KERRY GAA
coiste chontae chiarraí c.l.c
KERRY GAA
coiste chontae chiarraí c.l.c
Garvey's SuperValu Senior Football Championship Final
12th Title for Dr Crokes
DR CROKES 0-17
SOUTH KERRY 1-12
Dr Crokes have won their 12th Garvey's SuperValu Senior County Championship title after a narrow two point win over South Kerry in Austin Stack’s Park Tralee this afternoon. Crokes now tie top of the Roll of Honour together with Laune Rangers and Austin Stacks all with 12 as the most successful county championship sides. The Bishop Moynihan Cup now visits Lewis Road for the 6th time in 8 years.
The game got off to a fast-paced start as Paul O’Donoghue sent a great pass over the defence to find Brendan O’Sullivan but his shot was saved by Shane Murphy who pulled off a fantastic save to deny the midfield man. After Murphy’s save Bryan Sheehan stepped up to put a “45” over with all the action coming in the 1st minute.
Dr Crokes slowly managed to get a foot in the game as Kieran O’Leary put over two points from play, giving Crokes a one point lead after 8 minutes. Micheál Burns extended Crokes lead with a well taken solo effort ending with a great spin against his marker and sending the ball over the bar.
It was nip and tuck in the early stages and with 14 minutes played Crokes almost raised the green flag but Brian Sugrue made a fantastic block to send Tony Brosnan’s effort over the bar. Sugrue deserved credit for that save but Padraig O’Sullivan deserved even more as he made a stunning one handed save to deny Daithi Casey.
Crokes were breathing down the South Kerry necks and Gavin White managed to run up and calmly put over to score. South Kerry were searching for an opening and were gifted an opportunity as Mike Moloney gave away possession and Ian Galvin managed to run through and drive the ball under Shane Murphy low into the bottom corner in the 18th minute.
Ian Galvin’s effort was the first goal conceded by Crokes this championship year, however they managed two quick scores after the defensive blunder to maintain the advantage.
Both sides exchanged scores just before the half time break as Crokes managed to hold a two point, the half time score being South Kerry 0-11 to 1-06 for Dr Crokes.
South Kerry came out after the break and looked to try and sneak the early advantage as Matthew O’Sullivan broke free and hit a low driven shot that was saved spectacularly again by Shane Murphy, his second such save of of the afternoon.
Micheál Burns managed to point before Paul Donoghue and Bryan Sheehan managed to keep South Kerry in the match as they trailed by a point.
Daithí Casey and Bryan Sheehan both exchanged frees as the match turned into an edge of your seat affair as the underdogs South Kerry were putting Crokes to the sword but the winners still led by 0-13 to 1-9 at the three quarter stage.
Johnny Buckley was sent off midway through the half after he was shown a second yellow card for his troubles. Once more after the card it was Daithí Casey and Bryan Sheehan both exchanging frees again as the 14 men of Crokes were hanging on.
The All Ireland champions showed their guile in the final stages of the half as Jordan Kiely and Kieran O’Leary pointed to put Crokes three in front.
South Kerry looked to fight back in the later stages of the half with Ronan Hussey and Bryan Sheehan pointing cutting the deficit to just a point as we went into three minutes of added time. Crokes slowed the pace down eventually carved an opening to give Kieran O’Leary his fourth of the afternoon. Dr Crokes managed to hold on to retain the Bishop Moynihan Cup.
Final score in Austin Stack’s Park Dr Crokes 0-17 South Kerry 1-12.
Scores:
Dr Crokes: D. Casey (0-5, 2F), K. O’Leary (0-4), M. Burns (0-4), T. Brosnan (0-2), J. Kiely and G. White (0-1),
South Kerry: B. Sheehan (0-7,1 45, 2F), P. O’Donoghue (0-2), I. Galvin (1-0), B. O’Sullivan, C. O’Shea, R. Hussey (0-1 each)
Teams:
Dr Crokes: S. Murphy, J. Payne, M. Moloney, L. Quinn; D. O’Leary, F. Fitzgerald, G. White ; J. Buckley, A. O’Sullivan; M. Burns, G. O’Shea, B. Looney T. Brosnan, D. Casey, K. O’Leary.
Subs: A. O’Donovan for M. Moloney(Black), S. Doolan for D. O’Leary, P. Clarke for M. Burns, E. Brosnan for B. Looney, C. Cooper for G. O’Shea, J. Kiely for T. Brosnan
South Kerry: P. O’Sullivan, B. Sugrue, M. Griffin, F. Clifford, P. O’Sullivan, J. Curran, R. Wharton, B. Sheehan, B. O’Sullivan, C. O’Shea, P. O’Donoghue, G. O’Sullivan, N. O’Shea, M. O’Sullivan, Daniel Daly.
Subs: O. Clifford for J. Curran, Denis Daly for N. O’Shea, R. Hussey for M. O’Sullivan, I. Galvin for Daniel Daly, C. Farley for I. Galvin.
Champions Dr Crokes ease into County Final
Dr Crokes 5:13
West Kerry 0:14
By Sam Mansfield and Diarmuid Kearney
Dr Crokes have advanced to yet another County final after a comprehensive 14 point win over West Kerry in the second game at Fitzgerald Stadium this afternoon.
West Kerry opened proceedings within 30 seconds as Jason Hickson managed to find space and pointed just inside the 21 yard line but beyond that opening score Dr Crokes were in cruise control for most of the opening half following their first score in the 2nd minute when Johnny Buckley pointed from play.
After a 6 minute scoring hiatus Dr Crokes laid their stamp on proceedings as Tony Brosnan pointed before Daithi Casey goaled after a well worked Crokes attack that started from a Colm Cooper free and ended with Tony Brosnan passing to Casey who made no mistake to score.
With 11 minutes gone West Kerry managed two quick-fire back to back scores with Eanna Ó Conchúir and Dara Ó Sé both adding to the scoreboard. Crokes were still comfortable in this game and a point from the old reliable Colm Cooper extended their lead by 3 midway through the opening half.
With 17 minutes played Dr Crokes were dogged in their pursuit of another County Final as Brian Looney and Gavin White both pointed as Dara Ó Sé managed to get another point for West Kerry in between to try and ignite a comeback.
On 20 minutes the game could easily have been over as a contest as Daithi Casey managed to run past the West Kerry defence but his high shot cannoned off the crossbar.
Colm Cooper was having an amazing opening half for Crokes and managed two quick fire points and sent in a lovely ball for Tony Brosnan to add to proceedings, however the red mist descended on the West Kerry challenge late in the half when Jason Hickson was shown a second yellow for a high challenge just before the interval at which stage the scoreboard read 1-09 to 0-05.
Dr Crokes made the dream start to the second half as Colm Cooper cheekily goaled from a quick free which whad been brought forward for dissent.
The Crokes man made short work of the free spotting just one man guarding the line and he curled the ball pastMac an tSaoir.
West Kerry were doing everything to give a spirited comeback in this game as Seán Micheál Ó Conchúir managed two quick fire points but it only looked like a consolation effort on the scoreboard.
Dr Crokes had Fionn Fitzgerald and Michael Moloney both Black Carded as the half progressed but it had very little effect to the game as the Killarney side managed a 3rd goal in the 56th minute when Paul Clarke fisted the ball to the net from a great pass by Tony Brosnan,
West Kerry’s day went from bad to worse late on as Jordan Kiely managed two late goals to kill the game off and Crokes now advance to the final against South Kerry on October 22nd.
Scores:
Dr Crokes: C. Cooper (1-03), B. Looney (0-02), M. Burns (0-02), D. Casey (1-01), J. Buckley (0-01), G. White (0-01) S. Murphy (0-01), T. Brosnan (0-02), P. Clarke (1-00), J. Kiely (2-00)
West Kerry: S.M. Ó Conchuir (0-05), E. Ó Conchuir (0-03), J. Hickson (0-01), D. Ó Se (0-04), A. Fitzgerald (0-01)
Teams:
Dr Crokes: S. Muprhy, J. Payne, F. Fitzgerald, D. O’Leary, M. Moloney, A. O’Sullivan, G. White, J. Buckley, D. Casey, M. Burns, G. O’Shea, B. Looney, C. Cooper, T. Brosnan, L. Quinn
Subs: J. Kiely for C. Cooper, A. O’Donovan for J. Buckley, D. Shaw for A. O’Sullivan, P. Clarke for B. Looney, Black – J. Lyne for M. Moloney, Black – S. Doolan for F. Fitzgerald
West Kerry: T. Mac an Tsaoir, C. Ó Muircheartaigh, C. Ó Luing, C. Ó Murchu, PJ. Mac Laimh, P. Óg Ó Sé, B. Ó Beaglaoich, R. Ó Sé, A. Fitzgerald, T. Ó Sé, D. Ó Sé, J. Hickson, D. Ó Suilleabhain, E Ó Conchuir S.M Ó Conchuir.
