Senior Shinty Hurling International - Scotland 1/8 (11) – (14) 1/11 Ireland. | |
05 November 2009 As the dust settles on an exciting international weekend, there can be no doubt that the crowd of almost 2,000 shinty supporters who turned up at the There was a great atmosphere during the senior international with the The senior match proved to be a swansong for senior Head Coach Fraser MacKenzie who suffered his only defeat in 6 tussles with the Irish but if the result was a disappointment then the occasion certainly wasn’t. Much of MacKenzie’s success has been built on selecting the players who are best suited to the shinty / hurling compromise rules game, studying the Irish strength and weaknesses and meticulously preparing the team for the task ahead. The Irish looked well prepared this time too and whilst they regrettably don’t select a team full of All Stars, the class shown by their captain Tommy Walsh, the Irish Hurler of the year, shone through. Both sides started the match with a spare player in defence. Lochcarron’s Alan MacKenzie assumed the role for It was Ireland who opened the scoring when an unfortunate slip on the greasy surface by MacKenzie was ruthlessly capitalised on by Shane Dooley to open what was to be a successful scoring account for Irish team manager Joe Dooley’s son to give his side a 0/0 (0) – (1) 0/1 lead. The Scots’ responded and Ronald Ross twice forced the excellent Irish keeper Paddy Mullaney into a couple of fine saves with neither Garry Innes nor John Stewart able to profit from the rebounds. However Mullaney could do little to prevent the first goal of the game on 10 minutes and this one looked to have come straight from the training ground. A long free hit from Newtonmore’s Norman Campbell found Hector Whitelaw to the left of the Irish goal. The A good run from Scotland captain Garry Innes was halted by an Irish “kick” moments latter and Ross converted the dead ball to make it 1/2 (5) – (1) 0/1. Another Irish “kick” after 13 minutes gave Newtonmore’s Paul McArthur an opportunity to add another 2 points and the Scotland debutant made no mistake as the crowd enjoyed their 1/4 (7) – (1) 0/1 advantage. There was no way that the Irish were going to roll over and Tommy Walsh put his stamp on the game when he knocked the ball over the bar after 19 minutes to reduce the deficit to 1/4 (7) – (2) 0/2. The fact that the All Starr looked such a diminutive figure on the field of play yet stood at 5’10 and 12 stone was testament to the giants who took the field of play. Even It was then the turn of However Shane Dooley returned to the scene a minute later and his ball over the bar brought the score to 1/4 (7) – (3) 0/3. The Irish were starting to pick off points and brilliant run and shot from Tommy Walsh was one of the highlights of afternoon and this made it 1/4 (7) – (4) 0/4. John Griffin from Kerry saw his shot come of the right side of the post to make it 1/4 (7) – (5) 0/5 after 28 minutes and suddenly the deficit was only 2 points. Scotland responded and following a scramble in the Irish goalmouth, Niall MacPhee pushed forward from midfield to crash the ball over the bar and to score the final point of the first half and give his side a 1/5 (8) – (5) 0/5 lead. There was still time for Ronald Ross to narrowly miss another 2 point opportunity following another Irish “kick” and for Glenurquhart’s Eddie Tembo to replace Hector Whitelaw in attack. The Irish had a chance to reduce the deficit when Ian MacDonald brought down Walsh but John McIntosh’s lifted the ball wide of the post. The half ended in controversy with the Irish thinking they had reduced the deficit when Gareth Johnston appeared to fire over but referee Dave Mitchell’s whistle blew before the ball went over the bar. The Irish pleas fell on deaf ears though and the ball may have gone the wrong side of the post in any case. The Irish had the famous Bught Park breeze at their backs in the second half and within a minute of the restart, Shane Dooley notched his third point when he fired over the bar to make the score 1/5 (8) – (6) 0/6. Eddie Tembo went close for Scotland a couple of minutes later and on 38 minutes a lung bursting run from Ronald Ross set up a chance for Garry Innes but he shot wide. The Scots attack linked up well in 41 minutes when a passing move involving Tembo, Ross and Innes saw a shot from the latter saved by Mullaney. A dead ball from Paul MacArthur went wide after 45 minutes and Ireland punished these missed opportunities a minute later when Steven Clynch from Meath delivered an enormous drive between the posts to reduce the defect to a single point 1/5 (8) – (7) 0/7. The Irish were starting to control the midfield and on 47 minutes Shane Dooley fired over from distance to level the game at 1/5 (8) – (8) 0/8. Just a minute later, Tommy Walsh smashed a great strike over the bar to give his side the lead for the first time since the opening minutes 1/5 (8) – (9) 0/9. Scotland Head Coach Fraser MacKenzie responded by introducing Newtonmore’s David Cheyne for Kilmallie’s John Stewart. Cheyne had been carrying an injury for a few weeks now but he looked keen to impress. Cheyne’s club team mate Scott Campbell also came on in place of the injured Ian MacDonald. Neat play in midfield on 53 minutes gave Kieran Divilly the chance to make it 1/5 (8) – (10) 0/10 and he made no mistake. Shane Dooley made it 1/5 (8) – (11) 0/11 a minute later when his shot from wide right sailed between the posts and the same player shot wide on 57 minutes after a slip from Angus MacKay. The Scots then made a tactical switch a when Lochaber’s Shaun Nicolson replaced MacKay but in a more attacking position that the Lochaber defender. This switch almost bought an immediate dividend when Mullaney saved well from Cheyne, turning the ball past the post. However Norman Campbell shot wide from the resultant dead ball. It was Scott McNeill’s turn to be called into action on 62 minutes when he saved with his hand from Dooley. A few meaty challenges from both sides followed as the Irish seemed to feel aggrieved. John McIntosh was booked by referee Dave Mitchell and Tommy Walsh was fortunate not to follow him into the book. The Scots took advantage and substitute Shaun Nicolson fired over to make it 1/6 (9) – (11) 0/11 after 68 minutes – all of 14 minutes after the game’s last score. As the game drew to a close it seemed as if the Irish would hold on to win the new Colmcille Trophy for the fist time. However right on 70 minutes, Kinlochshiel’s Keith MacRae was fouled by A draw would have been enough for the Scot’s to retain the trophy and Angus MacKay returned to play in a hope to see out the injury time period. However it was the Scots who looked the more likely side to win the game. In the second minute of injury time Mullaney saved from Tembo after he was played in by Ross but the Scots were unable to take advantage of the resultant goalmouth melee. Heartbreak followed with 73.5 minutes on the clock and it was Shane Dooley who took his personal tally to 8 points when collected a long clearance from Shane O’Neill, turned Scotland defence Scott Campbell, and tucked the ball past McNeill into the back of the net. It was a chance expertly finished and it made the score 1/8 (11) – (14) 1/11. It was a sublime finish but the role played by O’Neill should not be forgotten and his overall performance earned him the man of the match award. The second half, like the first half, ended in controversy. The Scots made one more attempt to level the game when David Cheyne was played in, one on one with Mullaney in the The final whistle signalled scenes of jubilation amongst the Irish players and coaching staff and as they celebrated their 1/8 (11) – (14) 1/11 victory, their desire to win was there for all to see. The Scots will no doubt rue some missed dead ball opportunities and the fact that they were unable to get the ball to their forwards for parts of the second half. However Scott McNeil, John Barr, Finlay MacRae, and Ronald Ross stood out for the Scots whilst the Irish were well served by Paddy Mullaney, Shane O’Neill, Gareth Johnston, Shane Dooley and of course Tommy Walsh. |