Kilbrittain survive late scare against Glen Rovers to win Premier Junior Hurling title
Kilbrittain players celebrate after defeating Glen Rovers in the Co-Op Superstores Premier JHC final at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh. Picture: Eddie O'Hare
Kilbrittain were crowned Co-op Superstores Premier JHC champions following their win over Glen Rovers at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Friday night.
It was a battle from start to finish with little or nothing between the sides all through as a last-gasp Glen goal cut the gap to the minimum before the final whistle.
It took only 30 seconds for the first goal chance when Thomas Sheehan and Philip Wall combined to play Mark Hickey in, but his effort was brilliantly saved by Ben Heffernan.
Hickey pointed the resulting 65 to put Kilbrittain in front with Luke Griffin adding a second to double their lead.
Shane Busteed got the Glen off the mark, after three minutes, but the West Cork side were playing the better hurling at this stage.
Conor Hogan stretched their lead to two before Sean Sexton drove forward from his own half to make it 0-4 to 0-1.
Hickey and Griffin were on target again to put Kilbrittain 0-6 to 0-1 up after six minutes.
The Glen came more into the game with Conor Dorris getting their second point and Fiachra O’Driscoll split the posts to put only three between the sides. That was two when Dorris was on target again, before Josh O’Donovan made it a three-point game again: 0-7 to 0-4.
Dorris responded with a superb effort from out near the sideline as the frantic pace continued. Hickey and Ronan Crowley added to Kilbrittain’s tally before points from Calvin Healy and Evan Murphy reduced Kilbrittain’s lead to two.
With 27 minutes gone, the Glen took the lead for the first time, thanks to Gearoid Mulcahy. A long free in from Heffernan was batted down and he was quickest to the breaking ball to find the back of the net, to make it 1-7 to 0-9.
Kilbrittain then missed several easy chances to equalise before Wall pointed in injury time, but Mulcahy and Dorris replied as the Glen led by 1-9 to 0-10 at half time.
Hickey pointed from a free early in the second half, before Wall had the sides level again after 33 minutes, 1-9 to 0-12. Crowley and Mulcahy exchanged scores before Hickey was unlucky not to score a goal, his effort going just wide.
Two frees from Hickey put Kilbrittain back in front, to make it 0-15 to 1-10 after 41 minutes Another great score from Mulcahy put the minimum between them as neither side was able to stretch its lead. Hickey and Murphy exchanged frees, with Wall adding a point, to make it 0-17 to 1-12.
Another Murphy free cut the gap again before Hickey’s fifth point from a free in the second half made it 0-19 to 1-13.
Adam O’Sullivan and Hickey were on target and in the final minute Murphy goaled from a free. It was too late for the Glen though. From the restart, the final whistle went and the celebrations began.
It was a poignant victory. Kilbrittain didn’t use the number eight jersey during their campaign but the late Oisín Gillain was listed in the programme for every game. Friday would have been Oisín’s birthday and he was remembered in the most fitting fashion possible.
M Hickey 0-9 (0-6 f), R Crowley 0-4 (0-1 f), P Wall 0-3, L Griffin, J O’Donovan 0-2 each, C Hogan, S Sexton 0-1 each.
G Mulcahy, E Murphy (f) 1-3 each, C Dorris 0-4, S Busteed, F O’Driscoll, C Healy, A O’Sullivan, D Tynan 0-1 each.
D Desmond; D Considine, J Hurley, E O’Neill; A Holland, T Sheehan, C Sheehan; S Sexton, J O’Donovan; M Hickey, P Wall, R Crowley; C Hogan, L Griffin, B Butler.
C Ustionowski for L Griffin (47), D Harrington for B Butler (53), T Harrington for C Hogan (60).
B Heffernan; D Dunlea, G Marshall, Z Lynch; D Coughlan, D Noonan, A O’Sullivan; G Mulcahy, F O’Driscoll; G Kennefick, K McCarthy Coade, C Healy; C Dorris, E Murphy, S Busteed.
D Tynan for G Kennefick (20 inj), J Corkery for C Healy (50), E O’Sullivan for D Noonan (55), D Long for S Busteed (56), C O’Brien for A O’Sullivan (60).
Kevin O’Sullivan (Valley Rovers).
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