Moorehouse leads the way as Bray Emmets make it four in a row in Wicklow

Bray Emmets became only the third ever team to win four hurling titles in a row in Wicklow after a belter of a Lightning Protection Ireland Senior hurling final replay in Aughrim on Saturday.

A storming second-half performance that saw them outscore the proud men of Glenealy by 1-08 to 1-05 having taken a five-point lead into half-time allowed Marc Lennon to become the first ever hurling captain to lift four O'Donoghue Cups in a row on what was a historic day for himself and the Bray Emmets club.

A sense of righting wrongs from the drawn final was what emanated from the opening half although there was no shaking the Glenealy men thanks to a sweet goal from Jonathan O’Neill after 15 minutes in reply to an earlier major from Bray’s Eoin McCormack.

But all doubts about the destination of the O’Donoghue Cup were quietened when Christy Moorehouse spun his marker, rampaged down on Cian Staunton’s goal and lashed home with 18 gone in the second half to make it 2-13 to 1-6.

Powerful performances from Padraig Doyle, who would be presented with the man of the match award, Christy Moorehouse, John Henderson, Eoin McCormack and Marc Lennon to name but a few meant that despite them throwing everything they had at the Bray defence, there was no way back for Glenealy.

A heavy shower of rain moments before the parade suggested that this was going to be something of a dogfight and that’s exactly how the first half turned out, with Bray Emmets trying to build a lead with the wind at their backs and Glenealy looking to hit stinging replies on the counter.

It was Bray who hit the ground running with a Mikey Boland point from play and a wicked Eoin McCormack goal inside the first five minutes with Glenealy registering a wide in the same time.

Paul