicked the ball into the square.

The tempo of the game increased and Meelln drew level with a point by John Brosnan and then edge ahead when Brosnan placed Pat O’Connor for a point from a very acute angle almost immediately afterwards.

An exchange of points between Brendan Daly and Ned Brosnan still left the advantage with Meelin, and they held it until ten minutes from time when Jerry Cronin , with a long-distance point from a free, brought Newmarket level and then repeated the performance to ahead.

The game was balanced on a knife-edge with Newmarket just a point ahead with five minutes go and indeed the possibility of a draw loomed large at that stage.

But when Danny Culloty shot a goal from about thirty five yards’ range Newmarket were in the driving seat and they increased their lead to five points when Jerry Cronin sent over another point from a free.

Meelin had little chance of recovering the ground in the time available but they never gave up trying. John Browne’s goal just before the end came too late to make any difference.

The match was played on 2nd of October in Banteer, Final score was Newmarket 3-7 to Meelin 2-8. The team on the day was as follows:

Donnacha Moyinhan
Paudie Moyinhan		Seanie Daly		John Feehin
Sean Culloty		Jerry Cronin (0-4)		Johnny C. O’Keeffe
	Danny O’Flynn		Neily McCarthy
Seamus Angland		Brendan Daly (0-1)		Damien Murphy (1-0)
Ted Burke		Connie O’Callaghan (1-0)		Danny Culloty (1-0)

Referee: Pat Roche, Lismire.