Subs: D. Ó hUigin for T.Ó Sé, A. Finn for C. Ó Murchu, C. Ferriter for D. Ó Suilleabhain, G. MacGearailt for PJ. Mac Laimh, G. Ó Nuanain for C. Ó Muircheartaigh, T. Moriarty for S.M Ó Conchuir
All Ireland Champions show their mettle
By John O’Leary PRO
It was always going to be a long shot to have the All Ireland champions dethroned in their own back yard. The difference between a tried and trusted outfit such as Dr Crokes, and a youthful divisional side such as West Kerry was clear to see from a very early stage. Even allowing for the fact that the Chorca Dhuibhne side were backboned by 12 players from the one club, realistically they were never going to be a match for the Killarney side. It must be said that they did struggle on manfully and even when a man down, twenty minutes into the second half the deficit was still seven points, same as it was at the break.
It must have been demoralising for the West Kerry side to be reduced to 14 men on the stroke of half time given that they had performed reasonably well to that point being just a goal adrift at the end of the first quarter. But then Dr Crokes kicked on with five points from play and were well within themselves leading by 1-9 to 0-5 at the break.
The second half started with that audacious goal from Colm Cooper though it was poor defending of the highest order by the West Kerry defence to leave Tomá Mac an tSaoir stranded on his own with a goal poacher such as Cooper around. West Kerry strove manfully with Eanna Ó Conchúir and Sean Mhicil Ó Conchúir outstanding and they outscored the champions by 6 points to 3 during the next 20 minutes. However, the impetus from fresh blood off the bench from Dr Crokes and the defending while a man down combined to see the flood gates open and Dr Crokes finished with a flourish with their subs contributing 3 goals in the final five minutes or so.
They now go on to meet their old rivals South Kerry in the final with their place in the Munster Club Championship already guaranteed regardless of the result on October 22nd.
South Kerry Leave it late to qualify for Co Final
South Kerry 0-12
Kerins O’Rahillys 1-08
By Sam Mansfield and Diarmuid Kearney
South Kerry are through to the County Championship Final after a hard fought one point win over Kerins O’Rahillys played in Fitzgerald’s Stadium this afternoon.
After a very slow start, it took 6 minutes for the first score of the afternoon, Bryan Sheehan fisted over a point after a defensive error from the Rahillys kick out. Rahillys found it tough early on as just a minute later Barry John Keane missed an easy free just outside the 21 yard line.
With 9 minutes played Rahillys were gifted their chance as they were awarded a penalty by referee Eddie Walsh as Graham O’Sullivan brought Padraig Griffin to the floor and Jack Savage stepped up and calmly dispatched the spot kick past Padraig O’Sullivan.
South Kerry almost had a goal of their own in the 13th minute but a double save from Gary Kissane and Karl Mullins denied Ronan Hussey from raising the green flag.
Midway through the half Rahillys extended their lead by 2 points after John Ferguson and Barry John Keane both pointed before Matthew O’Sullivan pointed in reply.
Bryan Sheehan was influential for South Kerry all afternoon and managed to leave the deficit at one point at half time scoring two great points either side of a Barry John Keane free as Kerins O’Rahillys led at the break 1-03 to 0-05
Rahillys started the ne half on top yet again as Jack Savage pointed a free and Tommy Begley managed to get a point to extend the lead to 3 points.
Bryan Sheehan had a great chance to goal on 45 as he bore down on goal and had his chance blocked on the line by Rahillys captain Danny O’ Sullivan.
Rahillys may rue the kick out strategy following the defeat as a second kick out error cost them dear as Daniel Daly collected the loose ball and managed to point levelling the game.
It was edge of your seat stuff late on as South Kerry went ahead in the 55thh minute through an Ian Galvin free before Jack Savage levelled for Rahillys a minute later.
South Kerry managed to seal the game in the dying embers as Daniel Daly pointed a late free before Mark Griffin capped off proceedings with a long darting run and fisting over to give his side a two point cushion but Barry John Keane pointed a long range free to leave the minimum between them and from the kickout he had a second chance from exactly the same spot from another free but this time his effort fell short and South Kerry it is who go forward to the County Final In Austin Stack Park on October 22nd.
Scorers:
South Kerry: B.Sheehan (0-03), D.Daly (0-03), R.Hussey (0-01), P.O’Donoghue (0-01) M.Griffin (0-01), I.Galvin (0-01) N.O’Shea (0-01) M.O’Sullivan (0-01)
Kerins O’Rahillys: J.Savage (1-02), BJ.Keane (0-03), T.Begley (0-01), T.Walsh (0-01), J.Ferguson(0-01)
Teams:
Kerrins O’Rahillys: G. Kissane, D. O’Sullivan, R. O’Callaghan, T. Begley, R. Carroll, C. Coffey, K, Mullins, D. Moran, T. Walsh, P. Griffin, C. Barrett, G. O’Brien, BJ. Keane, J. Savage, J. Ferguson)
Subs: C. Sayers for J. Ferguson, G. Savage for G. O’Brien, T. Hoare for T. Walsh
South Kerry: P. O’Sullivan, B. Sugrue, M. Griffin, F. Clifford, P. O’Sullivan, J. Curran, R. Wharton, B. Sheehan, B. O’Sullivan, C. O’Shea, P. O’Donoghue, G. O’Sullivan, R. Hussey, M. O’Sullivan, D. Daly.
Subs: O. Clifford for P. O’Donoghue, I. Galvin for M. O’Sullivan, N. O’Shea for R. Hussey, S. O’Connor for J.Curran
Wasteful South Kerry were the better side on the day
By John O’Leary PRO
In the end, South Kerry very nearly paid for their wastefulness in front of goal. Barry John Keane, who had just reduced the deficit to the minimum with a free from 55 yards in the 61st minute, was presented with a second chance from the same position following the kick-out. Had his shot sailed over for the equaliser instead of falling short then South Kerry would surely have been kicking themselves facing into a replay after dominating the game for long periods.
Rahillys did not have their first attack of note until the 7th minute yet South Kerry had only a point from Eir Sport Man of the Match Bryan Sheehan to show for their troubles in that time. The goal from the penalty, after quick hands from Tommy Walsh found Padraig Griffin, sustained Rahillys for the remainder of the half and it was only two good points from Sheehan and another from Ronan Hussey late in the half that dragged South Kerry back into the game on the scoreboard by half time.
The District side had kicked seven wides during that opening half, the majority from the usually reliable Sheehan. A 1-3 to 0-5 lead at the break for Rahillys did not reflect the trend of the game despite David Moran doing Trojan work for the Blues around the middle and Cormac Coffey defiant in the half back line.
Rahillys did have a good ten minute spell on the resumption but South Kerry continued to kick wide after wide and Rahillys hung in there for as long as they could. Finally, a point from a “45” by Paul O’Donoghue who had taken over the placed ball duty by now, and another from Daniel Daly levelled the game with 12 minutes to go. The winners still found it hard to edge ahead against a resolute Rahillys defence but those two late points in the 29th minute from Daniel Daly and Mark Griffin finally killed off the Tralee side’s challenge.
South Kerry, without county player Killian Young, will have a lot of improving to do if they are to stand a realistic chance of defeating champions Dr Crokes in the decider, but semi finals are all about winning regardless of what the margin is.
Senior Football Championship Relegation Playoff
Kerins O’Rahillys 2-12
Kilcummin 1-10
Kerins O’Rahillys have managed to retain their place in the Senior County Championship after a well earned five point win over Kilcummin in Austin Stack Park Tralee today.
Kilcummin managed to raise the white flag first as Brendan Kealy came up to put over a free just outside the “45”. One became two shortly after as Matt Keane gave Kilcummin the early advantage.
Rahillys were wasteful in front of the posts and it took a Jack Savage free in the 8th minute to cut the deficit to one. Kilcummin restored the advantage after 18 minutes with Kevin McCarthy putting over outside the 21.
