Skellig Rangers leapfrog Keel into top spot

DIVISION FOUR

A CHANGE in order at the top as Lispole’s first loss of the campaign coupled with Skellig Rangers’ win over Sneem/Derrynane by 2-16 to 1-12 means that the Portmagee side now lead at the top from the West Kerry outfit.

Lispole lost away to Dr Crokes B by 2-13 to 2-8 meaning the Killarney side are in promotion contention now on 10 points as Keel are level on 11 points with Lispole. Keel had a dominant win away to Duagh as despite the hosts making the better start Keel would go on to lead by 0-7 to 0-4 at the break. Duagh had a wretched second-half failing to score as 1-5 from Gary Sayers and four points from Martin Burke helped Keel to a 1-14 to 0-4 win.

Keel will play Castlegregory in the next round, an important game as Castle also have 10 points to their name like Crokes B following a 0-17 to 0-8 win over Beale. Beale scored the opening two points of the game before the hosts clicked into gear and Alan Fitzgerald, Anton Kelliher and Jordan Quirke helped them to a half-time lead of 0-8 to 0-5.

Castlegregory had a number of goal scoring chances in the second period to emphasis their dominance but they went not converted as Fitzgerald finished with six points and Kelliher four in a nine point success. James McMahon and Cillian Courtney were amongst the scorers for Beale but they face a big relegation battle with Scartaglin in their next game.

Scartaglin will enter off the back of a fairly bad defeat to fellow East Kerry side Firies on home turf as the East Kerry side kept them scoreless in the second period. An Ed Kerrisk goal gave Firies a lead of 1-10 to 0-4 at the break as he finished with 1-3, Mike Daly four points and three each for Padraig De Brún and Colm O’Mahony in a 1-15 to 0-4 win.

Firies play Skellig Rangers in their next game, a crucial one for them in they wish to stay in with a chance of promotion. Scartaglin had only scores from William O’Connor (two) Niall Casey and Daniel Murphy in their 14 point loss as they need a vast improvement against Beale to get their first win of the campaign.

Renard won a crucial game away to Tarbert, one that moves them onto six points and keeps the North Kerry outfit just above the relegation zone.

They overcame the concession of two first-half goals and nearly a third as they trailed by 2-4 to 0-6 at the break but a goal from David O’Sullivan and an Eoin O’Neill point had the South Kerry outfit in front at the three-quarter mark. Andrew Doherty equalised for the hosts but a brace from Darragh Fitzgerald and an Eoin McCrohan point with crucial to a 1-11 to 2-6 win for the visitors.

They know travel to Lispole in the next round as Tarbert face Duagh in what is going to be a vital game at the bottom.

Crokes host Sneem/Derrynane in the other scheduled fixture in two weeks time as the latter are in the drop zone alongside Beale and Scartaglin at present on three points.