Athenry take title back

Galway Hurling Final/Athenry 0-15 Portumna 0-13: Athenry captured their seventh Galway senior hurling title in 11 years when edging out favourites and holders Portumna in a final that failed to spring to life at Pearse Stadium yesterday.

Most of the best hurling came in the opening half after which Portumna led by 0-9 to 0-8 as the sides traded some excellent scores. The crowd of about 8,000 expected an exciting second-half, especially as conditions were benign, but the game struggled to spark.

There was little between the sides throughout, deadlocked at four points apiece at the end of the first quarter before Eugene Cloonan, Donal Moran and Michael John Quinn fired over points to put Athenry 0-7 to 0-4 ahead.

Portumna, winners of their first Galway title last year, hit back with five points without reply in a nine-minute spell, three of which came from full-forward Andy Smith and one each from Kevin Hayes and Damian Hayes.

That put the holders 0-9 to 0-7 in front but Cloonan's fifth point of the half meant there was just the minimum between them at the break.

Smith extended Portumna's lead two minutes after the restart but two points from frees by captain Cloonan levelled the match after 36 minutes.

The sides were still deadlocked going into the final quarter after Kevin Hayes and Moran traded points and with six minutes left they remained level.

With a minute and a half left in normal time it seemed 16-year-old Joe Canning was going to be the Portumna hero when he edged them in front with a point from 50 yards.

But Athenry, with centre-back Brian Feeney and midfielder Brian Hanley outstanding, were far from finished and tied the game at the end of normal time when David Donohue struck an excellent point.

That spurred the three times All-Ireland club champions to greater heights and four minutes into stoppage time substitute Derek Carroll blasted them in front when he pointed from 35 yards.

The insurance point came two minutes later when Donohue landed his third point from play for an Athenry side that will now turn to their attentions to regaining the All-Ireland title they last won in 2000.

ATHENRY: M Crimmins; T Kelly, D Cloonan, J Feeney; B Higgins, B Feeney, P Hardiman; B Hanley, L Howley; MJ Quinn (0-1), J Rabbitte, D Moran (0-2); D Burns, E Cloonan (0-8, five frees, two 65s), D Donohue (0-3). Subs: A Poniard for Burns (18 mins); M Donnellan for Hardiman (31 mins); E Caulfield for Poniard (53 mins); D Carroll (0-1) for Howley (57 mins).

PORTUMNA: I Canning; M Gill, E McEntee, O Canning; G Heagney (0-1), E Lynch, A O'Donnell; I Muldoon, L Smith; F Canning, K Hayes (0-2), N Hayes; D Hayes (0-1), A Smith (0-7, six frees), J Canning (0-2, one lineball). Subs: C Ryan for F Canning (40 mins); P Smith for Heagney (62 mins).

Referee: P Greene (Craughwell).