Kenmare V Causeway - County Junior Championship Final

County Junior Championship Final
07/10/06	Kenmare	2-07	V	Causeway	0-05

The Causeway Junior team travelled to Connolly Park in Tralee on Saturday to play Kenmare in the final of the junior championship and despite playing against the breeze in the first half they only trailed by three points at the break Kenmare 0-5 Causeway 0-2. In the second half Causeway conceded two quick goals at the start of the half and from here it was an uphill battle to try and come back and in the end Kenmare were too strong and they held out to win on a score of Kenmare 2-07 Causeway 0-5.

Causeway: Richard Keane, John Madden, Padraig Barrett, Mark Walshe, Paul Barrett, Liam Diggins, Dara O Halloran, Ivan Lucid, Kevin Goggin, James Casey, colm Carroll, Adam Whyte, Brendan Harty, Noel O Connor, DJ Leahy.

Subs: Peter Dwyer for Colm Carroll, John Casey for Noel O Connor, Michael Casey for Ivan Lucid, John Casey for John Madden, Shane Leahy for Adam Whyte, Tom Boyle, Aidan Dineen, Jason Leahy, David Reilly, Kevin Leahy, Ollie Carroll

Kerryman Report

KENMARE bridged a gap of eight years when the won the county junior hurling title at a windy Connolly Park on Sunday last. They last won the title back in 1998 and their second string side made it a highly successful three years in the history of the South Kerry club. This junior title was added to the Intermediate titles that they won in 2004 and 2005.

While many of us associate Kerry hurling with the illustrious eight clubs in North Kerry great credit is due to all in Kenmare and Kilgarvan for their continued development of hurling in this small little pocket of South Kerry hinterland. Kilgarvan won the Intermediate title earlier this year so both the junior and intermediate titles are now being held in the neighbouring parishes.

While praising Kenmare it would be remiss not to commiserate with Causeway who add this junior defeat to their senior county final defeat to Ballyduff earlier this year. It must have been particularly tough on Richard Keane who lined out in goal for the juniors and, of course, performed the role of senior team trainer so diligently this year.

Both line-ups included some interesting names. On the Causeway side they mixed youth with the likes of the promising Jamie Casey with experience in the shape of Kerry hurling legend DJ Leahy. It was marvellous to see DJ line out and those in attendance on Sunday will have gone away with fond memories of seeing one of the greatest players to have ever graced the hurling fields of Kerry.

Kenmare also included some familiar names and two players in particular impressed on the day. Gerard O’Sullivan-Morgan who will forgive me when I state that he is now in the twilight of his career scored two great points while a certain Paul O’Connor scored 1-3 from his full-forward berth.

Yes, you read that right: Paul O’Connor!

O’Connor, who won an All-Ireland medal this year with the Kerry senior footballers, was the game’s outstanding player. He was the main difference between the two teams and if he ever decides to hang up his football boots there definitely is a career awaiting him on the hurling field.

Kenmare got the strongest of possible starts in this game when they raced into a four-point lead after ten minutes of the first half. Denis O’Sullivan-Morgan set the ball rolling with a point from play and further points followed this from Hugh Murphy and a brace from the aforementioned Paul O’Connor.

Causeway finally registered their first score when Brendan Harty pointed after a foul on DJ Leahy and he quickly followed this up with another score from a placed ball after fifteen minutes to leave Kenmare 0-4 to 0-2 to the good.

Gerard O’Sullivan-Morgan scored another point for Kenmare in the seventeenth minute and this proved to be the last point of the half. Kenmare have Seamus McGearailt in goal to thank for this, as he pulled off a couple of very important saves in the closing minutes.

Causeway needed to come out in the second half with all guns blazing but were put on the back foot immediately when Paul O’Connor goaled three minutes into the half. The build up to this goal involved some good interplay between Edmund Hussey and Pat Palmer and when they found O’Connor he took his chance like the ace goal poacher that he is.

Causeway kept trying however and scored their first point from play in the fourth minute of the second half from Kevin Goggin. Any thought of a comeback was quickly squashed when Hugh Murphy burst through and kicked the ball to the back of the net and Paul O’Connor quickly followed this score with another point. Goggin with a point from play and Brendan Harty from a free kept Causeway interested. Gerard O’Sullivan-Morgan added another point from play for Kenmare and incredibly just like in the first half this was to be the last score of the second period and consequently the game. Causeway fought to bitter end but were unable to pierce a strong Kenmre rearguard

Kenmare thoroughly deserved to win this game and they were best served on the day by full back David Harrington, goalkeeper Seamus McGearailt, midfielders Shannon Ryan and John Maye, and Hugh Murphy, Paul O’Connor and Ger O’Sullivan-Morgan in attack.

Causeway best performers were Mark Walsh and Padraig Barrett in defence, Kevin Goggin in midfield and Brendan Harty and the irrepressible DJ Leahy in attack.

Everyone will be aware that for the first time in a number of years that South Kerry had no representative in the senior county championship this year.

Hopefully, on the strength of their successes of this year, the hurling folk of the Roughty Valley will come forward again with renewed vim and vigour in 2007.

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