With 24 minutes played Rahillys were awarded a penalty and up stepped Jack Savage but the spot kick was saved brilliantly by Brendan Kealy who got down low to his right hand side to push the shot onto the post and managed to smother back possession.
Rahillys managed to draw level with another free as Jack Savage made little error as we edged closer to the interval but the Tralee side were wasteful in that first half and could have held the lead had they bought their shooting boots.
Kevin McCarthy was not missinghowever and managed to run through the Rahillys defence and hit a low shot into the net, leaving it 1-04 to 0-03 after 28th minutes with a four point half time deficit looming for Rahillys. They needed something before the break to keep them alive and just 3 minutes after the McCarthy goal Rahillys were level as Barry John Keane goaled with a hard low shot and shortly after Jack Savage scored another free and it was all square at the interval; 1-04 to 1-04.
The second half proved more lively than the first as Kilcummin fired over two quickfire scores with Matt Keane and Kevin McCarthy pointing to give the Division 2 side the advantage.
Rahillys responded in great fashion as they got four quickfire unanswered points to nudge in front but Noel Duggan responded to keep his side in the hunt and trail by a point 1-8 to 1-7 by the 40th minute.
Rahillys were playing with comfort in the second half and another three fast scores had them looking favourites to retain their championship status.
Kilcummin kept their necks in this contest hoping for a comeback with Brendan Kealy and Matt Keane adding again to the scoreboard but Rahillys still held firm.
Jack Savage and Kevin McCarthy exchanged frees and it was 1-12 to 1-10 with 7 minutes to go. Rahillys managed to deliver the killer blow late on however as Gavin O’Brien managed to hit the back of the net after he connected with a high ball into the square.
Kevin McCarthy was shown a second yellow card late on as Kerins O’Rahillys maintained their proud championship status.
Scorers:
Kerins O’Rahillys: BJ.Keane (1-4)(2F) , J.Savage (0-7)(7F), G. O’Brien (1-0), R. Molloy (0-1),
Kilcummin: K. McCarthy (1-3)(2F), M. Keane (0-3), N Duggan (0-2), B. Kealy (0-2)(1F,’45)
Teams:
Kerrins O’Rahillys: G. Kissane, D. O’Sullivan, R. O’Callaghan, T. Begley, S. Brosnan, C. Coffey, T. Hoare; D. Moran, C. Barrett; R. Carroll, J. Savage, C. Sayers, BJ. Keane, P. Griffin.
Subs: G. Dillane for G.Savage, R. Molloy for T. Hoare, G. O’Brien for C. Sayers, D. Murphy for P. Griffin,
Kilcummin: B. Kealy; D. O’Leary, D. Maher, D. Moynihan; S. O’Leary, C. O’Leary, M. O’Shea; K. Gorman, K. Teahan; M. Keane, K. McCarthy, N. Duggan; O. O’Connor, S. McSweeney, P. Casey.
Subs: D. O’Leary for D. Moynihan, I. Devane for P. Casey
Castleisland Mart Intermediate Football Championship Final
An Ghaeltacht 1-12
Templenoe 0-14
By Sam Mansfield and Diarmuid Kearney
An Ghaeltacht are the Castleisland Mart Intermediate football champions for 2017 after a one point win over a valiant Templenoe in Austin Stack Park Tralee today.
An Ghaeltacht started the game on the front foot and almost had a goal in the first minute after a brilliant 60 yard solo run by PJ Mac Láimh ended with a low shot being palmed away by the Templenoe keeper Anthony Sheehan. Play was called back for an earlier advantage and Dara Ó Sé put over the resulting free. It would take until the 6th minute for another score as Sean M Ó Conchúir scored a great point on the far right.
Templenoe were back in the game after 10 minutes as Killian Spillane popped up with two quickfire scores to level proceedings and Stephen O’Sullivan added another just moments later to give his side a narrow lead.
Sean M Ó Conchúir was pulling the strings in the An Ghaeltacht attack and put over two more points just after the 12th minute as the game was becoming end to end stuff but Teddy Doyle managed to level it again with a smart point just before the half hour mark.
An Ghaeltacht hit a killer blow in the 16th minute as Sean M Ó Conchúir goaled after gathering Brian Ó Beaglaoich’s pass and fired past Anthony Sheehan into the back of the net.
With the score standing at 1-06 to 0-06 after 25 minutes, Templenoe looked like they needed something to get back into the game and had two great chances to goal within minutes of each other as Tomás Mac an tSaoir saved a Brian Crowley shot and moments later Cian Hallissey blasted a shot against the side netting.
On the stroke of Half Time, both Dara Ó Sé and Cian Hallissey pointed frees to leave the score 1-07 to 0-07 as An Ghaeltacht held a three point lead at the break.
Templenoe came firing out of the traps just after the restart as Tomás Mac an tSaoir made another great save this time to deny Josh Crowley-Holland. Just after the 46th minute the score now stood at 1-09 to 0-09 as both Dara Ó Sé and Killian Spillane pointed twice each as the end to end contest continued.
Tomás Mac an tSaoir proved his worth yet again in the 53rd minute as he denied Josh Crowley-Holland again as the score stood 1-10 to 0-10 points with that three point lead still intact.
Templenoe were not giving up without a fight and points from Killian Spillane, Pat Spillane and the last in the 59th minute from Cian Hallissey had the scores level 1-10 0-13 as we neared the end of proceedings.
With five additional minutes it was edge of your seat stuff as both sides were looking to bring home the Fenian Cup, An Ghaeltacht drew first blood as Gearóid Mac an tSaoir pointed after a great solo run in the 61st minute and just a minute later Kerry Senior footballs ever present Tadhg Morley popped up to draw Templenoe level as we headed into the last three minutes.
Deep into the added time neither side were giving up in search of the winner and up stepped PJ Mac Láimh who fisted over in the 63rd minute scoring his third of the afternoon as An Ghaeltacht went on to see the game out one point winners as the game finished 1-12 to 0-14 in Austin Stack Park.
Scores:
An Ghaeltacht: S.M. O’Conchúir (1-3)(2F), D. Ó Sé (0-5)(4F), PJ. Mac Láimh (0-3), G. Mac an tSaoir (0-1).
Templenoe: K. Spillane (0-6)(5F), T. Doyle and S. O’Sullivan (0-2 each), Cian Hallissey (0-2)(1F), P. Spillane and T. Morley (0-1 each)
Teams:
An Ghaeltacht; T. Mac an tSaoir, C. Ó Coileáin, M. Ó Sé, C. Ó Luing, B. Ó Beaglaoich, P. Ó Sé, C. Ó Muircheartaigh (c), R. Ó Sé, S. Ó Gairbhí, C. Ó Fiannachta, D. Ó Sé, PJ. Mac Láimh, T. Ó Sé, É. Ó Conchúir, S.M. Ó Conchúir
Subs: Ó. Ó Sé for C. Ó Fiannachta, G. Mac an tSaoir for , C. Ó Coileáin, C. Mac Gearailt for S. Ó Gairbhí
Templenoe ; A. Sheehan, M. Hallissey, G. Crowley, K. O’Neill, D. Cahalane, T. Morley, J. Spillane, S. Sheehan, J. Crowley-Holland, T. Doyle, K. Spillane, P. Spillane, S. O’Sullivan, C. Hallissey, B. Crowley
Castleisland Mart Junior Premier Football Championship Final
Piarsaigh na Dromoda 0-17
Firies 1-11 (AET)
Drmid Pearses were crowned Castleisland Mart Junior Premier football champions at a well attended JP O’Sullivan Park Killorglin this evening but they needed extra time to get the better of a Firies side who looked like they were going to hold on for victory in normal time. Firies had taken a slender 6 points to 5 lead to the interval but they the resumed a transformed side with Shane O’Donoghue pointing in the 32nd minute and a minute later Padraig de Brúin soloed through a static Dromid defence to fir the ball past Brian O’Leary for the only goal of the match. When Donnchadh O’Sullivan soloed up the wing and lofted over another point a minute later, Firies had built what looked like a winning platform being 1-8 to 0-5 clear. Jack Sherwood was playing out of his skin at their stage for the light blues and he was getting good support from Stephen Foley and Donnchadh O’Sulivan.
