Walterstown: 1-19 Nobber: 1-6

BY EANNA HOLLAND

Out of the group and in to the quarter finals. The state of play for Walterstown following the conclusion of the group stages of the Meade Farm Intermediate Football Championship on Sunday afternoon. 

The Blacks had 13 points to spare over Nobber in this third round encounter and they were in complete and utter control throughout. They led by seven at the break and Nobber only managed two scores after the turnaround and now head towards a relegation battle. 

Walterstown certainly owed Nobber some payback after last year’s shock defeat at the quarter final stage in Kells and they got that monkey off their backs in Slane on Sunday. 

Alan Wall opened the Blacks’ account in the first minute when he split the posts but Nobber levelled up proceedings soon after. 

From the kick out, Adam Quinn won possession and subsequently fired over Walterstown’s second point of the afternoon, before Mark Foy raised a white flag to leave the Blacks leading 0-3 to 0-1 early on. That lead was further extended when Quinn kicked over a free from the ground with his trusted left peg. 

The sides swapped points on eleven and 13 minutes with Nobber sending over a free after Breandan McGuinness was penalised for picking the ball off the ground. However, Quinn cancelled it out when his sweet strike from a tight angled free sailed over the crossbar. 

Brian O’Connell, who finished with a personal tally of nine points, opened his account with a point as the first quarter drew to a close. And his younger brother Barry followed suit a minute later and raised a white flag after a superb run from defence from wing back Lorcan O’Connor. 

Nobber grabbed their first score from play soon after and indeed added the next score but don’t be fooled, Walterstown were in full control of this one. 

One from play from Quinn, off his right, and another from a free from Brian O’Connell after O’Dowd was impeded, extended their lead to five (0-9 to 0-4) by the 21st minute. 

And then came the real turning point or maybe we should say the real turning goal! With 24 played Ruairí O’Dowd stuck the ball in the back of Dary Hutchinson’s net after collecting possession from Brian O’Connell and left the scoreboard reading 1-9 to 0-4. 

At the break Walterstown led by seven and were full value for it too and after that break they didn’t take their foot off the pedal either. 

O’Connell knocked over two frees early on to extend Walterstown’s lead before O’Dowd, ably assisted by Alan Wall, raised a white flag. 

At the end of the third quarter Walterstown led 1-13 to 0-5 and should have had a second goal after 47 minutes but Adam Quinn’s shot rattled the crossbar but they made up for it a minute later when Brian O’Connell converted a free following a foul on O’Dowd. 

Nobber enjoyed a small bit of a purple patch with ten left to play, hitting 1-1 without response but that’s as good as it got for them, as Walterstown finished out strongly. 

Four points from O’Connell and a second from Alan Wall and that was that. A comfortable victory for Niall Reynolds’ men and a place in the quarter final secured. The Blacks finish top of Group C with three wins from three, while Ballivor, in second place, follow them through to the knockout stages.

SCORERS: Walterstown - Brian O’Connell 0-9 (3f), Adam Quinn 0-4 (1f), Ruairí O’Dowd 1-1, Alan Wall 0-2, Mark Foy 0-1, Barry O’Connell 0-1, Paul Donnellan 0-1.

WALTERSTOWN: John Davis; Ciaran Cox, Jack Wilson, Ross Reynolds; Jack Doyle, Conor Farrelly; Lorcan O’Connor; Mark Foy, Conor O’Sullivan; Adam Quinn, Barry O’Connell, Alan Wall; Breandan McGuinness, Ruairí O’Dowd, Brian O’Connell. SUBS: Neil McGinley replaced C O’Sullivan 47 mins, Paul Donnellan replaced A Wall 48 mins; Aron McLoughlin replaced A Quinn 53 mins, Conor Lenehan replaced R Reynolds 58 mins, Adam Treanor replaced B McGuinness 58 mins. 

NOBBER: Dary Hutchinson; Seamus Fagan, Nanna Fagan, Barry Cassidy; Kian Donohue, Niall Farrell, Colm Condra; Thomas Murtagh, Dean Halpin; Conor Owens, Jamie Owens, Barry Bradley; Joe Tierney, Karl Casserly, Dale Larkin. 

REFEREE: Patrick Coyle

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