Tooreen edge keenly contested Mayo under 20 hurling final

Tooreen recorded a hard-earned 2-17 to 2-12 victory over Castlebar Mitchels in the Under 20 Hurling Championship Final, played at a sunny Hastings Insurance MacHale Park.

Castlebar Mitchels produced a commendable display, and despite suffering defeat, the red and yellow can take plenty of positives from this encounter.

The opening exchanges were nip and tuck and after eight minutes the sides were level at 0-2 apiece. Tooreen then edged in front thanks to a free from Fionn Delaney, but Castlebar bounced back and plundered a goal on 12 minutes courtesy of Eoin Enright, and suddenly the red and yellow led 1-2 to 0-3.

However, the Tooreen response was almost instantaneous, and their raiding wing-back Dylan Greally cut inside and fired home a terrific goal past Oisin Mulroy in the Castlebar goal.

Fionn Dealney then guided over a sublime long-range free and Tooreen were now motoring along nicely.

The east Mayo outfit then added their second goal of the joust on 21 minutes, when a fine free flowing move ended with Fionn Delaney guiding the sliotar to the back of the net.

Tooreen ended the half in a positive fashion and at half-time the blue and white held a 2-10 to 1-5 lead.

A resurgent Castlebar Mitchels began the second half the brighter, with Kevin Rowland’s peach of a point one of the scores of the game.

Tooreen only notched two points during the opening 20 minutes of the second half, and during that period a resolute Castlebar managed to find a way back into the contest. Four points on the spin from Castlebar’s Ronan Loftus, Kevin Rowland, and Rian Fallon (2) left just four points separating the sides, 2-12 to 1-11.

Tooreen finally ended their malaise when Oisin Casey pointed on 51 minutes, which was quickly followed by another point from his team-mate, Fionn Delaney.

A brave Castlebar kept plugging away and a goal from Fallon after 59 minutes set up an intriguing finale, as the deficit was once again reduced to four points.

Nevertheless, Tooreen closed out the game impressively and Casey’s late point proved to be the insurance score for the blue and white.