Stunning success
Kilmuckridge boys win scoring feast
COLAISTE AN Atha backed up their county crown with a stunning Top Oil South Leinster Juvenile hurling ‘C1’ title success in O’Kennedy Park, New Ross, on Monday of last week.
This was the first victory for the Kilmuckridge school at this age group for more than 20 years, dating back to the halcyon days when the likes of Darren Stamp and Paul Roche lined out for the school.
Some of these lads have the temperament and talent to go on and match the careers of those Oulart-The Ballagh mainstays, and they showed it from the first whistle of this contest against tricky Kilkenny opponents.
Right across the park Coláiste an Atha got performances, as everyone put in a Trojan effort to ensure the cup went back to Kilmuckridge.
In defence there were several excellent showings, but none were better than the supreme Tristan Whelan-Byrne.
Dylan McEvoy was a big influence in midfield, Jack Doyle was a tricky proposition for Duiske to contain in the half-forward line, while scorers-in-chief, Declan Sinnott and Cormac Walsh, were pretty close to unstoppable.
It was Walsh who got his side off to a flyer with a quick 1-1. They led from that moment onwards, but Duiske did have talented performers too and Edward Greene-Harney went back to full-back in a bid to water down the threat.
With Sinnott getting amongst the scorers, Kilmuckridge held a 3-6 to 4-1 interval advantage. Walsh showed unerring accuracy from dead-balls and he tacked on several at the start of the second-half on his way to a mammoth total of 3-12.
Duiske still looked dangerous when they got the ball to their big full-forward but some excellent defending, including a moment of brilliance from Jake Stamp, stopped the Kilkenny boys from getting too close.
They did manage to drag themselves back within five, but late goals from Sinnott and Dylan McEvoy ensured that the margin of victory was more reflective of how impressive the Kilmuckridge boys were.
Coláiste An Atha: Kevin Doyle (Buffers Alley); Jake Stamp (Oulart-The Ballagh), Cormac Hammel (Buffers Alley), Cathal Kennedy (Oulart-The Ballagh); Joe Ivory (Monageer-Boolavogue), Edward Greene-Harney (Buffers Alley, 0-1 free), Tristan Whelan-Byrne (Buffers Alley); Pádraig Neary (Ballygarrett), Dylan McEvoy (Buffers Alley, 1-0); Jack Doyle (Ballygarrett), Declan Sinnott (Oulart-The Ballagh, capt., 3-1), Jack Redmond (Ballygarrett); Bryan Kirwan (Buffers Alley), Cormac Walsh (Buffers Alley, 3-12, 0-7 frees), Eoin Harris-Fortune (Oulart-The Ballagh). Subs. - Clinton McCormack (Oulart-The Ballagh) for Redmond, Ryan Hammel (Buffers Alley) for Kirwan, also M.J. Fox (Buffers Alley), Alan Connor (Ballygarrett), D.J. Cullen (Buffers Alley).