Buttevant through to league final after impressive win

Buttevant 1-15 Kilshannig 1-8

AN impressive first half display set Buttevant on their way to this year’s Cavanagh’s Fermoy Division 1 FL final when they ran out clear winners over Kilshannig in a one sided semi-final at Mourneabbey on Friday evening.

From the offset the winners gained control. They worked the ball well out of defence leading to regular supply to their forwards who picked off some fine scores. Wing-back Seamus Madigan got proceedings underway with a long range point in the fourth minute that was followed by three Paul Mannix points to move 0-4 to no score in front.

Kilshannig’s Darren O’Riordan opened their account with a free in the 10th minute in what proved be their only score of this half. Instead it was the Buttevant challenge that went from strength to strength.

At the end of the first quarter they created the games first goal scoring opportunity when a great delivery by Anthony O’Neill found Kevin O’Keeffe whose attempt at goal went narrowly over the crossbar for a point.

O’Keeffe made amends later in the half when he breached the Kilshannig back line for a goal following great work by substitute Denis O’Sullivan that all but finished the game as a contest when leading at the break by 1-10 to 0-1.

On the restart early pressure yielded points by Paul Mannix and Denis O’Sullivan to move 1-12 to 0-1 in front. Kilshannig who were short a number of players improved greatly as the half went on but in truth they were too far adrift to make any inroads.

Tadgh O’Sullivan, Anthony O’Neill, Denis O’Sullivan and Kieran Twomey traded points by the 40th minute 1-14 to 0-3. Kilshannig missed a goal scoring chance soon after when the Buttevant keeper Ronan Donovan saved well from the inrushing Eoin O’Sullivan.

The Kilshannig outfit battled away and in the 51st minute Eanna O’Hanlon had their goal from a penalty after David Cronin was brought down in the square 1-15 to 1-5.

However it proved a mere consolation score in the end even though they added three more points in the last seven minutes by Bill Curtin, Eanna O’Hanlon and Phelim O’Connell.

There was no denying Buttevant their place in the league final against Charleville.

R Donovan, K Crowley, T O’Sullivan, D Walsh, J Buckley, S Flynn, S Madigan 0-1, B Jones, A O’Neill 0-1, D O’Connell 0-3 (0-1f), P Mannix 0-6 (0-3f) J.D Murphy, B O’Shaughnessy 0-1, K O’Keeffe 1-1, R Fowley Subs: D O’Sullivan 0-2 for S Madigan (inj) J O’Riordan for K Crowley, M Lenahan for D O’Connell, K Lenahan for J.D Murphy, B O’Connor for D Walsh (inj) C O’Toole for B O’Shaughnessy

KILSHANNIG: C O’Dea, D McAuliffe, R O’Mahony, B Guerin, J P McAuliffe, M O’Connell, C Casey, C Murphy, T Twomey, B O’Hanlon, F McCarthy, J Kearney, D O’Riordan 0-1f, T O’Sullivan 0-2f, E O’Sullivan Subs: P O’Connell 0-1 for D O’Riordan (inj) K Twomey 0-2 (0-1f) for B O’Hanlon (inj) B Curtin 0-1 for D McAuliffe, E O’Hanlon 1-1 (1-0 pen) for J Kearney, M Twomey for C Murphy, D Cronin for T O’Sullivan

REFEREE: Brian Murphy (Shanballymore)