Duagh take division’s first win in horrendous conditions

WITH matters in Croke Park on St Patricks Day, Dr Crokes B and Scartaglin obviously didn’t go ahead but the other five games all produced winners as games were split across two days. Friday saw Keel host Beale in a battle of two relegated sides while Sneem/Derrynane made the trip up to Duagh in a battle of two promoted sides. In the case of the former a single goal separated last year’s Division Three outfits with Keel just shading it by 1-6 to 0-6. They had trailed by 0-5 to 0-3 at half-time, Tom and Shane Joy along with Cormac Linnane with their scores but a late effort from the All-Ireland winning Kerry Minor proved to be the visitors’ only second half score.

Gary Sayers, Martin Burke and Thomas Ladden kicked the host’s second-half points but the deciding score came with five minutes left as substitute Bart Murphy gave Keel the win with the only goal of proceedings. Duagh meanwhile made the most of the aid of the breeze in the second period of their encounter with Sneem/ Derrynane as they shut out the visitors on the scoreboard in leading by 2-6 to 0-0 at the break. Daniel O’Donoghue and Nigel O’Connor scored the North Kerry side’s goals as two points each from Ian Galvin and Ronan Hussey were all the South Kerry combination could managed with the breeze in losing out by 2-8 to 0-4.

There were three games on Sunday then with Lispole, Castlegregory and Firies getting the wins. Firies just had a point to spare away to Tarbert as William Courtney’s point was the deciding factor at the end of a 1-11 to 2-7 victory for the East Kerry side. Both sides were awarded penalties in the first period, the visitors getting the first one as Courtney converted before Andrew Doherty scored from the spot at the other end for the hosts.

Tarbert looked like they would take the lead at half-time when a high ball from Shane O’Connor went into the net but Firies got two late points to go in level at 2-3 to 1-6. Jack Sherwood started to become a much more prominent figure in the game during the second period but there was still little to separate the sides on the scoreboard. Doherty looked to have ensured a share of the spoils for Tarbert until Courtney’s late winner for Firies.

Goals in either half were crucial for Castlegregory in coming away from Renard with a seven point victory. Jordan Quirke scored their first inside the opening quarter to give them a 1-8 to 0-5 lead at half-time with Anton Kelliher scoring their second after the restart to give them a dominant footing in proceedings. Points from Eoin O’Neill, Mark Sugrue, Paudie Casey and Darragh Fitzgerald but a better reflection on the scoreboard for the hosts but they still went down by 2-10 to 0-9 at the finish.

Lispole’s win meanwhile came courtesy of a 1-11 to 0-5 success at home to Skellig Rangers, a match the West Kerry side were always in control of having led by 0-5 to 0-2 at half-time. Even playing against the breeze the hosts were still in control of the match as a late goal from Ciaran O’Sullivan put the seal of a nine point success.

The Portmagee side will hope for better when they host Crokes B in the Killarney side’s first match in the League while Scartaglin begin their 2017 campaign at home to Castlegregory. Beale face Tarbert in a North Kerry derby, Duagh face another one of the sides they were promoted with in travelling to Castlegregory while Firies vs. Lispole and Sneem/Derrynane v Keel are the other fixtures this weekend.