Carlow Town Hurling Club 5-14, Setanta 2-8.

The Setanta U-15’s have kind of patented a team photograph with a difference this year, the players choosing to stand shoulder to shoulder in a single line rather than the traditional two rows with one kneeling in front.

Truth to tell that line has sometimes been disappointingly short, the first photo showing 11 fit players and one injured colleague. Slowly but surely, though, the line is getting longer and this evening in the Pres, despite boys on holidays and in the Gaeltacht, the line was sixteen hurlers long.

And, not only did the hurlers stand shoulder to shoulder for the photo, these lads stood strong on the field too and a first half performance full of grit and determination and laced with pucks of skill saw Setanta retire with a deserved 2-5 to 1-6 interval lead. It was a half-hour to gladden the heart and a display from the heart.

Carlow Town enjoyed a purple patch on the restart, striking for 2-4 in a hot five minute spell and while our lads steadied the ship the visitors, who paraded a few outstanding individual hurlers, continued to pick off their scores, with a couple of long range points from the right wing as could as you will see.

Setanta peppered the school end posts late on and were unlucky not to pilfer another goal or two, one ball taken off the line, another ricocheted to safety. But bottom line is every single Setanta player stayed battling to the very end, no more can you ask for.

SETANTA: Conor Treacy; Laueq Ur Rehman, Rian Payne, Bill Flynn; Alan Geoghegan, Stephen Lacey, Evidas Preikitis; Aaron Langrell, Ethan Kavanagh (0-2); Conor Murphy, Conal Hickson (0-1), Kyle Nolan (0-4, 3f, 65); David Jacob (1-0), Adam Daye, David Bolger (1-0). Sub: Tristan McEntee.

CARLOW TOWN: Adam Maher; Terry French, Eoin Townsend, Tommy Fitzharris; Brandon Farrell, Daniel Culleton, Adam Byrne; Ciaran Timmons, Kieran Nolan; Mylo Feehan, Jamie Ayres, Jack Doyle; Diarmuid Long, Keelan Finn, Corey Walker. Sub: Tom Behan.

REFEREE: William Fanning.