Hurlers are dismantled by devestating Down

Down 9-25   Tyrone 0-13

THE Tyrone hurlers suffered their heaviest defeat in more than two decades when a Down team seeking promotion from Division Two routed them at Ballycran on Sunday.

It was a tough lesson on the realities of higher grade hurling for the Red Hands. They battled well throughout, but had absolutely no answers for opponents who controlled almost throughout the game and were superior in every sector.

Six first half goals meant that the visitors trailed by 6-14 to 0-8 at half-time. Things got little better on the resumption either as Tyrone continued to struggle to contain the Mourne men who were on top in every sector.

Tyrone deserve credit for their efforts at stages, especially during the opening period when they gave a good account of themselves. A series of well-taken scores and some good defending raised hopes that they might be able to really challenge Down.

Points from an Aidan Kelly free and then Turlough Mullin saw them go 0-2 to 0-1 ahead with five minutes gone. Cormac Munroe, Ben Gormley and Lorcan Devlin were also working hard in defence as Tyrone sought to build momentum.

But Down’s opening goal gave the Red Hands a taste of what they could expect. Chris Egan took a pass from Eoghan Sands to fire into the net. Ben Gormley responded for Tyrone soon after and they seemed to have weathered that initial Mourne storm when Aidan Kelly increased their total.

>body2_text<His effort left the score 1-3 to 0-4 after eight minutes. A further point from Kiefer Morgan kept Tyrone going, before a second Down goal courtesy of Pearse Og McCrickard left them firmly in control.

That dominance was never in doubt during the remainder of the tie.

Tyrone would only manage three more first half points, as Down really turned on the pressure.

A third goal from Donal Hughes extended their advantage, leaving Down nine ahead by the end of the first quarter.

The Red Hands tried hard, but shots into the forwards were comfortably intercepted and Down’s first touch, skill and tactical awareness ensured that they had plenty of space in which to operate.

Goal number four arrived courtesy of Pearse Og McCrickard in the 22nd minute, as Phelim Savage, Ronan Beatty, Chris Egan and Paul Sheehan all added points. Two more goals arrived before half-time when first Liam Savage took a pass from Ronan Beatty to hit the net and then Tim Prenter fired home a good individual effort.

Tyrone did respond and enjoyed some good moments before the break. Mickey Little and Aidan Kelly added points, but it was far from being enough as they trailed by 6-14 to 0-8 at half-time.

It was a case of re-setting for the second half as Tyrone sought to make some inroads into that hefty Down advantage. The home team introduced a number of subs, and the flow of scores slowed somewhat during that second half.

But the task facing the Red Hands was still a very substantial one and it didn’t get any easier. A goal from substitute Michael Dorrian served notice of Down’s intentions and they continued to regularly register scores as the half progressed.

The score stood at 7-18 to 0-8 approaching the final quarter.

Cormac Munroe, Ben Gormley and Aidan Kelly continued to battle hard, and there was some respite when Ciaran Magill opened the second half account for the Red Hands.

Down registered another goal courtesy of Tim Prenter an they led by 8-21 to 0-9 at that stage.

A ninth goal from Donal Hughes threatened to really hit Tyrone, but they rallied and finished reasonably strongly.

Four points in the closing stages of the game provided with them with just a little consolation on what was a difficult day. Mickey Little twice fired over in impressive fashion, before Lorcan Devlin also scored to bring them to 0-12.

Little completed their tally right at the end of normal time. The final whistle ended a very one-sided tie that will have provided Tyrone with a lot of lessons to be learned as they prepare to face Kildare and Kerry in their final two matches over the coming weeks.

Scorers

Down: Pearse Og McCrickard 2-9 6f, Donal Hughes 2-2, Chris Egan 1-2, Paul Sheehan 0-4 1f, Michael Dorrian 1-1, Tim Prenter 2-2 1f, Liam Savage 1-0, Marc Fisher 0-2 1f, Caolan Taggart 0-1, Barry Trainor 0-1.

Tyrone: Mickey Little 0-4,1f, Aidan Kelly 0-3 3f, Turlough Mullin 0-1, Ben Gormley 0-1, Kiefer Morgan 0-1, Lorcan Devlin 0-1, Ciaran Magill 0-1.

Teams

Down: Stephen Keith, Matt Conlon, Tom Murray, Gerard Hughes, Niall McFarland, Liam Savage, Caolan Taggart, Donal Hughes, Phelim Savage, Chris Egan, Paul Sheehan, Eoghan Sands, Tim Prenter, Ronan Beatty, Pearse Og McCrickard. Subs – Gerard Hughes for P Savage halftime, Michael Dorrian for R Beatty half-time, Marc Fisher 7 for E Sands half-time, C Lavery for S Keith 45.

Tyrone:  Ciaran McElhatton, Tiarnan Morgan, Fionn Devlin, Michael Coyle, Lorcan Devlin, Cormac Munroe, Ben Gormley, Corey Bell, Turlough Mullin, Kiefer Morgan, Aidan Kelly, Ciaran Magill, Mickey Little, Branan Molloy, Aidan Woods. Subs – Mark McCann for T Mullin 25,, Francie Hurson for M Coyle 46.

Referee – Ciaran O’Regan (Cork)