However the move of former Kerry Minor Graham O’Sullivan to the centre of the field was to pay rich dividends for the South Kerry side who took a hold on the game but could not turn an abundance of possession into scores. Thomas Curran had a shot from close range smothered by Con O’Mahony and then Billy O’Rourke saved well from Dilan O’Donoghuewith the result that Dromid had not added to their half time tally by the three quarter stage. Then however Aidan “Shine” and Chris Farley had two good points within a minute but when Denis “Shine” and Dilan O’Donoghue set up Graham O’Sullivan in the 52nd minute the latter’s shot crashed off the post with goal written all over it. The impressive O’Donoghue retired injured after that bout of play and it looked as though Dromid’s goose was cooked. However, the South Kerry side owned the ball at this stage and came forward in waves with the result that Firies were forced to foul on occasions and Thomas Curran picked off four pointed frees on the trot to tie the game 1-8 to 0-11 at the end of normal time. While it certainly hard luck on Firies not to hold out, it would have been rough justice on Dromid had they failed to send the game to extra time at least.
The domination by Dromid continued into extra time with Graham O’Sullivan picking off three points from play and Donnchadh O’Sullivan converting a free for Firies from 49 yards to leave Dromid 0-14 to 1-9 ahead at the break.
Graham O’Sullivan again and Eoin O’Leary extended Dromid’s lead on the resumption before Donnchadh O’Sullivan left just a goal between the sides once again however Thomas Curran had the last say with the insurance score from a free to spark wild scenes of excitement at the final whistle.
The opening half was a dour struggle with Dromid wasting a number of good scoring chances in the first quarter. Good points from Dilan O’Donoghue for Dromid and Jack Sherwood for Firies were the standout scores as the sides were locked on 3 points each after 15 minutes and these two players provided the highpoints of the second quarter with excellent scores as Firies showed a gradual improvement as the half progressed and when Sherwood kicked them into the lead just on the half time whistle they were full of confidence going to the dressing room. It was not to be however as Dromid took a stranglehold on the middle third of the field and though it took them a while to find the target there was no stopping them once they discovered their scoring touch.
After the game, county committee chairman Tim Murphy presented the Tom Keane Cup to winning captain Chris Farley and Graham O’Sullivan received the Castleisland Mart Man of the Match trophy from Denis Griffin of Castleisland Mart.
Scorers: Dromid Pearses: Thomas Curran 0-5 frees, Graham O’Sullivan 0-4, Chris Farley 0-3 (1 free), Dilan O’Donoghue 0-2, Aidan “Shine” O’Sullivan, Kevin Sheehan and Eoin O’Leary 0-1 each.
Firies: Donnchadh O’Sullivan 0-5 (4 frees), Padraig de Brúin 1-0, Jack Sherwood and William Courtney 0-2 each. Shane O’Donoghue 0-1.
Castleisland Mart Junior Football Championship Final
Listry stage amazing second half comeback to overcome valiant Castlegregory.
Listry 2-12
Castlegregory 2-11
By Sam Mansfield
Listry are the Castleisland Mart Junior club football championship victors and are thus promoted to Intermediate status for the coming year after a thrilling encounter in Austin Stacks Park Tralee on Sunday afternoon.
Listry opened the scoring inside the first minute through a Joe Clifford point but Castlegregory responded through an Anton Kelliher free shortly after.
The best score of the first half came after 4 minutes as Ronan Buckley of Listry pointed just inside the 45 metre line beautifully off the ground.
The first goal chance fell to Listry on the 5-minute mark as Jimmy O’Leary knocked the ball on to Derry Ahern who saw his shot saved by the feet of Shane Kenny in front of the Castlegregory net.
Within seconds Listry were left to rue the opportunity to go 4 points up as Alan Fitzgerald levelled the game from a free for Castlegreroy.
The first goal of the day came on 8 minutes as Brandon Hoare took the ball inside, hand passing it to Alan Fitzgerald on his inside who knocked the ball low into the bottom corner for Castlegregory.
A somewhat baron spell followed the goal as we had to wait a whole 5 minutes for the next score which came from Ronan Buckley once more for Listry who pointed with wonderful technique from a free. However, Castlegreory asserted their dominance on 16 minutes as a mix up between Counihan and Lehane in the Listry defence left Brandon Hoare the ball to tap into the empty net to put Castlegregory 5 points up. Shortly after Ronan Buckley points from a 45 to keep Listry within touching distance, his 3rd score of the game.
Alan Fitzgerald with back to back points from frees within 60 seconds of each other gave Castlegregory a 6 point lead after 22 minutes.
Listry through Anthony Kennedy pulled it back to 5 before Anton Kelliher grabbed his second point of the afternoon to stretch the lead back to 6.
Liam Maunsell and Jimmy O’Grady extended the lead to 8 points for Castlegregory with points from play, each almost identical to each other and either could’ve ended up in the back of the net.
The Castlegreory dominance continued as Anton Kelliher got his 3rd score of the day through a free to make it a 9-point lead going into half time at which stage the score was Castlegregory 2-08 to 0-05 for Listry.
Listry came out flying after the interval and a point from Paul O’Donoghue was followed by a goal through Joe Clifford following a terrific goal-mouth scramble which quickly pulled Listry back into contention cutting the lead to 5 points. After 38 minutes Alan Fitzgerald pointed for Castle, their first score of the second half and on the 41st minute both number 8’s traded frees to make the score 2-10 to 1-07 for Castle.
The teams traded scores once more as a Derry Ahern free followed by an Anton Kelliher point kept the lead at 6 points going into the 45th minute. Buckley pointed from a free for Listry to make it 5 points and that score sparked the comeback.
As a result of that Listry pointed free, a defensive error saw the ball kicked straight back to Listry and the ball found its way to Joe Clifford who dummied sending two players out of sight and buried the ball into the back of the net. Listry were well and truly back in this game.
On 55 minutes, Ronan Buckley got his 6th point of the day but his first from play to bring it back to a one point game and less than a minute later Joe Clifford passed to Gary O’Sullivan who pointed well for Listry to level the game.
With less than 60 seconds of normal time to go Ronan Buckley stepped up to a Listry 45 and under pressure, pointed it magnificently to give Listry the lead for the first time since the 8th minute!
Castlegregory threw the kitchen sink at their opposition in the 3 minutes of added time but to no avail and when the full-time whistle blew and Listry were crowned Junior club football champions!
Full time score in Austin Stack Park Tralee, Listry 2-12 to 2-11 for Castlegregory.
After the game the Junior Championship Cup was presented to winning captain Jimmy O’Leary by Chairman of the County Committee Tim Murphy and the Castleisland Mart Man of the Match was presented to Listry’s Joe Clifford.
Listry:
Scorers: R. Buckley (0-07)(4 F, 2 45), G. O’Sullivan (0-01), P. O’Donoghue (0-01), A. Kennedy (0-01), D. Ahern (0-01)(1 F), J. Clifford (2-01)
Team: C. Counihan, D. Wren, B. O’Brien, D. Lehane, C. O’Sullivan, K. Murphy, C. Bradley, R. Buckley, J. O’Leary (C) G. O’Sullivan, P. O’Donoghue, A. Kennedy, D. Ahern, D. Clifford, J. Clifford
Subs: K. Courtney for K. Murphy, A. Sweeney for P. O’Donoghue, A. McCarthy for D. Clifford
Castlegregory:
Scorers: A. Fitzgerald (1-05)(4 F), J. O’Grady (0-01), B. Hoare (1-00), L. Maunsell (0-01), A. Kelliher (0-04)(2 F)
Team: S. Kenny, G. O’Connor, P. Rohan, M. Lynne, T. Moriarty, G. Fitzgearld, J. O’Connor, A. Fitzgerald, A O’Donnell, M. Scanlon, J. O’Grady, T. O’Connor, B. Hoare, L. Maunsell, A. Kelliher
Subs: M. Slattery for M. Lynne M. O’Shea for L. Maunsell
Credit Union Senior Football League Playoffs
There were a number of important Senior Football League Playoffs down for decision over the Bank Holiday weekend to decide outstanding Promotion and Relegation issues:
Division 1 Relegation Playoff – Milltown- Castlemaine are Relegated
St Marys 0-22
Milltown–Castlemaine 0-10
St Marys had it all their own way at Glenbeigh as they preserved their Division 1 status and by doing so confined Milltown-Castlemaine to Division 2 football next season along with Austin Stacks and Castleisland Desmonds. With Bryan Sheehan and Sean Cournane contributing 9 points between them St Marys led by 11 points to 5 at the break and they went to on stretch that lead on the restart. Points from Jack McCarthy (2) and Shane Murphy reduced the deficit to 5 points but that was as good as it got as Bryan Sheehan kept firing over frees to eventually end up with 14 points and secure their status almost singlehandedly.
