Bosco Cup: Naas open with win over Terenure College

WHILE Naas CBS had to withstand a final ten-minute comeback from Terenure College, the thirteen point lead they had built by that stage was sufficient to give them the three point victory in Round 1 of the Bro Bosco Cup in Terenure on Tuesday.

Naas had top scorers in full forward, Robbie Millham and corner forward, JJ Reilly who accounted for 1-9 of the Naas total between them. The sides were level on four occasions in the opening half but Naas pulled away just before the break scoring four points without reply to lead 0-8 to 0-7 at the break. Prior to that Terenure had taken a three-point lead with points from the dangerous Ben Mulvihill and Ronan O’Dell, brother of Dublin star, Lorcan. Niall McAndreew, JJ Reilly and Matthew Galvin, each with two points and one each from Rian Curran and Oisin McAfee helped CBS into that slender lead with a two-pointer from Daithi Gannon a standout score for the hosts in the half. The CBS best spell came in the third quarter when they registered 1-9 without reply. Millham got on the end of a good team move to fire in their goal four minutes after the restart and he added a point from a free two minutes later.

Two two pointers from Reilly, one from a free, and another from wing back, Cathal Harris were instrumental in building up a 1-17 to 0-7 lead for Naas by the 50th minute with Terenure failing to score since the 24th minute.

The hosts staged somewhat of a recovery in the final ten minutes starting with a goal from Mulvihill in the 50th minute and another from the penalty spot by Rian Ennis a minute later. Cillian Long and Millham points kept Naas out of reach but a two pointer from Jack Brady on the stroke of full time and an injury time goal from half time substitute, Finn Connellan, made for a nervy ending but Naas survived and they will now face Marist College, Athlone in Naas on Thursday, 22nd October in Round 2 of the competition.

Scorers, Naas CBS: Robbie Millham 1-3 (2 frees), JJ Reilly 0-6 (1 X 2pt free, 1 X 2pt, 1 free), Cathal Harris 0-2 (1 two-pointer), Niall McAndrew 0-2, Oisin McAfee 0-2, Matthew Galvin 0-2 (1 free), Cillian Long 0-1, Rian Curran 0-1.

Terenure College: Ben Mulvihill 1-4 (1 free), Rian Ennis 1-0 (pen), Rory O’Shaughnessy 1-0, Jack Brady 0-3 (1 X 2pt, 1 free), Daithi Gannon 0-2 (1 X 2pt), Ronan O’Dell 0-1.

NAAS CBS: Colum Gibbons (Naas); Rory Cooke (Raheens), Eoin Markey (Kill), Alan Smyth (Naas); Cathal Harris (Kill), Cillian Long (Naas), Niall McAndrew (Naas); Hugh Kelly (Kill), Oisin McAfee (Raheens); Rian Curran (Raheens), Conor Lafferty (Kill), Matthew Galvin (Two Mile House); JJ Reilly (Kill), Robbie Millham (Naas), Callum Cowzer (Naas). Subs: Fionn Stewart Byrne (Ballymore Eustace) for Conor Lafferty 40, Max Sargent (Eadestown) for Matthew Galvin 46, Jack Murray (Blessington) for Oisin McAfee 58, Fionn Coyle (Two Mile House) for Callum Cowzer.

TERENURE COLLEGE: Rory O’Donovan; Conor McCarthy, Arthur Duffy, Conor Deasy; Conor O’Brien, Rian Ennis, David Lombard; Matthew Fowler, James Browne; Donal Clair, Daithi Gannon, Jack Ledwidge; Ronan O’Dell, Ben Mulvihill, Jack Brady 0-3. Subs: Finn Connellan, Rory O’Shaughnessy.

REFEREE: Joe Sweeney (Laois)