Final Score: Kilskyre/Moylagh 4.14 Donaghmore Ashbourne 3.12
Kilskyre/Moylagh kept their hopes of a knockout place in this year’s Intermediate Hurling Championship alive with a fortuitous 5-point win over Donaghmore Ashbourne in this Group B game played in sweltering heat at Kiltale on Saturday evening. The winners got 2 goals one in each half that can only be described as soft and in fact the one in the second half probably has to go down as an own goal when the goalkeeper appeared to have the ball under control but somehow lost control of it and the ball ended up over the line. This goal in the 10th minute of the second half put the winners 4 points up and gave them a cushion to allow them withstand immense pressure particularly in the final 10 minutes.
Kilskyre/Moylagh opened the scoring the scoring with a pointed free from Tom Shine in the first minute. Donaghmore Ashbourne responded in the 5th minute with a pointed free and in the following 2 minutes their tall corner forward scored a goal and a point to put them 4 up. Willie McGrath and Sean Geraghty points in the 8th and 9th minutes appeared to steady the ship but in the 10th minute defensive hesitancy allowed Donaghmore Ashbourne grab a second goal to open up a 5-point gap. The response from the eventual winners was immediate as in the next three minutes they hit 2.2 through the Shine brothers with Daire being credited with the goals although one was one that the defence will feel they should have prevented. The other goal followed a magnificent Sean Tunney catch and pass. Despite Donaghmore Ashbourne hitting 5 points a point from McGrath following an excellent Daire Shine block and a Tom Shine goal in added time left Kilskyre Moylagh leading 3.6 to 2.7 at the interval.
Donaghmore Ashbourne started the second half well and had drawn level by the 6th minute. A Tom Shine free nudged Kilskyre Moylagh ahead and then in the 10th minute fortune favoured them when the Donaghmore Ashbourne goalkeeper somehow lost control of a Daire Shine effort and the ball crossed the line for a goal. This gave them a 4-point lead and a cushion to withstand a determined Donaghmore Ashbourne fightback particularly in the final 10 minutes. Kilskyre Moylagh added points from Tom Shine (3) McGrath (2) and a Daire Shine free from just inside his own half. Donaghmore Ashbourne got their 3rd goal in the 21st minute but some excellent defending and some poor shooting allowed Kilskyre Moylagh to emerge victorious by 5 points at the final whistle.
Kilskyre/Moylagh: J O’Higgins, L Maguire, P Muldoon, J Connell, S Tunney, M Geraghty, J Boyle, O McDermott, K Foley, K McCaffrey, S Geraghty (0.1), D J O’Reilly, T Shine (1.8) D Shine (2.1), W McGrath (0.4). O.G. 1.0
Subs: M Farrelly for McCaffrey, D Muldoon for O’Reilly.
Referee: Sean Gahon
