Kildare competitive against the Cats
Tim Ryan gets hit with a hurl in the head during the second half from Kilkenny's Ollie O'Donovan Photo: James Lawlor
If any further evidence was needed, the Kildare under-20 hurlers provided more proof of the improving standard of hurling in the county as they gave holders Kilkenny a searching examination in a stormy Manguard Park on Saturday afternoon.
The eventual scoreline might suggest otherwise but when Kildare brought the gap down to only three points with ten minutes remaining a major shock was a distinct possibility in this opening group game of the Fulfil Leinster Under-20 Hurling Championship.
Paddy Lacey’s brilliant goal just before half-time had helped Kilkenny to open up a seven-point lead eight minutes into the second half but four frees in a row from Maynooth sharpshooter Tom Power brought the score to 1-10 to 0-10 with Kildare starting to dream of a major upset.
Kilkenny, though, finished strongly as the home side tired, led superbly by senior player David Barcoe and midfielder Kevin Buggy, the visitors firing over six unanswered points to run out slightly flattering nine points winners.
Kildare came into it with tier 2 wins over Kerry and Westmeath behind them and they gave the visitors as good as they got in the opening quarter, with Kilkenny edging it 0-4 to 0-3.
Oisín O’Neill had opened the scoring for Kildare before Greg Kelly and Jake Mullen hit back for Kilkenny. With Kildare snapping into tackles, they went 0-3 to 0-2 ahead thanks to a Power free and one from play from Tim Ryan after eight minutes before Mullen and Fionn Mahoney responded to put Kilkenny in front.
When Lacey went low with a free Cormac Doolan was equal to it, but Kilkenny found their feet from there to half-time, despite having to contend with a diagonal wind which contributed to seven first-half wides apiece.
Kildare struck five of those wides in a row in the tricky conditions but would have been happy enough when only trailing by three points (0-7 to 0-4) five minutes from half-time. But Lacey’s brilliant finish to the top left-hand corner, despite goalkeeper Cormac Doolan getting a stick to it, gave the Black and Amber breathing space at the interval.
It looked ominous for the Kildare side when Buggy and Ed Lauhoff stretched Kilkenny’s lead to eight shortly after the break but the home side found a second wind and began to dominate the exchanges from there to the 50th minute, scoring six of the next seven points, all from Power’s frees playing up the hill. Kelly provided the only response for the visitors.
But Kilkenny re-asserted themselves as the Lilywhites ran out of steam somewhat. Colm Treacy, Jack Dollard, Barcoe, Ollie O’Donovan and Mullen pointed five times in six minutes, illustrating the greater spread of scorers in the Kilkenny ranks, with Lacey earning and converting the final score to put nine points between them at the final whistle.
Kildare had outstanding performances from defenders Darragh Devine and Paddy Connolly while Ryan and Michael Owens gave as good as they got at midfield and Power was a constant danger in attack where Maynooth colleague Oran Byrne’s bustling style unsettled Kilkenny at times.
There’s no rest for the Lilywhites in a very difficult looking Group One, with Galway coming to Hawkfield next week before Kildare travel to Wexford for their final game.
Billy O’Sullivan; Josh Dowling, Darragh Vereker, Rory Garrett; Evan Murphy 0-1, David Barcoe 0-1, Jack Dollard 0-1; Kevin Buggy 0-1, Sean Bergin; Patrick Lacey 1- 3 (0-3fs), Ed Lauhoff 0-1, Jake Mullen 0-3; Fionn Mahony 0-1, Ed McDermott, Greg Kelly 0-2. Subs: Ollie O’Donovan 0-1 for Lauhoff 42, Colm Treacy 0-1 for Mahony 42, Anthony Clifford for Bergin 48, Louis Raggett for Kelly 57, Jim Conlan for Dollard 59.
Cormac Doolan (St Laurence’s); Darragh Devine (Cappagh), Paddy Connolly (Clane), Dylan Doherty (Leixlip); Cillian Power (Sallins), Cian Brody (Maynooth), Odhran Conaty (Celbridge); Michael Owens (Celbridge), Tim Ryan (Ardclough) 0-1; Oisín O’Neill (Naas) 0-1, Tom Power (Maynooth) 0-8 (7fs), Oran Byrne (Maynooth); Mark Kiernan (Sallins), Charlie Carroll (Naas), Tom Boran (Naas). Subs: Alex Bell (Moorefield) for Carroll 41, Cillian Harrington (Leixlip) for Kiernan 43, Toby McMoreland (Cappagh) for Ryan (temp) 49-51, Rian Cramer (Éire Óg Corra Choill) for C Power 52, Rian Curran (Éire Óg Corra Choill) for Boran 53, Colm Gordon (Coill Dubh) for Byrne 59.
Sean Maher (Offaly).
