Kenmare storm to victory

WELL we didn’t see that one coming.

Not so much that Kenmare Shamrocks would claim a county intermediate title, that was certainly on the cards, more that they’d do so at a canter against a Templenoe side that had impressed us all for so long and maybe that was the problem – they simply ran out of road.

Which, of course, is no concern to Kenmare who were hugely impressive in their 2-11 to 1-6 victory. Their goals both came courtesy of an on-fire Paul O’Connor. Kenmare later got their Munster championship campaign underway with victory over Tipperary’s Fethard in a landslide victory – 4-25 to 0-5.

For Glenbeigh / Glencar it was a case of delayed gratification and that’s putting it mildly.

For the longest time they’ve been tipped for success in what used to be known as the junior championship – now, of course, the premier junior championship – and that being the case what harm having to wait another fortnight?

If anything it made their eventual success all the sweeter. No doubt it didn’t feel like that fourteen days beforehand when Na

Gaeil – who really ought to have won the drawn final – snatched a last gasp equaliser through David Culloty (it finished Glenbeigh / Glencar 1-6 Na Gaeil 0-9).

Still Glenbeigh / Glencar had reason for relief as they finished that game with thirteen men on the pitch when Stephen O’Sullivan and Tommy Cahill were sent off within minutes of each other at the beginning of the second half.

The second game was a far more straight forward affair as the eventual champions took an early led – they took a 1-5 to 0-2 lead at the end of the opening quarter – and powered on from there to win 1-16 to 0-12.