A  brave and spirited performance by an understrength Brian Dillons Minor Hurling team just fell short in their Rebel Og County Minor Hurling League game against St.Vincents ,which was played at Pairc Uinsinn on Thursday evening, 18th April 2013. The final score of an exciting and evenly contested tussle was;  St.Vincents,1-8; Brian Dillons,0-9.

                   For the second night this week, the Brian Dillons Minor players had to play under the most extremely difficult and demanding weather conditions. On Monday night they played below in Crosshaven, in the Football League, under the most horrendous weather conditions imaginable of torrential rain and galeforce winds.,while up in St. Vincents Ground, on tonight,Thursday, they had to attempt to play hurling amidst a bitterly cold gale-force wind and frequent heavy wintry showers.   Credit, again, to both teams for serving up  an extremely entertaining game under such un-seasonal like weather.

                  Brian Dillons had to field without three of their most accomplished hurlers for this game with Darren McGrath, Eric O"Donoghue and Adam Cotter all out due to injuries received earlier this week. However, the team that took the field performed heroically and can consider themselves most unlucky not to have won. A powerful shot by full-forward, Kieran Delaney, as he was bearing down on the St.Vincents goalkeeper, just grazed over the crossbar,early in the first-half  and in the closing minutes, Brian Manning, who had a great game, was most unlucky not to goal when his shot beat the "keeper only to go narrowly wide.

               Scoring was always going to be difficult on such a wicked night, and at the end of the first half, Brian Dillons were ahead by 0-6 to 0-4.  Things continued to be tight in the opening stages of the second half but, St.Vincents got the deciding goal midway through the half when they finally beat first-class Brian Dillons "keeper, Mark Kelly, to take the lead for the first time. Credit to Brian Dillons for not throwing in the towel, at this stage, as they continued to attack menacingly in search of the match winning scores, with their last chance being the Brian Manning near miss.

            This was the Brian Dillons sides first defeat in this competition and they have an opportunity to get back to winning ways on next Wednesday evening, 25th April, when they face Bride Rovers at the Tank Field. Keith McCormick was, once again, a class act at centre back for Brian Dillons with other courageous defensive displays coming from Ryan Burns, and Michael Feehan. Andrew White was outstanding at midfield with able assistance from Mark Sheedy while Brian Manning, Kieran Delaney and Eoin Casey worked tirelessly in attack.

            Scorers for Brian Dillons were; Keith McCormick,0-5; Brian Manning,0-2; Kieran Delaney and Andrew White,0-1 each.