Third round of the Fitzgibbon Cup secures UL’s place in Quater final

By Jamie Dowling

UL 0-21

Maynooth 1-13

University of Limerick booked their place in the Fitzgibbon cup quarter final after a hard fought game against Maynooth in Maguires Fields in UL.

The win for UL sets up a mouth watering quarter final away to Mary Immaculate College.

Tipperary duo Cian Darcy and Jake Morris put in stunning performances scoring 15 points between them to see of a brave Maynooth side, with Darcy getting a total of 9 points and Morris backed him up with 6 points of his own.

The win could come with a cost as star player Kyle Hayes hobbled off injured near full time and now could be a doubt for the quarter final against Mary I.

Jake Morris was on fire in the first half scoring three points from play and showed his accuracy with three points from placed balls.

Ronan Lynch then added two first half points and UL went into the break with a five point lead with the scores at 0-11 to 1-3

Maynooth weren’t finished, they showed brilliant battling qualities through Andrew Gaffney and Connor Browne leading in attack.

The game was still in the melting pot with 10 minutes to go but UL started to dominate the game and scored four of the last five points to see them over the line in a nervy victory

SCORERS:

UL: Cian Darcy 0-9 (6frees), Jake Morris 0-6, Shane Golden and Ronan Lynch 0-2 each, Pauric O’Loughlin and Martin Keoghan 0-1 each.

Maynooth: Andrew Gaffney 0-6 (4frees, 1 ’65), Eoin Molloy 1-0, Conor Drennan 0-2 (1free), Conor Stakelum, Conor Browne, Jack Cullen, Eoghan Ahearn and Sean Clerkin 0-1 each.

UL: Barry Hogan (Tipperary); Jimmy Ryan (Tipperary), Michael Carey (Kilkenny), Eddie Gunning (Cork); Brian McGrath (Tipperary), Bryan O’Mara (Tipperary), Padraic Campion (Tipperary); Kevin McDonald (Carlow), Jack Shelly (Tipperary); Shane Golden (Clare), Kyle Hayes (Limerick), Padraic O’Loughlin (Clare); Ronan Lynch (Limerick), Jake Morris (Tipperary), Cian Darcy (Tipperary). Subs: Conor O’Callaghan (Cork) for Brian McGrath (38mins), Maretin Keoghan (Kilkenny) for Jack Shelly (43mins), Ciaran Barry (Limerick) for Jimmy Ryan (52mins), Ross Hayes (Clare) for Kyle Hayes, inj (56mins) Shane Neville for Shane Golden (59mins).

MAYNOOTH: Sean Buggy (Kilkenny); Diarmaid Conway (Laois), Cormac Byrne (Wexford), Diarmuid Kehoe (Wexford); Jack Cullen (Wexford), Eoin Molloy (Wexford), Cathal Moloney (Tipperary); Robbie Buckley (Kilkenny), Eoghan Ahearn (Westmeath); Conor Stakelum (Tipperary), Conor Browne (Kilkenny), Andrew Gaffney (Kilkenny); Conor Drennan (Kilkenny), Sean Clerkin (Dublin), Mikie Dwyer (Wexford). Subs: Jake O’Dwyer for Conor Drennan (43mins), Jamie Young (Kilkenny) for Cormac Byrne (56mins).

REFEREE: Cathal McAllister (Cork).