Lynch’s Dozen Points fires St Fechins to Maurice Murphy Cup Glory
Maurice Murphy Cup Final: St Fechin’s Retain Title After Hard-Fought Victory.
St Fechin’s successfully retained the Maurice Murphy Cup with a deserved 1-17 to 1-13 victory over Naomh Moninne in Termonfeckin on Thursday evening.
The holders were inspired by the outstanding Paddy Lynch, who finished the contest with 12 points, proving the difference between the sides in a closely fought encounter.
Naomh Moninne will look back on a number of missed opportunities throughout the game that ultimately proved costly. However, they remained in contention for long periods thanks to the scoring exploits of Eoin Murphy and Sam Phelan, who both made significant contributions in attack.
The opening half was an entertaining affair with scores flowing at both ends. Sam Phelan opened the scoring for Naomh Moninne before Paddy Lynch and Darragh Stone helped St Fechin’s settle into the contest. The sides traded scores throughout the half, with Lynch particularly effective from both open play and placed balls.
A crucial moment arrived before the interval when Mikey Gormley found the net for St Fechin’s, giving his side valuable breathing space. Despite strong contributions from Eoin Murphy, David Yore and Fionn Cumiskey, Naomh Moninne trailed by five points at the break.
Half Time: St Fechin’s 1-11 Naomh Moninne 0-9
Naomh Moninne battled hard after the restart and were given hope through a series of scores from Murphy, but St Fechin’s continued to find answers. Lynch kept the scoreboard ticking over with important frees, while Ronan Hackett and David Stephenson added valuable points.
Murphy’s late goal reduced the gap to four points, but St Fechin’s held firm in the closing stages to secure back-to-back Maurice Murphy Cup titles.
Scorers for St Fechin’s: Paddy Lynch (0-12), Mikey Gormley (1-0), Darragh Stone (0-2), Cathal Moynagh (0-1), Ronan Hackett (0-1), David Stephenson (0-1).
Scorers for Naomh Moninne: Eoin Murphy (1-7), Sam Phelan (0-3), Fionn Cumiskey (0-2), David Yore (0-1).
St Fechins: Rory Morrissey; Paddy Reddy, Oisin Byrne, Paddy McCarthy, Brendan Christophides, Ryan McGinley, Cathal Ryan; Cathal Moynagh, Ian Connor; Mikey Gormley, George Allen, Patrick Lynch; Zac Lennon, Barry Devlin, Darragh Stone
Subs: Dan O’Neill, Conor Higgins, Conor Mathews, David Stephenson, Darragh O’Gorman, Micheal Byrne, Luke Black, Seamus McKenna, Colm McNeill, Donal Ryan, Ronan Hackett, Shane Curtis, Ciaran Brennan, Sean Kerrisk, Cormac Browne.
Naomh Moninne: Dylan Carey; Aaron Heaney, Kyle Rafferty, Cathal Azzopardi; Sean Magill, James Byrne, James Murphy; Ultan McEneaney, Fionn Cumiskey; Robert Mathews, Thomas O’Dwyer, Sam Phelan; Finn Carter, David Yore, Eoin Murphy.
Subs: Ciaran Maguire.
Full Time: St Fechin’s 1-17 Naomh Moninne 1-13.
