Longwood’s Minor Hurlers got their season off to a winning start with an excellent 1-17 to 1-13 victory away to Clann Na nGael on Monday evening.

Despite missing a couple of key players, the boys delivered a resilient performance, turning a three-point half-time deficit into a four point winning margin at the full-time whistle.

Coaches Jim Dorran and Karl Ennis will have been delighted by the work rate of the team.

While it was a strong collective effort, there were a number of standout performances most notably from James Cully who was in clinical form, registering a fantastic eight points over the hour.  The defence worked tirelessly throughout with Rian Holton and Noel Gill to the fore, restricting their opponents to just four points in the second half.

Midfielders William Phillips and Henrik Peciuzyte combined strongly, again shining in the second period.  

Up front, in addition to ace marksman Cully, Patrick Nicholson, Rian Duffy and Conor Dorran carried a serious threat at all times.

Special note to young cubs Brendan Nicholson and Lar Giles who belied their young years and contributed handsomely to the win.

Well done lads!  A good start and much to build on for the coming season.

Longwood: Owen Byrne, Noel Gill, Rian Holton, Sean Kelly, James Cully (0-8), Rian Duffy (0-2), Conor Dorran (0-2), William Phillips (0-2), Henrik Peciuzyte (0-1), Lar Giles, Patrick Nicolson (1-2), Sean Lee, Graham Loughlin, Brendan Nicholson