Credit Union Senior Football League Playoffs
There were a number of important Senior Football League Playoffs down for decision over the Bank Holiday weekend to decide outstanding Promotion and Relegation issues:
Division 3 Relegation Playoff – Gneeveguilla are Relegated
St Senans 4-11
Gneeveguilla 1-18
Goals win matches they say but it took extra time for St Senans to get the better of Gneeveguilla in this relegation playoff at Castleisland on Saturday. Gneeveguilla got the better start but two goals from david Foran saw Senans lead by 2-6 to 0-7 at the break. Gneeveguilla restarted with three points on the trot but the Sliabh Luáchra side still trailed by 4 with 11 minutes to go before they hit four points on the trot with Fergus McAuliffe getting the leveller.
On to extra time where goals from Sean Weir and Paudie Quille had Senans in the driving seat before Conor Herlihy replied with a goal for Gneeveguill to leave the score 4-9 to 1-16 at half time in extra time. The sides shared 4 points in the second period and so Gneeveguilla drop to Division 4 along with Fossa and St Michaels-Foilmore.
Credit Union Senior Football League Playoffs
There were a number of important Senior Football League Playoffs down for decision over the Bank Holiday weekend to decide outstanding Promotion and Relegation issues:
Division 4 Promotion Playoff
Dr Crokes 3-9
Skellig Rangers 0-14
Dr Crokes, who played all the second half with just 14 men, are promoted to Division 3 next season following a hard earned four points victory over Skellig Rangers in the Division 4 promotion playoff in Cromane on Bank Holiday Monday. The winners got the boost of an early goal from the penalty spot by Billy Courtney but with Darragh O’Sullivan pointing regularly, Skellig held a one point lead at the break, 0-7 to 1-3. Jason Lyne goaled on the restart for Crokes and Billy Courtney added points but Skellig, with Stephen O’Sullivan and Bernard Walsh marshalling the defence and Michael O’Sullivan finding his range, fought back to level the game with thirteen minutes to play. A late goal by Jamie Doolan finally secured victory for Dr Crokes who are promoted to Division 3 next season along with Keel and Lispole.
Credit Union Senior Football League Playoffs
There were a number of important Senior Football League Playoffs down for decision over the Bank Holiday weekend to decide outstanding Promotion and Relegation issues:
Division 4 Title Playoff – Keel are Division 4 Champions
Keel 2-4
Lispole 0-9
Goals win games and so it proved at Strand Rd this afternoon where Keel were crowned SFL Division 4 champions following a narrow victory over Lispole who had to play 55 minutes of the game with only 14 men after Breándán Dorgan was dismissed for two yellow cards. Lispole got the first three points of the game but Keel’s first score was a goal from Luke Flynn in the 16th minute and their first point, from Gary Sayers, came just before the break to leave the score 0-5 to 1-1 in favour of Lispole.
The winners had their second goal soon after the restart when a free by Gary Sayers dropped short and Colm O’Neill finished to the net at the second attempt. Lispole were dependant on Declan O’Sullivan(0-6) for scores but Stephen Cahalane in the Keel goal made numerous fine saves to keep his net intact. Lispole did have a late chance of a point from a free to level it and force extra time but Keel held out.
McElligott Cup Final
John Miitchels are the McElligott Cup winners following a 3-10 to 1-6 victory over Beaufort at the John Muitchels complex on Saturday last.
First half goals from Mikey Walsh and Conor Hurley saw the winners lead by 2-4 to 0-2 at the break but an early second half goal from Kevin O’Brien saw Beaufort cut the deficit back to four points at the three quarter stage.
A good save by Peter Nammock in the Mitchels’ goal soon after was the turning point and Bryan Costello secured victory with a third goal for the homeside.
Cahill Cup Final
Currow had a narrow 1-15 to 1-14 victory over Reenard in the Cahill Cup final at Beaufort on Saturday last.
It was a game of two halves with Currow dominating the first half thanks to an early goal from the penalty spot by Padraig O’Shea, who scored 1-8 of the winners’ total, and they led by 1-8 to 0-4 at the break.
Points from the likes of Maurice O’Neill, Eoghan McCrohan and Eoghan McDaid and a goal from Sean O’Connor saw Reenard fight back in the decond half but they just came up short desoite the heroics of their goalkeeper Patrick McGill.
Apart from Padraig O’Shea, Seamus Brosnan was the other scoring threat for Currow scoring three points.
Keane's Supervalu Killorglin Minor Football Championship Final
East Kerry 2-14
St Brendans 1-15
East Kerry are Keane's Supervalu Killorglin County Minor Football Champions for the third time in 5 years following a narrow two point victory over a gallant St Brendans side at Austin Stack Park today.
The winners, who had a commanding 7 points lead at the break thanks to a dominant second quarter, had to withstand tremendous pressure from the underdogs in the second half and St Brendans were decidedly unlucky not to have at least earned a draw following a tremendous fightback.
With a host of All Ireland Minor and Colleges medal holders on board, East Kerry were odds on to win this final and with something to spare , and win it they did but they got the fright of their lives from a St Brendans side that refused to throw in the towel.
Brendans it was who got the better start and Eoin Greaney from a free and play had them two up before Brian Friel opened East Kerry’s account in the 4th minute. Marc Kelliher was called on to make two fine saves in the East Kerry goal as Mikey Kelliher set up Jason Mortimer and then had a shot of his own saved during a good spell for the Brendans. David Clifford got East Kerry going with points from a free and play and then he did all the spadework before setting up Ian Roche for a goal which he punched to the net after Clifford crossed across the square in the 14th minute. Mikey Kelliher, who was very influential in the first half, replied with a point for Brendans but with Brian Friel dominating the centre, East Kerry forwards were getting a fine supply of ball and they reeled off 5 points in a three minute spell to go 1-8 to 0-3 clear by the 21st minute. Sean Donnellan and Eoin Greaney pointed either side of a Sean Doherty point for East Kerry before Cian Gammell put Ian Roche through for his second goal in the 27th minute. Brendans had the perfect response however when straight from the kickout Fergal Barry set up Eoghan McElligott for a goal at the other end. Dara Devine and Sean O’Leary swapped points but at 2-10 to 1-6 the odds certainly favoured East Kerry at the break.
With both Diarmuid O’Connor and Eoghan McElligott thundering into the game at midfield, St Brendans set about reducing the deficit with some gusto. Eoin Greaney made it a 5 point gap from play and free inside two minutes of the new half but Brian O’Regan had to make two fine saves either side of a Clifford free to keep St Brendans in the game. Still the underdogs were now dominating proceedings and after Dara Devine converted three frees on the bounce in as many minutes, there was just a single score between the sides 2-11 to 1-11 with 41 mins gone.
With midfield possession drying up David Clifford was forced to move out to centre forward and he picked off a badly needed point for his side in the 42nd minute. Mikey Kelliher replied for St Brendans and then Clifford set up Sean Doherty but the Glenflesk man elected to shoot when a pass to an unmarked colleague would have been a better option – O’Regan mad another fine save and when Greaney pointed a free it was a 2 point game, 2-12 to 1-13 with 10 to go. Cian O’Shea, again after good work by Clifford, increased the gap to three again and O’Regan in the St Brendans goal had another fine save from Darragh Lyne to keep his side in the hunt. East Kerry’s obsession with goals almost cost them as Eoghan McElligott and Dara Devine (Free) reduced the margin to a point as time ticked over to the mandatory 4 minutes of added time. However, they were let off the hook by a Brendans side who had not kicked their first wide until the 47th minute, but as time ebbed they were off target twice from reasonable distances and angles and after he had a great chance to seal the issue with a blistering shot that went just wide of the butt of the post, David Clifford got the insurance score for East Kerry in the 64th minute.
So, while they certainly deserved their win, East Kerry will in time look back on this game as one that could very easily have gone the other way. On this occasion, Clifford certainly got a run for his money for the Man of the Match award from the likes of comrades Paul O’Shea and Brian Friel (first half) while the losers had outstanding displays from goal keeper Brian O’Regan, Niall O’Mahony who did as well as anyone has done on Clifford, and midfielders Diarmuid O’Connor and Eoghan McElligott.
