Somers shines with fine 1-16 haul
CONOR SOMERS excelled with a whopping 1-16 as the Rathnure second-string crushed Marshalstown-Castledockrell in Sunday’s fifth round Group B Kavanagh Meats Junior hurling championship tie in Nickey Rackard Park.
The home side bossed matters from an early stage as they returned to winning ways having suffered back-to-back defeats.
Rathnure were posting their third victory of the campaign to finish third behind Glynn-Barntown on the head-to-head basis.
Marshalstown-Castledockrell ended up in fifth spot, missing out on fourth to Kilmore having lost to them in qualifying, and they now face Shamrocks in the preliminary quarter-finals, where Rathnure are up against St. Fintan’s. Those games are scheduled for the week-ending September 22.
And Rathnure will certainly bounce into their first knockout game at this stage since 2020 in confident mood after this ruthless display.
The prolific Somers had four points on the board before being set up by Domhnall McGahan to fire home an angled finish amid the overcast conditions on 13 minutes (1-7 to 0-2).
Tomás Guiney boomed the black and ambers clear by 2-7 to 0-3 in the 19th minute when Harry Codd released him to race in from the left wing and fire to the far corner of the net.
With Rathnure extremely vigilant at the back, they stretched ahead by a commanding 2-13 to 0-5 at the change of ends.
And Harry Codd consolidated their position when netting for a 3-13 to 0-6 advantage only 50 seconds after the resumption. Seánie Redmond and Conor Somers combined before Codd goaled at the second attempt.
Eoin Boggan and Paddy Whiteley drew fouls from an out-of-sorts Marshalstown-Castledockrell as sharpshooting Somers kept extending the distance between the sides.
The visitors were spirited, and Evan Quigley offered them some sort of boost when netting twice inside the closing minutes.
He brought it back to 3-24 to 1-10 after 55 minutes when Jack Morris sent in a bomb, while Quigley closed the margin to 3-25 to 2-10 seconds into added-time when forcing home from a Cathal Roche free.
But Rathnure had the perfect response, with Nigel Higgins netting from a Harry Codd assist as they rounded off the group stages in emphatic fashion.
Rathnure: Syl Barron; Brian O’Neill, Paddy Whiteley, Cathal Kehoe; Philip Redmond (capt.), Aidan Redmond (0-1), Chris Redmond; Conor Somers (1-16, 0-7 frees, 0-1 ’65), Owen Lennon (0-2); Eoin Boggan, Domhnall McGahan (0-3), Seánie Redmond; Tomás Guiney (1-0), Nigel Higgins (1-1), Harry Codd (1-3).
Marshalstown-Castledockrell: Johnny Frayne; Fionn O’Leary, P.J. O’Brien, Joe Kelly; Mark Morris, Colm Bennett, Ryan Quigley; Michael Kinsella (1-1), Seán Doyle; Evan Quigley (2-2), Fionn O’Driscoll, Seán McLoughlin; Naoise O’Leary (0-1), Cathal Roche (0-6, 5 frees), John Atkinson. Subs. – Jack Morris for Kelly (21), Jack Quigley for O’Driscoll (45), Kelly for J. Quigley, inj. (53).
Referee: Ger Cullen (Ballyhogue).