Naas make it six-in-a-row with classy display
Naas with the Tony Carew Cup after their sixth successive SHC final win
Naas captured their sixth UPMC Kildare Senior A Hurling Championship in a row when overpowering Maynooth at Cedral St Conleth’s Park this afternoon. Victory also secured a fourth successive double for the county team side having beaten Celbridge in last week’s football decider.
Goals from Jack Sheridan, Brian Byrne and Cathal Dowling proved decisive as the holders recorded their biggest winning margin, seventeen points, over the course of their six finals.
The opening exchanges were competitive with Sheridan’s driven finish to the net in only the second minute failing to deter Maynooth who were within two points, thanks mainly to the free taking of David Qualter, after nineteen minutes.
Their manager Johnny Greville was sent behind the fence by referee Billy O’Connell after having words about an altercation between Sheridan and Cathal McCabe on the sideline.
Naas went into overdrive from there to half-time, the deployment of Sheridan out the field proving pivotal while Cathal Dowling’s bustling play unsettled the Maynooth defence. They outscored their opponents by nine points to two in that spell with Cian Boran bringing his first half tally to three points and Sheridan ruthless with five frees before the break.
Maynooth only had two Qualter points to show for their efforts in that period and were thankful to goalkeeper Seán Bean for a double save from Daire Guerin and Dowling as they went in nine points behind.
Although Qualter’s free gave Maynooth the first score of the second half, but goals from Byrne in the 33rd minute and Cathal Dowling in the 44th put paid to any chance of a Maynooth comeback.
Cormac Gallagher; Harry Carroll, Richard Hogan, Kevin Kelleher; Liam Walsh, Conan Boran, Kevin Whelan; Simon Leacy 0-2, Rian Boran 0-1; Cathal Dowling 1-1, Cian Boran 0-3, Daire Guerin; Brian Byrne 1-3, Jack Sheridan 1-7 (0-6fs), Ferran O’Sullivan 0-2. SUBS: Ross Kelly for Whelan 49, James Burke for O’Sullivan 53, Killian Harrington 0-1 for Conan Boran 56, Ciaran Tobin for Cian Boran 59.
Seán Bean; Mark Butler, Matt Eustace, Ronan Dunne; David Eustace, Cian Forde, Dan O’Meara 0-1; Ciaran Flanagan, Harry Dunne; Cathal McCabe 0-2, Conor O’Grady, Graham Kenny; David Qualter 0-8 (5fs,1’65), Kevin Dunne, Eoin Kelleher. SUBS: Cormac Nolan 0-1 for Butler HT, Luke Murnane for H Dunne 42, Micheál Hogan for Kelleher 51, Mickey Gillick for O’Grady 54, Kevin Carroll for Kenny 55.
Billy O’Connell
