Kildare U20s cruise to comfortable opening round win

Dalata Hotel Group Leinster U20 Football Championship - Round 1

Kildare 3-18 Laois 0-6

A powerful Kildare side secured a facile 21-point victory over Laois in the opening group game of the Dalata Leinster Under-20 Football Championship at Laois Hire O’Moore Park on Wednesday night.

Playing with the aid of a breeze into the town end, Kildare needed a few “settlers”, three wides inside the opening four minutes, before Ben Loakman settled them with the opening score. They never looked back against a shell-shocked home side.

James Harris went forward from centre-back to finish off a sweeping move before the impressive Loakman landed a two-pointer. Colm Moran added another soon after.

Loakman was relishing this and from the next attack he weaved through and struck a low shot off the upright, with midfielder Senan Murphy on hand to point from the rebound.

Corner forwards O’Brien and Eoin Cully added further points before wing-back Cathal White finished Kildare’s first goal to the net after a one-two with Fintan Quinn. Twenty minutes gone and Sean O’Dea’s side led 1-8 to no score.

O’Brien and Loakman added five points between them, including a two-pointer from O’Brien, before Robbie Murphy finally registered a point for Laois in injury time to make it Kildare 1-13 Laois 0-1 at half-time.

Loakman, Quinn and senior star Ryan Sinkey added points with Kildare native Sam Ryan responding with two for Laois and Rory Lalor adding another.

But Kildare finished strongly. Cully was brought down for a penalty which O’Brien converted and after further points from the Round Towers forward and substitute Evan Boyle, Quinn finished to the net for a third Kildare goal.

Laois did finish with a two-point free from Ennae Byrne but it was all academic for a well-beaten home side.

KILDARE: Charlie Carroll (Eadestown); Ben Ryan (Round Towers), Padraic Spillane (Athy), Niall Cramer (Raheens); Eoin Lawlor (Naas), James Harris (Castlemitchell) 0-1, Cathal White (Sarsfields) 1-0; Senan Murphy (St Laurence’s) 0-1, Ross Harris (Castlemitchell); Ryan Sinkey (Naas) 0-1, Ben Loakman (Sarsfields) 0-6 (1tp), Colm Moran (Athy) 0-1; Jay O’Brien (Round Towers) 1-5 (1-0 pen,1tp), Fintan Quinn (Naas) 1-1, Eoin Cully (Carbury) 0-1. Subs: Ruaidhrí Lawlor (St Laurence’s) for E Lawlor 28, Killian Browne (Celbridge) for Sinkey 40, Austin Donegan (Rathangan) for Loakman 40, Evan Boyle (Carbury) 0-1 for Murphy 48, Joey Cunningham (Allenwood) for O’Brien 50.

LAOIS: Luke O’Reilly; Ben O’Connor, Conor Raggett, Jake Darcy; James Dunne, Eoin Johnson, Kevin Fennelly; Darragh Loughman, Niall Lalor; Seán Kirby, Rory Lalor 0-1, Robbie Murphy 0-1; David Donohue, Sam Ryan 0-2, Ryan Little. Subs: Cathal Buggie for Dunne HT, Darren Brennan for Kirby HT, Ennae Byrne 0-2 (tpf) for Donohue 41, Jake Colbert for N Lalor 48, Paddy Fitzpatrick for Ryan 50.

REFEREE: James Foley (Carlow).