Carndonagh defeat Sean MacCumhaill’s in Senior Hurling League

Early and late goals proved decisive in the Carndonagh and Seán MacCumhaill's Grand Central Hotel Senior Hurling League match at Foden on Friday evening.

Seán MacCumhaills took an early lead with a point from Joel Bradley-Walsh, but Carndonagh's Cathal Doherty scored a crucial goal soon after to unsettle the visiting team. Henderson and Doherty added to the scoring for the evening with successful set pieces. The visitors briefly seized the lead as full-forward Bradley-Walsh swiftly capitalised, driving the sliothar past Paddy Monagle in the Carndonagh goal.

The game's momentum shifted again as Darragh McCormick's goal reclaimed the lead for the hosts. A superb series of Henderson frees for MacCumhaills, along with points from Doherty (free) and Michael McCarron (play), brought both teams level at half-time in an evenly matched duel under ideal weather conditions. It was level at the break, 2-3 for Carndonagh and 1-6 for MacCumhaill’s

In the second half, Carndonagh emerged as the sharper team, dominating puck-outs and possession. They swiftly scored five more points in the opening 12 minutes, with Doherty (3) and McCormick (2) on target, while MacCumhaills managed just a single point from a Henderson free during this period.

However, the visitors regained control of the game, putting more pressure on the Carndonagh defence. Monagle blocked McSorley's goal attempt, and although Bradley-Walsh rescued the sliothar from going out of play, there was no teammate available for his intricate pass across the goalmouth.

As MacCumhaills sought to narrow the four-point deficit, their shot selection and conversion rate faltered, squandering opportunities despite their dominance. This resulted in a seventeen-minute barren spell for the home side.
Henderson, reliable on free duty, converted two more frees to bring MacCumhaills within two points with less than five minutes remaining. However, any hopes of salvaging a positive result were dashed when Carndonagh capitalized on a short free, with Tully's effort finding the net to secure their third goal and seal the win.

Carndonagh scorers: Cathal Doherty 1-5, 3f; Darragh McCormick 1-2; Daire Tully 1-0; Michael McCarron 0-1
Sean MacCumhaills scorers: Lee Henderson 0-8, 8f; Joel Bradley-Walsh 1-1.
Referee: Aidan McAleer (Naomh Padraig)