Carlow goals put paid to Kildare's chances of ending Leinster Minor Hurling Championship with a win
Callum Durnin tries to make headway for Kildare Photo: Sean Brilly
Carlow outgunned a battling Kildare to make it three defeats from three for Pat Temple’s minor hurlers as they completed their Leinster campaign in the Cedral St Conleth’s Park sunshine on Saturday afternoon.
An enjoyable and competitive first-half saw the sides level at seven points apiece heading for half-time, but Carlow turned the screw with two goals in a minute to take control.
First, Ciaran Kavanagh weaved through on the end line and lifted the ball over the head of the final Kildare defender before driving low to Jack O’Dea’s net in the 28th minute. Then, Kildare’s defence found itself outnumbered from the next attack and despite Tom Wright’s best attempts to clear, midfielder Peter Lynch took command of the situation to find the net a second time.
A Callum Durnin point narrowed the gap to five points at the interval, but the damage had been done.
With their bench making an impact, Kildare remained competitive in the second half and with four minutes left were only four points behind (0-12 to 2-10). But they had spurned a couple of goal chances a minute earlier when Durnin had a shot charged down and from the loose ball set up midfield colleague Oisín McAfee for a strike on goal. Unfortunately for Kildare, goalkeeper Daragh Coleman got down for a crucial save.
Carlow weathered that mini-storm and in six minutes of injury time stretched the margin of victory with a second goal from Kavanagh, racing through on the break from midfield to finish coolly past O’Dea and three points from frees from Thomas Sheehan.
Kildare lost Robbie Byrne to a red card for an off-the-ball incident as their campaign petered out in disappointing fashion.
Daragh Coleman; Michael Shanahan, Aodhán Kehoe, Niall Power; Seánie McMahon, Alex Doyle, Kieran Donald; John Lillis 0-1 (f), Peter Lynch 1-0; Thomas Sheehan 0-5 (4fs), James Brennan 0-1, Ciaran Kavanagh 2-2; Eoghan Treacy, Ben Kelly 0-3, Adam Joyce 0-1. Subs: James Bergin for Treacy 38, Harry Delaney for Lillis 47, Liam Murphy for Kelly 58.
Jack O’Dea (Clane); Cian O’Sullivan (Confey), Tom Wright (Celbridge), Rian Cramer (Éire Óg Corra Choill); Jack Cahill (Broadford), Eoghan Lyons (Leixlip) 0-1, Ciaran Ward (Maynooth); Oisin McAfee (Éire Óg Corra Choill) 0-1, Callum Durnin (Clane) 0-3 (1f); Sean Quigley (Confey) 0-1, Ben Short (Coill Dubh) 0-2 (1f), Conor Lawless (Sarsfields); Robbie Byrne (Round Towers) 0-1, Bobby Gallagher (Kilcock) 0-1, Ben Angland (Sallins). Subs: Colm Walsh (Ardclough) for Gallagher 31, Sean Maher (Confey) 0-1 for Short 36, Luke Cahill (Clane) 0-1 (’65) for Lawless 47, Dylan McBride (Clane) for Angland 47, Oisín Dwane (Éire Óg Corra Choill) for Quigley 60+1.
James McGrath (Westmeath)
