Tynagh-Abbey-Duniry 0-15 Pearses 0-11: This game was tight up until the final minutes, with TAD extending their lead above two points for the first time with 50 minutes on the clock. The teams were level six times throughout the course of the game, with Pearses holding the lead once and TAD leading by one or two mostly, particularly in the second half. They stretched their lead to four at the end of the game.
In the first minute of the game there was a half-chance of a goal for Ronan Bellew, his flick however going wide of the Tynagh-Abbey-Duniry posts. The teams were level 0-4 after 17 minutes, with all but one (John Conroy) of these scores coming from placed balls – Shane Maloney, Tomas Flannery and Emmet Ward on target. Pearses’ first point from play arrived after 20 minutes from midfielder Ronan O’Neill. This gave Pearses the lead for the only time in the game.
Colm Larkin levelled from play for TAD, before a goalmouth scramble resulted in Shane Maloney tapping over the resulting 21 yard free. He added another free moments later, 0-7 to 0-5. Sean Hardiman hit a point from the right wing for Pearses following some good teamwork forcing a TAD turnover.
Tynagh-Abbey-Duniry were reduced to 14 men with 30 minutes gone, when centre-forward John Conroy received his marching orders for a second yellow card offence. The score remained at 0-7 to 0-6 at half-time, TAD with the narrowest of advantages.
The teams were level again soon after the break, through a Tomas Flannery free. This would be the last time the teams were deadlocked, as Shane Maloney pushed TAD ahead by two with two points in the two minutes that followed. Emmet Ward hit back from play for Pearses, but Maloney again responded, 0-10 to 0-8.
Pearses were then reduced to 14 men when half-time sub Cormac Ward was red carded. Colm Raftery pointed for Pearses, but Maloney and Thomas Gordon opened a three point gap for TAD. This the first time in the game that the gap between the teams went above two points. Two points from Tomas Flannery reduced the margin to the minimum again, with six minutes remaining, 0-12 to 0-11.
Tynagh-Abbey-Duniry had the stronger finish, hitting the last three points of the game, Maloney, Colm Larkin and Gordon the scorers. They are promoted to the Senior ‘A’ ranks for 2019. Next up for Pearses is Clarinbridge in a knockout qualifier game, with the winner of that advancing to the Preliminary Quarter-Finals.
Pearses: F Flannery; R Lally, K Donnellan, D Wynne; C Raftery (0-1), C Donnellan, K Hardiman; C Fahey, R O’Neill (0-1); J Gelston, E Ward (0-2), S Hardiman (0-1); G Lally, T Flannery (0-6), R Bellew. Subs used: C Ward, E Cunniffe.