Codd on the side of Rathnure

Rathnure 1-10 Cloughbawn 2-5 Just when Cloughbawn thought they had survived the second-half onslaught, Paul Codd lofted over two huge points out of midfield to give Rathnure their 18th county senior hurling title, at Wexford Park yesterday.

Codd's remarkable feat lifted a Wexford senior hurling championship final played on a waterlogged pitch which made free-flowing hurling impossible.

The pitch had deteriorated even before the start of the senior game, following the decision to proceed with the junior hurling final curtain-raiser which left the pitch nigh unplayable.

Cloughbawn had first advantage of the gale-force wind and driving rain but it was Rathnure who got off to the perfect start. After Nigel Higgins had pointed after two minutes, a lob-cum-shot from the right from wing-forward Trevor Hogan floated over the head of goalkeeper Noel Carton to the net.

Cloughbawn got right back into it. A long free into the goalmouth broke on the fringe of the square and corner-forward Alan Carton somehow managed to scoop the ball through the water to the corner of the net, leaving the sides level, 1-1 apiece, after 14 minutes.

After Martin Kehoe and Paul Codd had exchanged points, Cloughbawn took the lead five minutes before the break when Seanie Flood goaled from close range, while a further Martin Kehoe point left them with a 2-3 to 1-2 interval lead.

Things were looking good for Cloughbawn when they soaked the third quarter pressure to still lead 2-4 to 1-5.

Then when Cloughbawn supporters were thinking in terms of a shock victory after Codd and Flood had traded points from frees, up stepped Codd with a huge 65 to leave the minimum separating the sides. 2-5 to 1-7, with 10 minutes remaining.

Codd was proving inspirational in midfield while veteran Joe Mooney was playing a stormer at right half-back. With eight minute left, Higgins with a superb point off the wing had the sides level, but after the ball broke in midfield, Codd sent over a huge eighty-metre point.

With Cloughbawn fighting for their lives, a superb Brendan O'Leary point sealed a magnificent victory.

RATHNURE: J Morrissey; D Guiney, S Somers, A O'Connell; M O'Leary, J Mooney, R Codd; R Guiney, N Higgins (0-3); T Hogan (1-0), M Byrne (0-1), J O'Connor; P Codd (0-5), C Byrne, B O'Leary (0-1). Subs: S O'Neill for C Byrne; M Morrissey for R Codd; A Codd for O'Neill.

CLOUGHBAWN: N Carton; T Keating, G Flood, B Keating; T Furlong, L Murphy, N Kehoe; J Doyle, MJ Furlong; M Redmond, B Redmond, J O'Connor (0-1); S Flood (1-2), M Kehoe (0-2), A Carton (1-0). Subs: K Kennedy for M Redmond; J Lawlor for A Carton.

Referee: J Owens (Askamore).