Hyland gives Larks something to sing about despite two defeats so far
Jimmy Hyland is back to full fitness and is in fine scoring form for Ballyteague Photo: James Lawlor
Ballyteague may be one of just three teams to have lost both of their games so far in this year’s National Electrical Wholesalers Intermediate Football Championship, but they top one table thanks to the free-scoring Jimmy Hyland.
A key figure in Kildare’s 2018 All-Ireland U20 success but whose career has been blighted by injury misfortune, Hyland has amassed 1-15 across the opening two rounds. That leaves him three points clear of any other player in the championship scoring charts.
Those two defeats have made for a disappointing start to the campaign for the Larks, but as long as Hyland remains fit, the 2022 champions will retain belief that they can turn their fortunes around.
Behind him, it has been something of a breakout championship for Hugh Martin. The Suncroft man won a Leinster U20 title with Kildare earlier this year and followed his 2-3 haul in the opening-round win over Leixlip with 1-3 in the defeat to Straffan.
That return is enough to see Martin top the open-play scoring charts at present, with just one of his 3-6 tally coming from a dead ball.
Confey’s Jack O’Rahilly and Milltown’s Paddy Donohoe have both scored 2-8 so far, while Castledermot’s Gavin Keating has matched that total after an 11-point haul against Rathangan brought his championship tally to 0-14.
John Tracy was another player to hit 11 points in Round 2, and he joins a clutch of players on a total of 12 points, including team-mate Tom Donovan. Donovan joins Martin as the championship’s leading goalscorer after striking a hat-trick in the opening round.
Another interesting name near the top of the charts is Nurney’s Theo Hanlon. The talented athlete recently claimed a silver medal in the shot put at the National Outdoor Track and Field Championships, and he has shown he is equally adept on a GAA pitch. Hanlon struck six points in Nurney’s win over Ballyteague and has accumulated nine points across the opening two rounds.
Notably, four of those scores have been two-pointers, leaving him joint-top of that category alongside Keating, Kilcullen’s Donagh McKivergan and Ellistown’s Harry Donnelly.
