Kildare: Maynooth capture U23 hurling title with comfortable win over Naas

Whitewater Shopping centre U23 hurling final

Maynooth 0-14

Naas 2-4

Maynooth captured the Kildare U23 hurling title at Hawkfield on Tuesday evening with a comfortable win over Naas.

These clubs have met at different levels throughout the season and this win certainly gave the boys in black huge satisfaction and while there were just four points separating the sides in the end, the fact that Naas got their two goals within a minute in time added on gives an indication of the supremacy of the winners.

Naas don't have to look to far to see what went wrong on the night as they failed to score between the 12 minute of the opening half and the 52 of the second — some 31/32 minutes.

Maynooth led at the break, 0-7 to 0-3 and while both sides hit a lot of wides, Maynooth were well worth their lead with David Qualter their main man throughout that opening, and indeed throughout the entire game.

Four quick points in the opening six minuts of the second half, three from Qualter (2 frees) and one from Ronan Dunne, effectively put the game to bed.

On 60 minutes the winners led 0-14 to 0-4 before Naas added two goals inside a minute from Enda O'Neill and Sean Murphy.

No doubt the best team won, they were more up for this one than their opponents, fought for everything and their reaction after every score showed what it meant to them.

Scorers

Maynooth, David Qualter 0-11 (8 frees), Ronan Dunne 0-2, Adam Jordan 0-1.

Naas, Enda O'Neill 1-1, Sean Murphy 1-0, Ferran O'Sullivan 0-1, Rian Boran 0-1, Al Bergin 0-1.

Teams

MAYNOOTH : Gearoid Hogan; Daniel O'Meara, Matt Eustace, Luke Murnane; Kevin Carroll, Cian O'Neill, Eoin Kelliher; Ciarán Flanagan, Ronan Dunne; Cormac Nolan, Harry Dunne, Cathal McCabe; Kevin McNeill, David Qualter, Adam Jordan. Subs: Shane Whyte for Kevin O'Neill (54 minutes).

NAAS: Seán Burke; Peter O'Donoghue, John McKeon, Liam O'Reilly; Rian Monaghan, Harry Carroll, Bill Hennessy; Seán Mac Donncha, Alan Tobin; Charlie Sheridan, Kevin Aherne, Ferran O'Sullivan; Enda O'Neill, Al Bergain, Liam Walsh. Subs: Rian Boran for Alan Tbin (half-time); Conan Boran for Al Bergin (halfl-time)k; Sean Murphy for Bill Hennessy (48 minutes).

REFEREE: Ray Kelly.