Promotion to Division 2 for 2017

on their carnival weekend with the concession of two second-half penalties to their North Kerry opponents still not enough to prevent them from winning by 0-16 to 2-8. Padraig Doyle, Shane O’Sullivan and Dean Crowley excelled for the home side in their two point win as Dara Sheehy converted both Ballydonoghue penalties.

Amazingly after looking like promotion contenders earlier in the year with their start to proceedings, the North Kerry side find themselves having to do battle with Keel to stay in the Division after both sides finished on a seemingly safe enough total of 10 points.

Another game that affected both ends of the table saw St Pats miss out on the chance of getting automatic promotion and preventing the upcoming playoffs with their loss to Dromid Pearses in South Kerry seeing the hosts ensure another year in Division 3 in the process.

The St Brendans side looked to be in control leading by 0-6 to 0-3 at half-time but two goals for the hosts in the second period significantly altered matters as the first came from a disputed penalty with the second coming from Niall O’Shea as Liam Poff received a second yellow and David O’Callaghan was black carded for the visitors prior to a 2-11 to 0-10 defeat.

The play-off process here will see one team receive a bye into the second match with the winners of the first match joining them to determine the third team to make it up to Division 2 next year. The two matches are scheduled for the weekends of September 25 and October 2 respectively.

St Senans meanwhile survived a frantic finish with Keel in Mountcoal to avoid relegation and send the Mid Kerry side into the aforementioned playoff with Ballydonoghue after a 1-9 to 0-11 win.

A long range goal from John Barry gave the hosts a 1-4 to 0-4 lead at the break but the visitors hit the first three points after the restart to draw the game level once more. Darragh Kennelly had to pull off a big save in the Senans goal to keep his side in control of a game they had regained the lead of with a free from Sean O’Connell with four minutes left the insurance score for the victors.

Brosna were made to work to ensure their own status by Tarbert in the other game at the weekend as the hosts trailed their opponents by 0-6 to 0-5 at half-time. Substitute Patrick O’Keeffe scored a goal to give the advantage in the second period but they gifted Tarbert a way back into the match with the concession of a sloppy goal.

Mike Finnegan and Tom McGoldrick got the points they needed however for a 1-14 to 1-12 win. EVEN though Rathmore’s promotion back to Division 1 after two years away had already been secured they still found themselves a bit stretched for numbers ahead of their game with Finuge.

They needed to win to secure the title as their B team was in action against Duagh at the same time! Into the breach stepped team manager Denis Moynihan, along with Jameson Hughes, Dan O’Sullivan and Kieran O’Mahony, brother of Aidan, as they just got the better of their North Kerry opponents by three points in the finish. They had looked comfortable leading by 1-9 to 0-7 at half-time but two goals from Jason Wallace put the game back into the balance. The visitors needed late points from Mark Reen, Eoin Lawlor and Conor O’Sullivan to secure a 1-17 to 2-11 win along with the Division Two title.

All three promotion spots were decided with An Ghaeltacht claiming second after a strong finish in Gallarus against the side looking to force a play-off with them for such a spot in Spa.

The hosts had led by 0-6 to 0-5 at half-time but Spa improved strongly to lead by 0-12 to 0-9 with 10 minutes left with Michael and Dan O’Donoghue along with Shane Lynch and Michael Foley prominent for the visitors.

Then came An Ghaeltacht’s late charge through Sean Ó Bambaire and Dara Ó Sé with the latter getting the decisive goal in a 1-12 to 0-12 win as An Gaeltacht return to Division One for the first time since 2011 with this their second successive promotion in the County League.

St Marys, meanwhile, will be heading for Division 1 for the first time since 2006 next year as they knocked five goals past Listowel Emmets to make sure of the third promotion spot.

Two goals from Anthony Cournane and one each for Jack Daly, Paul O’Donoghue and Aidan Walsh gave them a convincing 5-13 to 1-8 win over the North Kerry side.

At the other end Beaufort ensured another year in the Division with a 1-14 to 1-10 victory away to Listry as the East Kerry side face a playoff with St Michaels / Foilmore to see who the third side to be relegated will be.

A Derry Aherne goal had given Listry a 1-3 to 0-5 advantage but the Mid Kerry side would lead by 1-7 to 1-5 at half-time after a goal from substitute Shane O’Sullivan gave Beaufort the lead again.

The visitors managed to stay in front during a tense second-half as Damian Clifford scored six frees on the day for the hosts yet points from Darragh Coffey and Francis Courtney were enough for Beaufort to hold onto their four point win.

St Michaels / Foilmore ensured their own place in the playoff with a 0-12 to 0-10 win over Waterville in a South Kerry derby. That match between the two sides is scheduled for Sunday September 25 at a neutral venue.

Those results meant that Laune Rangers’ downward slide continued with relegation to Division 3 the latest setback for the club. With the way other results went it meant a win over Glenflesk would have been inconsequential in any event but in the end it was a draw between the two sides in JP O’Sullivan Park.

The hosts had to come from behind to earn it upon Peter Crowley’s return to club action as two Dara Roche goals gave Glenflesk a 2-7 to 0-9 lead at the break. Rangers rallied after half-time however, Daniel MacBeth getting a goal that put them 1-12 to 2-8 in front after a great set-up by Kieran Crowley.

Colm O’Shea (black card) and Johnny Carey (red) were dismissed for the hosts before the end however as Lee O’Donoghue and Jerry Kennedy scored late points to earn Glenflesk a draw at 2-11 to 1-14.

Finuge had already been relegated with defeat to Listowel Emmets in a back game and this is the second successive relegation for the North Kerry side having been in Division 1 last year.