A STRONG Cuala side did just enough to defeat a battling Ballyboden St Enda's in this absorbing Dublin U21 'A' HC semi-final at an ice-cold Hyde Park, Dalkey on Sunday morning.

With the U21 football 'A' crown already in the locker, Cuala will hope to complete the double against either Na Fianna or Craobh Chiaráin. And if they produce a performance of similar skill and determination, it would take a brave person to back against them succeeding Lucan Sarsfields as county champions.

Central to their victory was the strong defensive spine offered by Oisín Gough at full-back and John Sheanon at centre-back who marshalled his side superbly while nullifying the threat of Boden's Dublin senior Simon Lambert.

Cuala were also indebted to Conor Gough and substitute Rory Cole at wing-back who battled superbly, particularly in the second-half when St Enda's enjoyed the majority of possession and territory while behind them Packie Holden and Colm O'Farrell were rock solid in the defensive corner positions.

The forwards impressed sporadically with five of the starting six scoring from play. Mick Fitzsimons was the pick of the bunch despite his influence waning after being moved to the edge of the square after the interval.

Ballyboden will be disappointed to have lost by the minimum and that only a minute of injury-time was added despite a number of lengthy stoppages in the second half, and Stephen O'Connor, Marty O'Sullivan, Liam McCarthy and Matthew Weldon can all feel aggrieved to have lost out in the end after performing admirably.

well-taken

After an untidy opening, Shane Murphy, fed by Luke Keating, got the hosts off the mark with a well-taken point on six minutes, and within a minute Cuala were four points to the good when David Treacy calmly found the net from Fitzsimons' incisive hand pass.

However, Boden raised their own green flag two minutes later when Paul Ryan opted to go for goal from a 20-metre free and, although his initial effort was repelled on the line, Mark Lambert was quickest to react as he buried his finish from close range.

The half continued in a similar vein with Murphy and Ryan exchanging frees and Scott O'Brien and Lambert doing likewise from play as neither of these well-matched sides was allowed to play with any discernible pattern amid increasingly frantic tackling and crowding.

The hosts, sensing they required a sizeable lead having played with the hill and the breeze in the opening period, finished the half on a high with Fitzsimons plundering a goal after Keating's shot was saved by McGarry and a Keating point on the whistle helped them to a five-point (2-5 to 1-3) interval lead.

Ryan, having eventually found his radar after four untypical wides from placed balls in the first-half, reduced Boden's deficit with a long-range free in the opening minute of the second-half, but Murphy kept Cuala ticking over with two frees after un-necessary fouls by the visitors.

With O'Sullivan and McCarthy increasingly influential, St Enda's started to eat into the hosts' lead through points from David O'Connor, Ryan and a wonderful individual score from Niall McMorrow to leave just two points between the sides with 10 minutes remaining.

Cuala responded well to the challenge, however, with Paul Schutte knocking over an inspirational point to help lift the siege and, although Lambert replied immediately, Mark Schutte availed of superb play from Holden on 58 minutes to knock over what proved the winning score from an acute angle on the right.

A late free from Ryan and a sublime sideline cut by Weldon proved too little, too late for Ballyboden as they succumbed by a solitary score, and Eamon Mac Suibhne's final whistle prompted scenes of jubilation among the Cuala faithful as they gained an element of revenge after losing the 2008 minor final in unfortunate fashion to the Firhouse Road club.

- Rónán Mac Lochlainn