Final Score: Kilskyre/Moylagh 2.10 Kildalkey 2.15 (at Pairc Tailteann)
Kilskyre/Moylagh’s interest in this year’s Intermediate Hurling Championship ended with a 5-point loss to a more experienced and streetwise Kildalkey side in this entertaining quarter final played in miserable conditions on Sunday in Pairc Tailteann.
Kildalkey started brightly and had 2 points on the board before Tom Shine opened his and Kilskyre/Moylagh’s account with a free in the 5th minute. The same player levelled matters 2 minutes later with a well taken point from play. The match was evenly contested for the following 10 minutes with the Geraghty brothers Sean and Michael adding points in the 9th and 16th minutes and Kildalkey responding with 5 points – 3 from frees some of which appeared to be of the soft variety – to lead by 3 with 20 minutes gone. Probably the crucial score of the half arrived in the 22nd minute when a long range free appeared to be cleared by the Kilskyre/Moylagh defence but the Kildalkey centre half forward pounced to net the clearance and give his side a 6-point lead. Tom Shine and Conor Kearney exchanged frees before an excellent Kilskyre/Moylagh move ended with Sean Geraghty netting to reduce the deficit to 3 points as the interval approached. Despite putting a few good moves together Kilskyre/Moylagh were unable to add to their tally and the interval score saw them 3 adrift 1.5 to 1.8.
With the inclement conditions both sides changed their jerseys for the second half and Kildalkey extended their lead in the first 5 minutes with 2 pointed frees but again these were cancelled out by 2 Tom Shine points – 1 from a free. Kearney for Kildalkey and Shine each pointed twice in the next 10 minutes to leave the score at 1.9 to 1.12 with 10 minutes remaining. Then came the decisive moment – a Kilskyre/Moylagh attack was foiled, Kildalkey moved downfield, James O’Higgins gathered and appeared to be fouled as he attempted to clear but referee Martin Dawson somehow allowed play to develop and gave Kildalkey a penalty for a foul that if it was a foul appeared to be well outside the big square. The penalty was converted and Kildalkey followed up with 2 points to leave it 1.9 to 2.14 with 5 minutes remaining. A Tom Shine point and a goal from his brother Daire left 4 in it with 3 minutes left. Kildalkey’s experienced players then used all their guile to play out the remainder of the game and kill any momentum Kilskyre/Moylagh might have gained and they added another Kearney free in injury time.
So, the year ends for Kilskyre/Moylagh, a step further down the road from 2021, but hopefully with the continued development of the young players coming on stream there will be brighter days ahead for this group.
A minute’s silence was observed before the game in memory of the late Declan McNamee who was a great stalwart of the Ballinlough and Kilskyre clubs before his untimely passing last week.
We also wish both Ballinlough and Moylagh well in their Junior Football campaigns and maybe they will go on to meet in the semi-final and give us a great occasion that I am sure would be welcomed at this stage in our corner of North Meath.
Kilskyre/Moylagh: J O’Higgins, L Maguire, P Muldoon, J Connell, B Smith, M Geraghty (0.1), J Boyle, S. Tunney, O McDermott, D Shine (1.0), S Geraghty (1.1), T Shine (0.8), K Foley, W McGrath, D J O’Reilly.
Subs: M Farrelly for Foley, E. Hallinan for O’Reilly, P Briody for McDermott, N Farrelly for McGrath.
Referee: Martin Dawson
