Leinster Colleges hurling final heartbreak for Laois school

Heywood Community School have come up agonisingly short in Rosenallis last Monday afternoon, missing out on the Leinster Colleges Senior Hurling B Championship to Banagher. The game was a real arm wrestle, and needed extra time to decide a winner.

Referee, John Dermody handed out four red cards in extra time - three of which were shown to Heywood players - meaning the Ballinakill school finished with just 12 players on the field, ultimately running out of steam.

Banagher College 2-27

Heywood Community School 4-15 (AET)

Heywood played with a strong wind in the first half, but could not make the best of it in front of a marvellous crowd. They led by 0-5 to 0-3 after the opening 15 minutes, but Banagher replied with four consecutive points as they began to look like the better team.

The game turned in the 25th minute when Heywood raised their first green flag. A lovely ball from Cormac Byrne picked out Ben O'Mara, who fired home to draw the game level. Heywood won the resulting puck-out and got their second goal when captain Sean Brennan danced past three defenders and found the bottom corner of the net. The talismanic Eoghan Murphy added a couple of late frees to give Heywood a half-time lead of 2-8 to 0-10.

The Offaly side started the second half with four unanswered scores to draw level. The sides swapped scores back and forth before Banagher went in front for the very first time in the 48th minute when Aaron Molloy scored their first goal.

Heywood struck back within two minutes, however, scoring their third goal through substitute, Conor Headen. Murphy sent a free in from halfway, which floated towards the back post where Headen rose highest to get the vital touch, flicking the ball into the bottom corner of the Banagher net. A stoppage-time free from Murphy levelled the sides once more and meant the final would need extra time.

Seven minutes in and the referee produced the first red card of the day for Daniel Bergin. And just minutes later, Mr Dermody had his hand in his pocket again, showing a red card to both sides - Tom O'Keefe and Banagher captain, Shane Rigney.

The Offaly side added five of the first six scores in extra time, but Heywood were handed a lifeline just before the interval. Eoghan Murphy scored 1-12 on the day, the pick of them being this glorious free that someone found its way through a sea of bodies and into the net.

But a third red card for Heywood, shown to Eli Quinn, meant there was just too much space on the field for Banagher, who picked off a few soft frees towards the end. The six-point gap certainly flatters Banagher, and Heywood will feel incredibly hard done by.