After the game , County committee Chairman Tim Murphy presented the Frank King Cup in the presence of his daughter Breda King, to winning East Kerry captain Ian Roche while sponsor Peter Keane presented East Kerry’s David Clifford with the Man of the Match trophy.
Scorers; East Kerry: David Clifford 0-6 (2 frees), Ian Roche 2-0, Brian Friel and Sean Doherty 0-2 each, Sean O’Leary, Darragh Lyne, Niall McCarthy and Cian O’Shea 0-1 each.
St Brendans: Eoin Greaney 0-5 (3 frees), Eoghan McElligott 1-2, Dara Devine 0-5 (4 frees), Mike Kelliher 0-2, Sean Donnellan 0-1
Teams:
Ciarraí Thoir
1 Mark Kelliher (Glenflesk)
2 Damian Cronin(Rathmore)
3 Chris O’Donoghue (Glenflesk)
4 Oran O’Donoghue (Glenflesk)
5 Sean O’Leary (Kilcummin)
6 Cian Gammell (Killarney Legion)
7 Pa Warren (Gneeveguilla)
8 Brian Friel (Rathmore)
9 Darragh Lyne (Killarney Legion)
10 Paul O’Shea (Kilcummin)
11 Michael Devlin (Killarney Legion)
12 Sean Doherty (Glenflesk)
13 Niall McCarthy (Spa)
14 David Cllifford(Fossa)
15 Ian Roche (C)(Glenflesk)
Fir Ionaid:
16 Derry McCarthy (Rathmore)
17 Owen Fitzgerald (Gneeveguilla)
18 Jamie O’Sullivan (Gneeveguilla)
19 Darren Looney (Killarney Legion)
20 Cain Bradley (Listry)
21 Daniel Murphy (Rathmore)
22 Aaron McCarthy (Listry)
23 Cian O’Shea (Fossa)
24 Jack Cremin (Gneeveguilla)
25 Thomas O’Connor (Kilcummin)
26 David Dineen (Rathmore)
27 Conor Stack (Spa)
28 Brian Brosnan (Gneeveguilla)
29 Patrick Darcy (Glenflesk)
30 Sean O’Sullivan (Listry)
31 Luke O’Donoghue (Killarney Legion)
32 Anthony Darmody (Rathmore)
33 Gary Vaughan (Spa)
34 Anthony O’Keeffe(Fossa)
35 Barry Keane (Listry)
Bainistíocht
Bainisteoir:: Seamus Moynihan (Glenflesk),
Róghnoirí: Liam Murphy (Gneeveguilla), Peter O’Leary (Killarney Legion), Aidan Cahill (Spa), Michael O’Donoghue (Glenflesk)
Naómh Breandáin
1. Brian O’Regan Ardfert
2. Fiáchra Ennis Ardfert
3. Niall O’Mahony (C)Na Gaeil
4. Damien Bourke Na Gaeil
5. Sean Hamilton Churchill
6. Ryan O’Neill Na Gaeil
7. Jack Myers John Mitchels
8. Diarmuid O’Connor Na Gaeil
9. Eoghan McElligott Ardfert
10. Fergal Barry Na Gaeil
11. Mikey KelliherJohn Mitchels
12. Sean Donnellan Churchill
13. Jason Mortimer Churchill
14. Eoin Greaney St. Pats
15. Dara Devine Na Gaeil
Fir Ionaid:
16. Sean Duggan Na Gaeil
17. Jack Dolan Churchill
18. Rory Murphy Na Gaeil
19. Brian Murphy St. Pats
20. Jack Sheehan Na Gaeil
21. Paul Lenihan Churchill
22. Patrick Roche Na Gaeil
23. Richard Flaherty Ardfert
24. Fergal O’Brien St. Pats
25. Kevin O’Connor Churchill
26. Padraig White John Mitchels
27. Tadhg Ó Loinsigh Na Gaeil
28. Dan Goggin Na Gaeil
29. Brendan Walsh Churchill
Bainistíocht
Bainisteoir: Mark Bourke (Na Gaeil)
Róghnoirí: Dave McElligott (Ardfert) and Mikey Moriarty (Churchill)
Ballyduff are Co. Champions for the 25th Time!
Ballyduff 4-13 Lixnaw 1-19
By Samuel Mansfield and Diarmuid Kearney
Ballyduff are the Garvey’s Supervalu Senior County Hurling Champions for 2017 after the Duffers won by 3 points in a thrilling replay in Austin Stack Park, Tralee on Sunday afternoon.
The first chance of the game was given to Shane Conway but unlike last week, Conway pulled it wide. The miss was punished very quickly as a minute later, Liam Boyle drove a high ball into the square from halfway and Aidan Boyle, who had started in at full forward, caught it well and struck it low beyond Martin Stackpoole into the back of the net to give Ballyduff an early lead.
Lixnaw responded to the goal within a minute through Ricky Heffernan who pointed from play and the quickfire start to the game continued as Ballyduff pointed through Daniel O’Carroll after 5 minutes to retake that 3-point lead. Lixnaw pointed once more from play through Brendan Brosnan to reduce the deficit once more.
We finally got a few minutes to breathe after the lightning start, however, with ten minutes gone Ballyduff displayed the long ball tactic once more as a high ball knocked in towards Aidan Boyle resulted in a good Stackpoole save however Aidan was quick to pounce on it and knocked the rebound into the bottom right hand corner of the net, his second goal of the game coming after just ten minutes!
Ballyduff’s amazing start continued as all 3 Boyle brothers combined in midfield before Liam knocked one over the bar from roughly half way out and Mikey Boyle continued this by adding his first of the game. Lixnaw kept in touch as a Brendan Brosnan “65” and a John Buckley point reduced the deficit back to 5 points.
Lixnaw were back in the game shortly afterwards as Heffernan grabbed the sliotar in midfield and burst through the defence before slicing the ball off his hurl however it somehow managed to roll past P.J. O’Gorman to the Ballyduff net. Game on once more.
Lixnaw carried this momentum forward as Michael Conway added 2 frees from the 65 and 30 metre marks respectively to level the game with 20 mins on the clock.
The Lixnaw comeback was short lived however as Jack Goulding got his first point of the game to put Ballyduff one point up. Michael Conway however added another free to equalise once more. End to end stuff!
Lixnaw took the lead after 22 minutes for the first time as Buckley got his second of the afternoon. This score for score theme continues as Daniel O’Carroll got his second score to level the game again and Aidan Boyle got his first point of the game before Padraig finally opened his tally after his wonderful display last week to give the Duffers a 2 point lead.
Once more Michael Conway pointed to keep Lixnaw within touching distance but just afterwards as the minute of added time was announced another long ball was sent in to Aidan Boyle who caught well and smashed it into the top corner to complete a first half hat-trick!
Michael Conway pointed once more from a free just before the whistle to make it a 3 point game at Half Time. Ballyduff 3:07 1:10 Lixnaw
The second half opened with a similar pattern as Shane Conway opened the second half scoring to reduce the Ballyduff lead once more. James Flaherty, a half time substitute popped up to make it a one point game shortly after.
The 34th minute of the game saw another Ballyduff goal opportunity however Daniel O’Carroll’s effort was well saved down low by Martin Stackpoole who pushed it wide for a “65”, subsequently missed by Padraig Boyle.
Just a minute later Ballyduff did manage to get their 4th goal of the game as Mikey Boyle burst through on goal, miss hit but the sliotar fell to brother Aidan, who gave it back to Mikey who smashed the ball past Stackpoole. Ballyduff once more lead by 4 points
That lead was extended to 5 quickly after as Aidan Boyle was dragged down and Padraig pointed the resulting free. Another Conway free just before Jack O’Sullivan pointed for Ballyduff kept this tit for tat scoring going in the second half.
Michael Conway pointed two morefree’s in the 41st and 42nd minute to make it a 3 point game once more. Padraig Boyle made it 4 once more from a free in after another long ball towards Aidan Boyle.
45 minutes in. Shane Conway got through on goal and was taken down by Padraig O’Grady who was given his marching orders after a second yellow card. Michael Conway pointed the resulting free.
Daniel O’Carroll grabbed his 3rd point of the day after sloppy play in midfield by Lixnaw. Conway made the gap 3 quickly after from another free in. Ballyduff fouling and Conway pointing seemed to be the theme of the day.
Back down the other end Padraig Boyle got his 4th score from frees to once more keep the Ballyduff scoreboard ticking. Boyle was then blocked well by Shane Conway who sprinted up the other side of the pitch to make it a 3 point game….again.
