College Hurling Review: University of Galway topple ATU Galway in ‘Battle of Galway’
By OisÃn Brennan
On Thursday evening in Dangan, arch rivals University of Galway and ATU Galway faced off in the ‘Battle of Galway’ in round three of the Higher Education College Hurling League.
Both sides approached the fixture seeking to add to their points tally accumulated already from the first two rounds of the competition.
Last week, the University of Galway scored a whopping tally of 4-28 against Mary Immaculate College in an emphatic win.
ATU Galway were narrowly defeated in a tightly contested affair against TUS Midwest and sought to overcome this defeat to build confidence for the season ahead.
University of Galway 2-31 0-13 ATU Galway:
In the build up to this round three clash, many would have predicted a tight affair. However, spectators on the evening were treated to anything but a close game.
University of Galway dominated large periods of the tie as the score line would suggest, giving on-lookers the gift of perfect hurling despite the tough conditions.
ATU Galway struggled to gain a foothold in the game, leaking a considerable amount of goal-scoring opportunities to their Galway rivals.
UG’s renowned free taker Evan Niland was in devastating form on the evening, recording his own personal tally of 1-11 on the night.
Despite the nature of the result, University of Galway will be under no illusion that they have much to build and improve on before the 2024 Fitzgibbon Cup commences.
ATU Galway will be left largely disappointed with their league performances to date and will be hopeful that the return of crucial county stars will enhance their chances when they take to the main stage in January.
Round Three Higher Education Hurling League results
University of Limerick 0-25 TUS Midwest 0-12
University of Galway 2-31 ATU Galway 0-13
UCD 6-31 SETU Carlow 0-09
Upcoming Fourth Round Fixtures:
Thursday 16th of November
Mary Immaculate College v University of Limerick
University of Galway v TUS Midwest
Thursday 9th of November
SETU Carlow v Maynooth University
Dublin City University v University College Dublin
Fitzgibbon Cup aims
To date, the University of Galway have recorded rather impressive league form. Jeffrey Lynskey’s side will aim to build on this momentum heading into January.
For the University of Galway, they are completely aware of the challenge at hand. If they are to get over the line, they will eventually have to defeat an exceptional UL side.
ATU Galway will be seeking to once again qualify for the knockout stages and aim to cause an upset. They are more than capable of achieving this on any given day.
The 2024 Fitzgibbon Cup lies just around the corner. This year’s competition promises to be one of the best in many years.
