Rathvilly and Old Leighlin share the spoils
There was no separating Old Leighlin and Rathvilly
This Group 1 Round 3 Senior Football Championship game on Saturday ended all square in what was a tense and exciting affair.
Feature of the first half were the four two pointers which Old Leighlin accumulated. Not to be out-done, Rathvilly’s Brandon Kelly also took on the responsibility into the scoreboard end of the ground and knocked over his side’s only two-pointer of the half on 24 minutes.
An example of Rathvilly’s willingness to attack was illustrated with Josh Moore and Padhraig Bolger both scoring from play. Jake Elliott also rifled over a brace of points in the half.
Mikey Bambrick had set Old Leighlin on their way with an opening two-pointer from play. At the end of the first quarter, Aaron Amond’s delicious struck shot with the outside of his left foot secured another. As both sides squared up to each other Old Leighlin finished the half strongly with Bambrick and Seamus Kinsella both scoring from outside the D as Old Leighlin held onto a 0-13 to 0-10 lead at the break.
The second half proved to be an intense and nervy battle. Kinsella’s early point stretched the Old Leighlin lead lead to four but Kevin Murphy’s deft finish at the edge of the small square brought Rathvilly back into it. Conor Doyle levelled for the reigning champions and from there to the end, supporters were on a white-knuckle ride.
With 17 minutes to go Kinsella goaled from loose range. In reply, Liam Gavin’s two-point free for Rathvilly increased the tension. Both sides had chances but defences were water tight. In the end, a Kevin Murphy point levelled the game and that is how it finished.
L Gavin (1-2pf, 2fs) 0-4, K Murphy 1-1, B Kelly 0-3 (1-2p), J Elliott 0-2, J Moore, P Bolger, D Curran, C Doyle 0-1 each.
S Kinsella 1-4 (1-2pf, f), M Bambrick 0-4 (2-2p), A Amond 0-3 (1-2p), J Dowling 0-2, D Fitzgerald 0-1.
Regan Murphy; Dara Curran, Colin Byrne, Paraic Deering; Padhraig Bolger, Josh Moore, Adam Burgess; Conor Doyle, Darragh Murphy; Jake Elliott, Brandon Kelly, Ryan Sibbald; Liam Gavin, Brendan Murphy, Kevin Murphy. Subs: Harry Clarke for R Murphy (h/t), Peter Burgess for D Murphy (h/t), Daire Byrne for Deering (34).
Steven Scallan; Jordan Kelly, Niall Roche, Tadhg O’Neill; Tadhg Roche, Sean Bambrick, Jamie Doyle; Ian Atkinson, David Bambrick; Aaron Amond, Mikey Bambrick, James Dowling; Cathal Coughlan, Seamie Kinsella, Darragh Fitzgerald. Subs: Ruarc O’Neill for Dowling (25), Sean Taylor for D Bambrick (52), Shane Dooley for Doyle (62).
David Hickey (Fenagh).
