MacManus delivers for Down as game Warwickshire falter

19 February 2020

BEING strong favourites to win this game didn’t make it any easier for Rónán Sheehan’s charges at a wet and windy Ballycran on Saturday.

Without the services of regulars Caolan Taggart, Darragh Mallon and Pearse Óg McCrickard, Down were still expected to put up a cricket score against Warwickshire, but the weather conditions were to prove a great leveller in this round three fixture.

However, the hosts had a star in the making in Ronan Costello, who finished with three points.

He opened the scoring within two minutes under heavy attention from Michael O’Regan, who struggled to keep the Bredagh starlet under wraps over the course of 70 minutes.

Warwickshire levelled and momentarily headed their hosts within the next two minutes through Darren O’Neill, but when Ballycran’s Chrissy Egan gathered and rounded his marker on three minutes, there was only going to be one outcome, as he flashed the sliotar past Phil Crean to see Down lead 1-1 to 0-2.

The soft, underfoot conditions and a gale force wind saw Warwickshire land their puck outs just shy of Down’s 14 line, much to their rear-guard’s distain as the strong wind was key in setting up most of the visitors’ scoring chances — they matched Down score for score in the opening quarter of the game.

Down, playing against a strong head wind, had to work very hard to reach Warwickshire’s end zone, but still managed to hit a purple patch midway through the half, just as the punishing rain made a mockery of any chance of entertaining the home crowd.

MacManus, Murray and Egan added to Down’s scoreline, but when Down failed to deal with one Warwickshire’s long puck outs, with eight to half time, an unmarked Ian Dwyer pulled on a loose sliotar that beat a helpless Paddy McNally.

Down’s woes were compounded when a Willie Allen free, from all of 60 metres, sailed straight to Down’s net. Thankfully, from the resulting puck out, Down worked the sliotar down to Eoghan Sands.

He squeezed the sliotar out to McCusker at the edge of the square and the danger man slashed it across the square to the far corner of the net.

Down now led by 2-12 to 2-8 with Tarlach Conway about to end the half.

Down were afforded the luxury of changing their rain-drenched strip for the change of ends.

Warwickshire, though, limited with substitutes, packed their defence for the remaining 35 minutes with just two forwards in the last half of the field in a bid to cause an upset and scratch some sort of result as they faced a bitter cold, biting wind.

With Down now eight to the good, the industrious Danny Toner found McCusker, who played into Sands. He let fly and the sliotar flew to the roof of Crean’s goal.

Ultimately, Warwickshire suffered as they only managed two wides in the remaining portion of the game.

Down, looking to improve their scoring difference, continued to tack on points as Danny Toner, Egan and second half subs PJ Davidson and Niall McFarland added to further dead-ball MacManus’ points before he retired through injury with ten minutes to go.

Afterwards,Sheehan said: “The horrendous conditions reduced the game to a dour, sluggish contest and although we were never in danger of losing once we built up a good lead, the conditions were a major factor in curtailing our young lads up front, who are capable of causing serious to even the best of teams on their day”.

Down: P McNally, B Byers, J McManus, C Cassidy, G Hughes, C Woods (0-1), M Patterson, M Conlan, T Murray (0-1), R Costello (0-3), R McCusker (1-2), D Toner (0-2), O MacManus (0-8, 4f), E Sands (1-0), C Egan (1-3). Subs: L Savage for Murray, P Savage for McCusker, PJ Davidson (0-1) for Byers, N Fitzsimmons for Sands, N McFarland (0-1) for MacManus.

Warwickshire: P Crean, D Murphy, R O’Donoghue, T Kelly, D King, J Collins, M O’Regan, R Curley (0-1), C Heaney, J McDermott, I Dwyer, D O’Neill (0-1), W Allen (2-1), L Hands (0-4f), E McCabe (0-1). Subs: P Hands for McDermott, B Muldoon for Dwyer, S Brough for Murphy.

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