Ray Kelly saves the day
Two goals by Ray Kelly inside the last minute of a great Lee Cup final earned Rathcoyle/Knockananna a draw with holders Kiltegan at Kiltegan this week in 2000.
Both teams featured young hurlers and footballers who would go on to do their clubs and county proud in hurling and football with Kiltegan and Wicklow start Seanie Furlong bagging 2-4 on the day.
But it was Ray Kelly’s two beautiful goals late on that secured a replay in what was a thriller going by the report.
Jason Hobson got Rathcoyle/Knockananna off to a great start with two goals of his own but Kiltegan came roaring back thanks to a goal by Rory Finn and points from Seanie Furlong and James Murphy.
Furlong and Finn would add further points to send the holders in leading by 2-6 to 2-0 at the break.
The report describes how ‘wee Mark Kenny started the fight back’ in the first minute of the second half. Kenny is still lighting up the football fields of Wicklow and beyond but the ‘wee’ aspect of his physical appearance has long been shed.
Seanie Furlong goaled from a 65 but three points from Ray Kelly left only a goal between the two committed sides at the three-quarter stage of the game.
Kiltegan then stretched their lead out to six points but the clever Rathcoyle/Knockananna manager Mary Kelly deployed one of her star players, Patrick Byrne (Moyne) from the goals to the forwards and the result was epic.
Young Byrne rallied his side with a point but Rory Finn replied with gusto to give his side real confidence or retaining the Lee Cup for another season.
And then Ray Kelly fired two long-range drives to the roof of the Kiltegan net and referee Pat Cronin sounded the full-time whistle shortly afterwards.
‘A great game with plenty of stars of the future on both sides,’ read the report in that week’s edition of the Wicklow and Bray People newspapers.
KILTEGAN: Shane McLoughlin, Sean Kehoe, Stephen Simpson, Brian Dowling, Kyle Hanbidge, Oonagh Kelly, Marie Whelan, Tanya Wynne, Rory Finn (0-4), Johnny Keogh, Seanie Furlong (2-4), Marie Dowling, James Murphy (0-2), Frederick Westerhold, Emma Whelan. Sub: Lisa Keogh.
RATHCOYLE/KNOCKANANNA: Patrick Byrne (0-1), James Byrne, Cathal Wybrant, Thomas O’Toole, Joe Kelly, Kevin Tyrrell, John Kehoe, Ray Kelly (2-3), Dan Kearney, Sean O’Neill, Patrick Byrne, Lorcan Tyrrell, Jason Hobson (2-0), Thomsa Dunne, Mark Kenny (1-0). Sub: Christine Cole. REFEREE: Pat Cronin (Stratford)