Kilcock hold off 14-man Cappagh in thrilling championship opener
Declan Keane of Kilcock fires a shot towards goal as Oisin Farrell of Cappagh attempts the block. Photo: Martin Rowe.
Conneff Park, Clane was the venue for the opening round in Group A of the UPMC Kildare Junior Hurling Championship. After a tight and sometimes entertaining battle, it was Kilcock who got the better of neighbours Cappagh, having two pints to spare in the end.
Cappagh had to play the closing 35 minutes with only 14 after midfielder, Daniel Maher got his marching orders for two yellow cards inside six minutes.
Kilcock midfielder, Tom McLoughlin opened the scoring inside 30 seconds, but straight from the puckout a foul on Darragh Devine saw Adam Mooney convert the free. Frees were the order of the opening quarter with Gavin Kenny and Adam Mooney sharing four between them.
Shane Donohue levelled matters at 0-2 each before lively corner forward John Quane hadedged Kilcock four-three ahead. Mooney levelled for the fourth time before John Quane scored again, this time from a free, to edge Kilcock back in front.
The lead was short-lived as Mooney added back-to-back frees and as we passed the 18th minute Cappagh were in front for the first time.
Daniel Maher had taken a heavy head challenge 16 mins in that went unpunished and whether it was frustration or otherwise he picked up a yellow for a mistimed tackle not long later. Dylan Morrow pounced on a loose ball on his own 65 and after a 20metre burst he fired over the leveller again.
Daniel Maher went from hero to villain in the space of two minutes then when he fired a long ball from the middle of the field that deceived Patrick Barker in the Kilcock goal and flew straight to the net.
The restart saw the ball land close to the sideline and as Niall Doolan cleared; Maher was late with his tackle and referee James Callan had no choice but to show a second yellow quickly followed by the red.
Kilcock responded as Ben Mulligan added two quick points and when he then landed a long free in the Capoagh square, James Murphy flicked the ball into the net.
Mulligan, Quane and Eoghan Flood left Kilcock 1-11 to 1-8 ahead at the break.
The second half was always going to be tight and tense between these neighbours. Toby McMoreland reduced the gap two minutes in followed by the score of the game came as Tom McLoughlin landed a brilliant sideline cut from 55 metres out.
Mooney and Gavin Kenny swapped frees before Quane opened a four point buffer.
Despite the numerical difference, Cappagh quickly levelled matters with four Adam Mooney frees. Declan Kenna edged Kilcock back in front and when Dylan McMorrow tried his luck from distance his shot was batted out to Quane who shot low to the Cappagh net.
Ben Mulligan opened a six point lead with seven minutes remaining, but the closing minutes belonged to Cappagh as Adam Mooney hit four in a row. The first was a sublime sideline cut from 45 metres and with three further frees he brought his tally to 0-14.
But the clock beat Cappagh and Kilcock held on for the 2-17 to 1-18 win.
Patrick Barker; Oisin Miley, Sean Miley, Cillian Nolan; Padraig Norris, Daire McNickle, Niall Doolan; Tom McLoughlin 0-2 (1s), Dylan Morrow 0-1; Declan Keane 0-1, James Murphy 1-0, Gavin Kenny 0-4 (3f, 1'65); Eoghan Flood 0-1, Ben Mulligan 0-4, John Quane 1-4 (0-1f).
Sean Nolan for Murphy (38), Glen O'Brien for Barker (44), Sean Hodgins for Norris (48).
Cian O'Brien; Cian Barclay, Adam Fenlon, Ben Keogh; Cillian Devine, John Corcoran, Oisin Farrell; Adam Farrell, Daniel Maher 1-0; Toby McMoreland 0-1, William McDonnell, Shane Donohue 0-2; Adam Mooney 0-14 (13f, 1'65), Daragh Devine 0-1, Chris Glynn.
Ross Brogan for Glynn (H/T), David Walsh for Corcoran (44).
James Callan.