Brendan Brosnan got his second score from a “65” to reduce the Duffers lead to 2 points going into the 3 minutes of added time.
In the 61st minute Gary O’Brien, a second half sub got under a high ball and offloaded to Daniel O’Carroll who pointed to a rapturous roar from the Ballyduff supporters who had travelled to Tralee.
Shane Conway saw a last gasp effort go wide as the ref blew the whistle to crown Ballyduff county champions for the 25th time!
Full time score in Tralee, Ballyduff 4:13 - 1:19 Lixnaw.
Scorers:
Ballyduff: A. Boyle (3-01) ,P. Boyle (0-04)(4F), D. O’Carroll (0-04), M. Boyle (1-01), J. Goulding, L Boyle and J. O’Sullivan (0-01 each)
Lixnaw: R. Heffernan (1-01), M. Conway (0-10)(9F) ,B. Brosnan (0-03)(2’65), S. Conway and J. Buckley (0-02 each), J. Flaherty (0-01)
Teams:
Ballyduff: ( PJ. O’Gorman; A. O’Connor, P. O’Grady, C. Kearney; D. Goulding, P. Costello, E. Ross; D. O’Carroll, A. O’Carroll; L. Boyle, A. Boyle, J. O’Sullivan; P. Boyle, M. Boyle(c), J. Goulding)
Subs: P. O’Carroll for Anthony O’Carroll, G. O’Brien for J. O’Sullivan, J Hussey for L. Boyle, L. Boyle for P. Boyle.
Lixnaw: ( M. Stackpoole; D. McCarthy, P. Corridan, D. Shanahan; B. Brosnan, S. Power, C. O’Keeffe; J. McKenna, B. McAuliffe; J. Buckley(c), R. Heffernan, R. Galvin; C. Sheehy, M. Conway, S. Conway)
Subs: J. Flaherty for C. Sheehy, E. Galvin for J. McKenna, G. Stackpoole for S. Power, M. Corridon for D. McCarthy, L Mullins for R. Galvin.
It’s the Boyle Bros. Show as Ballyduff reign supreme in Replay
By John O’Leary PRO
Championship replays, more often than not, fail to outshine a good drawn encounter but this Garveys Supervalu Senior Hurling Championship Final Replay proved to be the exception as Ballyduff claimed their 25th title at a well attended Austin Stack Park (Att 2,922) this afternoon. It is always unfair to pick out one individual from a winning team and heap all the praise on that lone recipient of a Man of the Match or such an accolade so on this occasion we can justifiably pick a group of brothers – four in all! The Boyle brothers from Ballyduff stamped their authority on this game from as early as the third minute when Liam Boyle’s long delivery was caught superbly by Aidan and finished to the net and if Padraig Boyle was Man of the Match with 2-11 in the drawn game then this time round it was Aidan’s turn.
You did not have to have any coaching awards to figure out that the long ball into the Lixnaw goalmouth was a tactic that Ballyduff were going to employ time and time again. Aidan got his second major in the 10th minute when brother, Padraig’s shot was well saved by excellent Lixnaw netminder Martin Stackpoole and just for good measure Liam and Mikey added points.
At this stage, 2-3 to 0-2 ahead, it looked as if Ballyduff were going to have it all their own way but Lixnaw, who were forced to line out without the influential John Griffin due to a thumb injury, came back strongly and outscored their rivals by 1-6 to 0-1 in the next 13 minutes with the goal coming after a fine Ricky Heffernan run in the 17th minute. Lixnaw were running at their opponents and drawing frees – the free count in that first half was 10 to 1 in favour of Lixnaw – and Ballyduff were living off that early brace of goals but they did strike back for three points between the 25th and the 28th minutes to double their points tally. When Aidan Boyle completed his hat-trick on the call of half time- yet again from another high delivery – Ballyduff were a goal to the good at the break.
Lixnaw started brightly in the second period with Shane Conway and sub James Flaherty – who brought an improvement up front – pointing but then Mike Boyle set off on a great run, got a return pass from Aidan and the ball was in the Lixnaw net for a 4th time. It was tit for tat thereafter with Lixnaw threatening to score a goal on a few occasions but never managing to do so to ignite their challenge. Mikey Boyle was by now sitting in front of his defence and playing a sweeper role to perfection and he needed to given that they were down to 14 men from the 45th minute after Padraig O’Grady received a second yellow from no nonsense referee Cathal McAllister. With just three points between the sides and with a numerical advantage Lixnaw seemed to have Ballyduff there for the taking but while Brendan Brosnan’s “65” in the 60th minute reduced the gap to 2 points, they never looked like overhauling their neighbours and Daniel O’Carroll picked off his 4th point of the afternoon to cap a fine display by himself and his team.
And so the Neilus Flynn Cup was presented to winning captain Mikey Boyle by the Chairman of the County Committee Tim Murphy while Timmy Moynihan, representing Garvey’s Supervalu, presented the man of the Match award and Skelligs Hotel Voucher to Ballyduff’s Aidan Boyle.
Storm Ophelia will hardly dampen the Bonfires in Ballyduff tonight!!
Ballyduff and Lixnaw to do it all over again next Sunday
Ballyduff 2-15 Lixnaw 1-18
By Diarmuid Kearney and Sam Mansfield
The 2017 Garvey’s SuperValu Kerry County Senior Hurling Championship will be decided on another day after Ballyduff and Lixnaw played out an entertaining draw in Austin Stack Park in Tralee this afternoon..
It took just 15 seconds for the first score of the final as Padraig Boyle created an opening on the right and managed to score a fantastic point for Ballyduff. Just 30 seconds later Lixnaw were back in this game as John Griffin broke through to level proceedings.
After the breathless start it looked like we were down for an epic encounter and as the clock struck the second minute so did Lixnaw’s Shane Conway, who goaled on the second attempt after his first attempt was well saved by PJ O’Gorman.
Ballyduff were looking to respond quickly after the early set back and two points from Padraig Boyle had the deficit reduced to one point before Shane Conway added a free to leave the score 1-2 to 0-03 with just over 10 minutes played.
The referee was called into action in the 12th minute as he awarded a penalty for Ballyduff as Mikey Boyle was dragged down in the area and his brother Podge stepped up and calmly slotted home to give Ballyduff a narrow one point advantage.
Neither side gave an inch midway through the half with the game nip and tuck, but it was Lixnaw who were ahead after 24 minutes as Shane Conway managed to add to the scoreboard putting his side a point in front.
Lixnaw lead late on in the half but a fantastic free from Padraig Boyle in the 32nd minute from 60 plus yards out made sure neither side had an advantage at the break as the scoreboard read 1-08 to 1-08.
From the restart Lixnaw captain John Buckley pointed from play as they looked to try build an early lead and preserve it the best they could.
Padraig Boyle was having a superb game for the Duffers as he chipped away with 1-7 in the first half and was a key asset in the Ballyduff attack, Boyle would score two points before combining with brother Aidan and sent a low shot which Linxaw keeper Martin Stackpoole saved but it just managed to deflect and go over the line.
After Boyle’s second Lixnaw again needed to find a way back into the game to keep their title hopes alive and in the 41st minute the teams were level as scores from Shane Conway, Raymond Galvin and the last from Jeremy McKenna gave the Lixnaw supporters renewed hope that they could walk away as Champions.
Kerry hurling is alive and well as the remaining 15 minutes were an enthralling classic and you never knew who was going to be heading away with the cup. Ballyduff were just edging it by a point on the 50th minute as the ever present Padraig Boyle sent over another long range free that sent the duffers into a frenzy and they seemed to have sealed it In the 53rd minute as Jack Goulding and Boyle both pointed giving signs that the curse over Lixnaw was still present as the Duffers looked to be in top gear.
Brendan Brosnan reduced the lead to two points in the 56th minute as the heart rates in Austin Stack Park started to palpitate off the charts, with Lixnaw praying for late drama.
Three minutes was added on from the sideline as Lixnaw were pressing to try and claim a replay and they could have won the game with a late goal after PJ O’Gorman denied the original shot which rebounded and smacked the inside of the post and then managed to roll across the end line for a 65 which Shane Conway converted.
Deep into stoppage time both sides were battling for the win and Lixnaw got their chance to level matters when Shane Conway stepped up as cool as ice and put over the sideline cut to send the game to a replay.
Replay set for next Sunday October 15th in Austin Stack Park in Tralee.
