ALDRIDGE CUP RD. 1
NAAS 1 – 16 ROUND TOWERS 2 – 11
Naas defeated Towers with two late points in their first competitive game of the season. Rustiness showed in poor marking, missed placed passes and inaccuracy but both sides will be happy with their first outing of the year.
Towers were first on the scoreboard with two Neil Scanlon points. Naas were level after ten minutes with points from Philip Cocoman and Ailin McDermott. John Joyce put Naas ahead with a well taken point before points by Aaron McConville and Neil Scanlon. A 23rd. minute goal from Philip Cocoman followed by a point from his brother Joey gave Naas a 1 – 4 to o – 4 lead. Although the teams swapped three points each in the last seven minutes it was two Towers goals in the 25th. and 30th. minutes by Jay O’Brien and Aaron McConville that put Towers three points clear at the interval 2 – 7 to 1 – 7.
Naas started strongly in the second half with points from John Joyce and Conor Mellett. Neil Scanlon (Towers) and John Hill(Naas) traded points before two Mellett frees put Naas one point ahead after fifteen minutes 1 – 12 to 2 – 8. Points by John Hill and John Joyce put Naas three clear but Towers fought back and levelled the match with two Scanlon points and one from substitute Cathal Duffy. In the dying minutes a Paul McDermott point and a Conor Mellett free gave Naas a two point victory.
Scorers: Naas: Conor Mellett(0 – 6), Philip Cocoman(1 – 1), John Joyce (0 – 3), Ailin McDermott(0 – 2), John Hill (0 – 2), Joey Cocoman (0 – 1), Paul McDermott(0 – 1) Towers: Neil Scanlon(0 – 8), Aaron McConville(1 – 1), Jay O’Brien(1 – 1), Cathal Duffy(0 – 1).
Naas: Barry Reynolds, Fiachra Piggott, Paul Sullivan, John Hill, David Shaw, Shane Bergin, Shane Gibbons, Paul McDermott, Oisin Gill, Joey Cocoman, Conor Mellett, Ailin McDermott, Barry Murphy, Philip Cocoman, John Joyce. Subs: Luke Mullins, Conor McCarthy, Darragh Merriman, Neil Farragher & Johnny Heavey.
Towers: Colin Farrell, Alan Culla, Sean Duffy, Stephen O’Brien, Evan Flynn, Mark Byrne, Jason Dunne,, Matthew Kelly, Dean Houlihan, Brian Robinson, Jay O’Brien, D.J. Flynn, Niall Cleary, Aaron McConville, Neil Scanlon. Sub. Cathal Duffy.
Referee: Tony Herbert
