GRAIGNAMANAGH  0-17    BARROW RANGERS 0-15

Brillant sunshine greeted both teams on Sunday for their noon throw in at Clara in the first round of the Junior Hurling League. In what turned out to be an entertaining and competitive encounter with both sides giving full value for the large crowd in attendance. Graig where first on the scoreboard when Terry Dreelan pointed from a free in the opening minute. Marc Drennan had the sides level when he got Rangers opening score in the fourth minute. The Graig lads then enjoyed a purple patch and opened up a three point lead with scores from play by Thomas O' Donnell and two from Drelann. Rangers Kieran O' Neill broke up their sequence when he pointed in the thirteen minute and just before the water break it was back to the minimum when Rangers centre back Ciarán Breen split the posts from long range. On the resumption Jack Kelly found his range to tie the game and a minute later Rangers where in front after Kevin Brennan ambled up the pitch and found the target. It was going to be that sort of game. Graigs full forward Sean Holden steadied the ship and restored parity with a fine score. Graig got their nose back in front when midfielder Pierce Blanchfield got the first of his points. From the puck out Kelly was on the sliotar and it was all square again. Blanchfield and a Dreelan free pushed Graig into a two point lead but on the stroke of half time it was back to the minimum when Killian Rudkins got the final score of the half. Half time Graignamanagh 0-08 Barrow Rangers 0-07. Within four minutes of the restart it was a draw game again when Drennan pointed and the same player put Rangers back in front with a converted free. Dylan Cahill squared the match 0-09 each. Kelly's restoration of Rangers lead was quickly cancelled by a Dreelan free. At the water break the sides were locked at ten points. Rangers introduced Billy Hanlon and with his first touch of the sliotar pointed from a difficult angle. Blanchfield who was gaining a foothold at midfielder found the space to land an point, teams level again. There after the Graig lads raced into a three point lead courtesy of two Dreelan frees and one from play by Blanchfield. Points from Ed Prendergast and Hanlon brought it back to the minimum with six minutes of normal time remaining. It was back to a two point game with another Dreelan point from play. On the sixtieth minute Kelly had it back to the minimum to make for a very interesting and tense four minutes of added time. Graig went two up in the first of those minutes, a Drennan 65 left it a one point game but Dreelan restored Graigs two point advantage. Needing a goal Rangers had one last chance when awarded a close in free, but their goal bound shot was well saved by goalkeeper Ian Kavanagh. Game over. Graignamangh were good value for their win and on another day with more accuracy from their shooting would have put up a bigger score. They shot 15 wides to Barrow Rangers 6.

GRAIGNAMANAGH: Ian Kavanagh, Cian Alyward, Sean Dowling, Shane Kearney,  James Doyle, Joe Dowling, James Meaney, Pierce Blanchfield, Thomas O' Donnell, Niall Hayden, Terry Dreelan, Mitchell Maher, Dylan Cahill, Sean Holden, Richard Foley. 

BARROW RANGERS: Jason Holden, Shane Flavin, Paddy Purcell  Conor Dermody, Michael Doyle, Ciarán Breen, Kevin Brennan, Killian Rudkins, Tom Brennan, Martin Bambrick, Marc Drennan, Jack Kelly, Keith Flavin, Kieran O' Neill, Cathal English. 

Subs: Ed Pendergast for Tom Brennan, Billy Hanlon for Doyle, Darragh O' Connor for Bambrick. 

Scorers Graignamangh: Terry Dreelan 0-09 (0-05 frees) Pierce Blanchfield 0-04, Thomas O' Donnell, Sean Holden, Dylan Cahill 0-01 each. 

Barrow Rangers: Marc Drennan 0-04 (0-01 free,0-01 65) Jack Kelly 0-04, Billy Hanlon 0-02, Kieran O' Neill, Ciarán Breen, Kevin Brennan, Killian Rudkins, Ed Pendergast 0-01 each. 

Referee: Peter Burke (Fenians)