Abbeyleix St Lazarian’s power past Castletown with strong second-half showing

Abbeyleix overturned a one-point half time deficit to defeat Casteltown by 10 points and finished second in Group B of the Senior Hurling Championship. 

The win sees them set up a quarter-final clash against Rosenallis, whilst Castletown will have the unenviable task of facing three in a row county champions Clough-Ballacolla. 

ABBEYLEIX 2-20 

CASTLETOWN 2-10 

Aaron Brennan was outstanding for The Fung throughout the contest, finishing with 1-6, with five of those points coming in the first half when facing into a strong wind coming from the Abbeyleix end. 

With the wind at their backs in the first half Castletown needed to rack up the scores knowing what they’d be facing in the second, but they saw shot after shot go wide of the posts, finishing with 13 wides in the opening 30 minutes. 

A couple of goals from Brendan Reddin and Jack Breen in the first half saw Castletown lead at half time, but Abbeyleix trailed by just a point mainly thanks to the wonderous shooting of Brennan. 

Abbeyleix took control in the second half and used the wind advantage very well, from play and frees as Enda Rowland saw four long range efforts fly over the bar. 

They had a two-point lead midway through the half but two goals in quick succession from Brennan and Ciaran Byrne saw Abbeyleix into an eight-point advantage and they never looked back from there. 

Martin Phelan got Castletown off the mark on two minutes with a well taken score but wides were already starting to affect them that early on with two going awry before the opener. 

Abbeyleix wrestled the lead off them over the next 10 minutes with three in a row from Brennan, Eoghan Fennelly and Colm Walsh as Castletown continued to misfire. 

A goal from Brendan Reddin shot The Village into life when he broke down the right before finishing on his second attempt, then Dylan Conroy and John Gaughan both struck monstrous efforts from play. 

After a scoreless eight minutes Brennan brought Abbeyleix back into contention with two great scores, but Castletown found the net again when Conor Doran broke a long puck out from Gearoid Gaughan down to Jack Breen and he finished coolly. 

Castletown wouldn’t score for the final seven minutes of the half but Abbeyleix got two back through Rowland and Brennan to make it a one-point game. 

Now with the wind advantage Abbeyleix scored five of the first six points of the half in the opening 10 minutes. 

Fennelly got the opening two before Conroy replied with one. Aaron Brennan scored his sixth and Rowland added a free before Liam Delaney put Abbeyleix three ahead. 

Castletown battled back with scores from Tadgh Cuddy and Eoin Peters either side of a Rowland free but things went rapidly downhill moments later. 

Ciaran Byrne saw a shot clatter off the post, but it landed at the feet of Brennan who rifled it home from close range. 

The second goal came a minute later when Byrne broke through down the right and smashed it home to give Abbeyleix an eight-point advantage on 47 minutes. 

Byrne and Mahony increased the lead to 10 in the aftermath and Abbeyleix were flying. 

Martin Phelan got one back for Castletown on 50 minutes but they were reeling as Byrne hit another and Colm Walsh added his second. 

Castletown managed one more score through Dylan Conroy but it was too little too late for his side as Enda Rowland buried one back over the bar to cap off a very impressive performance from Abbeyleix.