Scorers:
Ballyduff: P. Boyle (2-11)(1P, 5F, 1 65) , J. O’Sullivan (0-01), J. Goulding (0-02), M. Boyle (0-01)
Lixnaw: S. Conway (1-10)(5F, 2 65), M. Conway (0-02), J. Griffin (0-01), B. McAuliffe (0-01), B. Brosnan (0-01)(1F), J. Buckley (0-01), R. Galvin (0-01), J. McKenna (0-01)
Teams:
Ballyduff: PJ. O’Gorman; A. O’Connor, P. O’Grady, C. Kearney; D. Goulding, P. Costello, E. Ross; D. O’Carroll, A. O’Carroll; P. O’Carroll, A. Boyle, J. O’Sullivan; P. Boyle, M. Boyle(c), J. Goulding.
Subs: T. Slattery for J. O’Sullivan, G. O’Brien for A. Boyle, L. Boyle, P. O’Carroll, A. Boyle for L. Boyle
Lixnaw: ( M. Stackpoole; D. McCarthy, P. Corridan, G. Stackpoole; B. Brosnan, S. Power, C. O’Keeffe; J. Griffin, B. McAuliffe; J. Buckley(c), R. Heffernan, R. Galvin; J. McKenna, M. Conway, S. Conway)
Subs: J. Wallace for R. Heffernan, J. Flaherty for R. Galvin, D. Shanahan for G. Stackpoole, J. McKenna for C. Sheehy
A draw was a fitting Result
By John O’Leary PRO
For the brilliantly executed equaliser alone, a draw was a fitting result to this high quality and exciting Garveys Supervalu senior hurling championship final at Austin Stack Park today. Level at half time, level at full time, and a few more time in between, these two sides threw everything at each other throughout an enthralling 60 minutes or so of hurling and Kerry senior Hurling manager Fintan O’Connor must have been impressed with what he saw as he kept a watching brief.
Shane Conway’s goal early on must have given Lixnaw a great boost but they were unable to build on that score as Padraig Boyle simply took over for Ballyduff. Boyle had three points and converted a penalty as Ballyduff surged 1-5 to 1-3 ahead by the 20th minute. At that stage there seemed to be just one team in it but in fairness to Lixnaw they never lost their composure and soon levelled it up in a good spell for the green and gold side. They even went ahead after good points from the two Conways but at the break it was back to level pegging and Lixnaw must have been the happier side going in given that they had withstood tremendous Ballyduff pressure.
It was the Padraig Boyle show once again at the start of the second half as he rattled off 1-2 - the goal coming after a quick-silver pass from brother Aidan in the3rd minute of the half. To their credit, Lixnaw’s response was instant and they hit four points in a seven minute spell to tie the game by the 42nd minute; a classic Shane Conway point from the wing being the highlight. In hindsight, a point-blank save by Martin Stackpoole five minutes later probably kept Lixnaw in the tie and it was still level with ten to go. Lixnaw lost their shape for a while and had gone defensive by this stage and anything cleared down field was being returned with interest. When Boyle pointed two placed balls from distance and Goulding added a trade mark point from the wing on the run the writing seemed to be on the wall for Lixnaw.
The ribbons were not on the Cup yet however. Shane Conway had a good point and then Michael Conway hit a pile driver off the butt of the post with the rebound being whipped against the other post before going out for a “65” which Shane Conway pointed. With time up, the recently named Under 21 “B” Hurler of the year planted a sideline cut straight over the black spot to force a replay and in truth few could have quibbled with the result.
Replay on Sunday next: The replay of the Garveys Supervalu Senior Hurling Championship final will be played in Austin Stack Park on Sunday next at a time to be decided by the CCC at it’s meeting on Monday night.
Credit Union Co. Senior Hurling League Division 1 Final
Ballyduff 4 – 12
Kilmoyley 3 – 12
Ballyduff added the Credit Union Co. Senior Hurling League, Division 1 title to their Co. Championship title on Saturday last at Abbeydorney, where they had a 4 – 12 to 3 – 12 win over Kilmoyley. It was played in excellent conditions in front of a good attendance. Ballyduff fielded 13 of their championship final starting fifteen while Kilmoyley were also missing two of the team named on the programme.
Kilmoyley opened with a first minute goal by Maurice O’Connor and set the early pace. Mikey Boyle opened the Ballyduff account in the 3rd minute with a point. Things were fairly competitive in the first quarter, after which Kilmoyley led by 1 – 2 to 0 – 4.
Then came a Ballyduff goal-scoring blitz between the 16th and 22nd minutes, a blitz that yielded 4 green flags – 2 from Aidan Boyle and 1 each from Pádraig and Liam Boyle. This changed the landscape completely, with Ballyduff going ahead by 4 – 4 to 1 – 3 after 22 minutes play. Kilmoyley replied with points from Maurice O’Connor (2), Joe McElligott and Daniel Collins to keep the scoreboard ticking over but at the end of the half Ballyduff held a 3 goal lead, 4 – 6 to 1 – 6.
On the resumption, Maurice O’Connor hit his second goal to narrow the gap. In fact Kilmoyley chipped away at the lead and actually outscored Ballyduff in the second half by 2 – 6 to 0 – 6. Yet Ballyduff always stayed ahead, aided considerably by the accuracy of Padraig Boyle from placed balls. In the 60th minute, Kilmoyley, with a goal, brought the deficit down to just 1 goal and the Ballyduff defence had a few nervous moments before they finally clinched the title by three points, 4 – 12 to 3 – 12.
After the game, Gerard McCarthy, Oifigeach Iomána Coiste Contae Chiarraí presented the Nicholas Scollard Cup to the winning captain, Mikey Boyle while the Man of the Match Award went to Pádraig Boyle.
Baile Dubh: Pa Enright, Ally O’Connor, Paud Costello, Darren O’Connor, , Cathal Kearney, Eoin Ross, Daniel O’Carroll (0-1), Anthony O’Carroll, Paul O’Carroll (0-1), Aidan Boyle (2-1), Liam Boyle (0-1), Jack O’Sullivan, Padraig Boyle (2-7), Mikey Boyle (capt. 0-1), Jack Goulding. Sub. Darragh Goulding.
Cill Mhaoile: Aidan McCabe, Sean Nolan, Kieran McCarthy, Seanie Murnane, Flor McCarthy, Tom Murnane (0-1), Robert Collins, Paudie O’Connor, James Godley (capt.), Jordan Brick (0-1), Daniel Collins (0-3), Luke Fitzell, Maurice O’Connor (2-6), Joe McElligott, Philip Maunsell (0-1). Sub. Donal Kennedy.
Réiteoir: Jason Mullins (Luimneach).
Senior Hurling League Division 2 Final
Causeway are Senior Hurling League Division 2 Champions
Causeway 0-19
St Brendans 1-7
John Mike Dooley was the main man as Causeway defeated St Brendans to win the Senior Hurling League Division 2 title at Kilmoyley this afternoon.
Causeway captain, Stephen Goggin got the opening score of the game in what was a very spirited affair where frees were to the fore with veteran John Mike Dooley contributing 9 frees to Causeway's finishing score. The half time score was 10 points to 4 in favour of Causeway.
On the resumption Dooley once again opened the scoring for Causeway with a free and Joe Diggins added a further point. Brendán O'Connor replied with a point for St. Brendans but it was Causeway who were mainly to the fore in all sectors. Liam O'Sullivan added a consolation goal in the 58th minute but unfortunately it was not enough for St Brendans and Causeway ran out victors witrh 9 points to spare.
Teams:
Causeway: Alan Whyte, Kieran Leahy, Paul O'Grady, Ger Leen, Evan Murphy, Fergal Carroll, Mark Murphy, John Cantillon, Joe Diggins, Conor Diggin, Darren Leahy, Adam Whyte, Cyril Dineen, JohnMike Dooley, Stephen Goggin.
St Brendans: Gearoid Sheehan, Michael Davis, Eamon Corridon, Eoghan Kearney, Kieran Fitzgerald, Denis Moriarty, Killian Woulff, Adrian Nolan, Donal Moriarty, Jack McCarthy, Padraig Kearney, Padraig O'Connor, Padraig O'Mahony, Pa Donegan (1p) Brendán O'Connor (5f).
After the gamecounty hurling officer Ger McCarthy presented the cup to winning captain Stephen Goggin and the man of the match award sponsored by the Rose Hotel was awarded to a worthy recipient John Mike Dooley of Causeway.
