SENIOR HURLING CHAMPIONSHIP: Injury-time point seals Kilmaley victory

Kilmaley 0-15   Inagh-Kilnamona 2-8

AN injury-time point from a 60m free by Kenneth Kennedy decided the local derby at Clarecastle on Sunday and the reaction of the Kilmaley mentors and substitutes indicated what the result meant to them.

 

They went into the game needing at least a draw to be sure of progressing but bragging rights were also at stake as the clubs are from neighbouring parishes and the rivalry is strong.

As the game entered the closing stages, word was filtering through from Sixmilebridge that Clarecastle were ahead of Clooney-Quin, which meant Kilmaley would still advance even if they failed to win.

Saying he was pleased with the performance, Kilmaley’s John Carmody said, “The reality is we should have won the game by seven or eight points. We have a lot to work on. It’s been a difficult year. It was great to see Daire [Keane] back on the field. We have four weeks to get ready for a quarter-final and we will need every one of them.”

He went on to say he was pleased with the character the players showed. “Our backs were to the wall coming in today. Inagh-Kilnamona got a great goal but we had the composure and character to come through and get the scores we needed. Maybe it has come from the fact that we have had lads missing but we have got a huge workrate from the group,” he said.

Inagh-Kilnamona’s Paul Gannon said the result was in the melting pot right to the end.

“It’s disappointing not to win the game but we are in the quarter-finals and we were there before today. We have two or three weeks to prepare and we will. In a one-point game, the one that was a foot wide or the free you didn’t get will be remembered, that’s the way it goes. We can’t do anything about it now but we will look forward to the quarter-finals.”

The teams were evenly matched in the opening half and points were swapped four times in the first quarter. They exchanged points again before Shane Griffin got on the end of an Eamonn Glynn delivery for the game’s first goal, six minutes from the break.

When a long-range free by Patrick Kelly rebounded off the upright, Niall Arthur was quickest to react and he pointed to put four between the teams. Kilmaley replied with points from Eoin Enright and Michael O’Neill to trail by two at the break when the score was 1-6 to 0-7.

O’Neill and Diarmuid McMahon pointed in the early minutes of the second half to level the tie for the sixth time.

When the Arthur brothers combined for Niall to find the net in the 11th minute, Inagh-Kilnamona supporters felt it might be the decisive score. They still led by the goal with 10minutes to play. Three unanswered points from Kilmaley had the sides level with five left.

Ger Arthur and John Cabey exchanged points from placed balls to level the tie for the eighth and final time and a share of the spoils looked the likely outcome until Kennedy converted that injury-time free.

Martin O’Connor and Colin Lynch excelled in the winners’ defence. Dermot Lynch and David Hegarty were prominent for Inagh-Kilnamona.

Kilmaley: Kieran Dillon (capt); Martin O’Connor, Anthony Cahill, Sean Talty; Eoin Enright, Colin Lynch, Colin McGuane; John Clohessy, Kenneth Kennedy; Michael O’Neill, Diarmuid McMahon, John Cabey; Conor Neylon, Alan Markham, Niall McGuane.
Subs: Cian Moloney for Clohessy (43 minutes) and Daire Keane for Neylon (46 minutes).
Scorers: Kenneth Kennedy (0-5, 3f), John Cabey (0-3, 2f), Michael O’Neill (0-3), Eoin Enright, Diarmuid McMahon, Conor Neylon and Cian Moloney (0-1 each).
Frees for: 15; wides: 12.
Bookings: Alan Markham (12 minutes) and Eoin Enright (28 minutes).

Inagh-Kilnamona: Patrick Kelly; Milo Keane, Jamie Davin, Dermot Lynch (captain); David Hegarty, Ronan O’Looney, Colm Pilkington; Tomás Kelly, Haulie Vaughan; Damian Lafferty, Eamonn Glynn, Eoin Vaughan; Shane Griffin, Niall Arthur, Ger Arthur.
Subs: Brian Glynn for Keane (inj, 20 minutes), Cathal Lafferty for D Lafferty (40 minutes), Conor Tierney for Griffin (50 minutes) and Brian Foudy for H Vaughan (58 minutes).
Scorers: Niall Arthur (1-2, 1f), Ger Arthur (0-4, 2f), Shane Griffin (1-0) and Eamon Glynn (0-2).
Frees for: 11; wides: 11.
Bookings: Damian Lafferty (28 minutes).

Referee: Ger Hoey, Killanena.