Naas second string too strong for Kilcock
UPMC Senior Hurling Championship
Naas 1-19
Kilcock 1-5
Round Five of the UPMC Kildare Senior B hurling championship saw Naas record win number four of the campaign with a fourteen point victory over a Kilcock side who battled hard and were within touching distance of Naas at the interval trailing 1-8 to 1-2.
With a semi final place already assured prior to throw in Naas could have been forgiven for resting on their laurels but an Eoin O'Hehir 65 inside the opening showed their intentions.
Some wayward shooting didn't help the Naas cause and they were guilty of ten wides in that opening thirty minutes. Ten minutes had elapsed before Seamus Kelleher added a second.
Darren Murphy opened the Kilcock account with a 12 minute free before Al Bergin, used his pace to get away from his marker, to extend the gap out to two again.
Kilcock caused a bit of a surprise on sixteen when Dylan Morrow capitalised on a goalmouth scramble to force home a goal and Kilcock lead for the first time.It probably acted as a wake up call for Naas as they added 1-5 before the break to build up that six point advantage.
Sean Murphy added two quick points on eighteen and nineteen before his evening was cut short with serious looking leg injury.
Enda O'Neill from distance and two Eoin O'Hehir white flags opened a four point to gap as we entered injury time.
The six minutes of injury time saw Shane Ryan ad a much needed Naas goal to confirm their dominance.
Darren Murphy had time for a late Kilcock free but they would face into the second half six in arrears.
Naas hit three early points to move nine ahead.
Eoin O'Hehir hit two, to bring his personal tally to five before CJ Boran got on the score-board after he was twice blocked.
Declan Keane and two Darren Murphy points were the total of Kilcock's efforts for the second half as Naas moved away to record a fourteen point victory.
The 45th minute dismissal of Donal McSweeney on a straight red didn't stop the Naas flow.
Bill Hennessy and three from Al Bergin moved Naas nine ahead.
Shane Ryan added to his first half goal as the Kilcock effort had come to a halt long before the full time whistle.
All eyes were on referee Owen Murphy to bring proceedings to a close.
Eoin O'Hehir hit two late points to see out the 1-19 to 1-5 victory.
NAAS: Sean Burke; Kevin Kelleher, Rob Byrne, Donal McSweeney, Liam O Reilly, Darach Mac Donncha, Bill Hennessy 0-1, Eoin O Hehir 0-7 (1 '65 1 free), Daire Guerin, MacDara Moore, Enda O Neill 0-2, Sean Murphy 0-2, Al Bergin 0-4 Seamus Kelleher 0-1, Shane Ryan 1-1. Subs: Rian Redfern for Darach Mac Donncha (9 minutes); CJ Boran 0-1 for Sean Murphy 20; Evan O'Brien for Seamus Kelleher 4(47 minutes); Fionan Delaney fir Mac Dara Moore (53 minutes).
KILCOCK: Darragh Browne, Ben Kirwan, Paul Leonard, Vincent Ellison, Peter O Connor, Sean Hodgins, Declan Keane 0-1 ,Rossa O Brien, Darren Murphy 0-4 (3 frees), James Murphy, Dylan Morrow 1-0, James Kenehan, Eoghan Flood,Alan Corcoran, Sean Nolan. Subs: Paddy Bermingham for James Kenehan 23; Sean O'Hora for Eoghan Flood 40.
REFEREE: Owen Murphy.