Éire Óg Corra Choill survive severe Leixlip test in Division 2 Minor hurling final

Donnchadh Fitzpartrick Eire OG Corra Choill , Dermot Lavin Kildare GAA ,AND Billy Brennan Eire og Corra Choill, Photo by Martin Rowe

placeholder image — Donnchadh Fitzpartrick Eire OG Corra Choill , Dermot Lavin Kildare GAA ,AND Billy Brennan Eire og Corra Choill, Photo by Martin Rowe

The eventual winners came out on top 2-12 to 1-12

2024 Future Ticketing Minor Hurling League Division Two Final

ÉIRE ÓG CORRA CHOILL 2-12

LEIXLIP 1-12

Éire Óg Corra Choill were forced to weather a severe challenge by Leixlip when the two sides clashed in this season’s Minor Hurling League Division Two decider in Manguard Park on Sunday.

Stewart Gleeson’s side appeared to be coasting as they opened up a nine-point gap late in the first half, but Leixlip demonstrated great tenacity to reduce their arrears to four (2-7 to 1-6) by the half-time break, and then just to a solitary point, eight minutes into the second period.

But Éire Óg, who had been reduced to 14 players following the dismissal of Donnchadh Fitzpatrick for his challenge on Luke Kelly, themselves, showed great resolve to pull clear again as Billy Brennan served up several crucial points on the home-straight.

The very minimum separated the two sides after a tight opening 10 minutes, but when Riann Curran scrambled home a goal on 11 minutes, Éire Óg began to take a firm hold on the tie.

Further points from Oisin Bagnall and Fitzpatrick preceded another major, this time from Oisin McAfee as the Caragh outfit moved nine points clear.

But, aided by a late first-half goal from Rian Reilly, and four unanswered points in the second half from Cathal Manley, Kelly and Reilly, Leixlip drew to within one of their opponents, but just failed to close the gap entirely as Éire Óg held on with the aid of Brennan’s late salvo.

ÉIRE ÓG CORRA CHOILL: Conor Taaffe, Ben Brennan, Morgan Dunne, Ben O’Shaugnessy, Ruadh Curran, Dara Cooke, Oisin Dwayne, Billy Brennan (0-4), Jack Courtney (0-1), Alex Shields, Conor Crowley (0-1), Oisin Bagnall (0-1), Riann Curran (1-0), Donnchadh Fitzpatrick (0-3), Oisin McAfee (1-2). SUBS: Luke Smith for Dwayne (HT), Gearoid Clare for Curran (40 mins), Ryan Cooke for Smith (45 mins) and Ruadh Curran for Shields (53 mins).

LEIXLIP: Daniel Malone, Fionn Cronin, Joe Evans, Aidan Lock, Finn Morrison, Matthew Canning, Sean Killian, Luke Casey, Dylan Doherty, Cillian Harrington (0-1), Rian Reilly (1-3), Cathal Manley (0-5), Cian Corrigan, Luke Kelly (0-3), Diarmuid O’Connor. SUBS: Matthew Rogers for O’Connor (25 mins), Sean Carroll for Corrigan (45 mins), Cormac Flanagan for Rogers (49 mins) and Eoghan Lyons for Reilly (59 mins).

Referee: Billy O’Connell