Jubilant Kilmacow are back among junior hurling winners as they see off Piltown

Kilmacow emerged two-point victors over neighbours Piltown in the first of a weekend filled with junior finals at UPMC Nowlan Park.

This Junior C victory bridged a 13-year gap to the clubs last junior success, a 2012 victory over Barrow Rangers in the Junior B grade.

Their junior team proper has also started the season well and this C graded team qualified for the decider with wins over Graignamanagh, John Lockes and Blacks and Whites.

Featuring several players who had not taken part in a final in UPMC Nowlan Park previously, they took control early on and deservedly were victorious.

To their credit Piltown, who were already crowned Roinn C league champions, battled to the final whistle, hitting a goal from the excellent John Kenny four minutes into added time.

This reduced the lead to two points, but substitute referee Sean McMahon, who took over from his injured colleague Anthony Barcoe in the final 15 minutes, called a halt to proceedings on the puckout.

Star of the show for Kilmacow was evergreen half-forward Shane Gaule, who had also featured in that 2012 success. He finished with 13 points here, eight frees and five from play.

Shay Dempsey opened the scoring for Kilmacow after 30 seconds, replied to by a John Kenny Piltown free less than a minute later.

A sequence of points gave the green and white Kilmacow men an 0-5 to 0-1 lead by the 10th minute, three from Gaule and a Jack O’Neill score from play.

Points by DJ Knox from midfield and two Kenny frees reduced the margin to one by the 16th minute.

By the 25th minute it was all square at 0-7 each, but late points from distance by Sean Blanchfield, a Shane Gaule free, a Shay Dempsey score from 50 metres and Gaule from even further out, left Kilmacow 0-11 to 0-7 ahead at the interval.

They went six clear early in the new half, remained in the ascendancy, and when substitute Fionn Blanche pointed on 42 minutes were still five clear, 0-16 to-12. 

Two minutes later Piltown were back in the game when the referee spotted an infringement after a long delivery into the Kilmacow square and awarded a penalty. John Kenny scored this and substitute Sam Garbutt left just one point between them two minutes later, 1-12 to 0-16.

In the 55th minute a delivery from Fionn Blanche was finished to the net by Kilmacow captain Conor Dowling. It was now 1-17 to 1-13 for the winners.

Shane Gaule added a free a minute into stoppage time, and despite that late Piltown goal already mentioned, it was a rare success at Kilkenny GAA headquarters for the Kilmacow men.

Best for Kilmacow were high scoring Shane Gaule, defenders Calum Regan and Eoin Murray along with forwards like Shay Dempsey and substitute Fionn Blanche.

Piltown had their own scorer in chief in John Kenny while others to impress were goalie Pauric Wall, Tom Kenny, Eoin Reid, DJ Knox, and Robbie Culleton.

Teams and Scorers

Kilmacow - Shane Gaule (0-13, 0-8 frees); Conor Dowling (1-0); Shay Dempsey (0-2); Jack O’Neill, Sean Blanchfield, Fionn Blanch (0-1 each).

Piltown - John Kenny (2-8, 2-0 frees, 0-1 65); DJ Knox (0-2); Cormac Cummins, Robbie Culleton, Sam Garbutt (0-1 each).

Kilmacow - Kieran Dowling; Calum Regan, Lorcan Suffin, Ryan McKenna; Kevin McNamara, Eoin Murray, Darragh Kelly; Sean Blanchfield, Tom Reddy; Shane Gaule, Oisin O’Dwyer, Brian O’Mara; Jack O’Neill, Conor Dowling (captain), Shay Dempsey.

Sub: Fionn Blanche.

Piltown - Pauric Wall; Shane Walsh, Joe Cooney, Michael O’Dwyer; Gavin Flynn, Tom Kenny, Eoin Reid (captain); Neil Moriarty, Henri Culleton; DJ Knox, Aidan Friend, Cormac Cummins; Robbie Culleton, Kevin Brophy, John Kenny.

Subs: Sean O’Neill, Sam Garbutt.

Referee - Anthony Barcoe (Blacks and Whites).