Freemount 3-9 Millstreet 1-11
Millstreet crashed out of the Duhallow Junior Hurling Championship tonight after as Freemount came from behind in the second half to battle into the next round.
The game started well for Millstreet with two unanswered points in the first five minutes, but they were quickly wiped out when a long ball into the Millstreet square saw the defenders and goalie hesitate for a second as the Freemount forward raced in and stuck away a simple goal. Freemount added another point, but then Millstreet struck back with a goal from Tadgh Collins as he rounded his man and struck it into the roof of the net from a tight angle. Millstreet dominated proceedings for most of the first half with some fine hurling from backs to the forwards racing into a six point lead with the help of the free-taking of Finbarr Corcoran and points from Michael Vaughan and Jamie. There was a bit of a free for all as a wild pull saw half the players flying into a shimmozzle to exact some retribution. Four players booked and the game moved on. Freemount knocked over two late points to leave the half-time score at 1-7 to 1-3, but still a feeling of confidence that the game was there for us to win.
The second half however saw a different type of game as Freemount tightened up their marking and were much more tigerish in pursuit of the breaking ball, but still there were no scores for the first 10 minutes as both sides were guilty of missing scorable chances. Half way through the second half Freemount started closing in as they knocked over a number of points from out the field, but a few frees kept them arms reach, until their wing forward raced onto another breaking ball, went past a couple of Millstreet defenders and finished to the top of the net. Suddenly the teams were all square at 2-6 to 1-9. The teams traded points with Tadgh Collins pointing, and then Freemount got a point ahead, but then the killer blow with 8 minutes remaining as a free from the half-way (which should have gone the other way) seemed to drop between the full-back and the keeper and go straight to the net (but there must have been a touch). Donagh McCarthy got a point back from free but another dubious free saw Freemount regain their four point margin, and that’s how it stayed for the final moments.
Freemount turned the second half into a battle and came out the victors. Millstreet for all their fine skill just needed a little more steel in their game for the battle. A disappointing result 
