Golden Kilfeakle lay down a serious marker in the Under 21 hurling championship

John O’Shea at Golden

Golden/Kilfeacle completed their O’Dwyer Steel West Under 21A Hurling campaign on a high note as they defeated an understrength Knockavilla Donaskeigh Kickhams in their final round game at Golden on Sunday.

At the end of a highly entertaining game, played in good conditions on a good surface, goals were the difference between the sides. The home side scored three in each half, three from Jack Leamy during the opening thirty minutes and two from Ben Currivan after the break, with Eanna Ormond getting a sixth on fifty-nine minutes.

Kickhams won the toss and defended the dressing room end for the opening period, but it was the home side who got the scoreboard moving when Jack Leamy put over within two minutes. Points from Adam Daly and Shane Buckley had Kickhams ahead by the minimum after four minutes. This lead was short lived as Golden hit back through Ben Currivan and Padraig Dalton. Conor Horgan tied the game for the third time on twelve minutes, but this was as close as Kickhams would get, as the home side kicked on. Jack Leamy got in for two goals in the space of four minutes to put light between the sides and had gone eight points clear by the twenty second minute. Kickhams then played some of their best hurling, hitting four unanswered points in the next six minutes, cutting the deficit to four. However, this good work was undone as Jack Leamy completed his first half hat trick on the stroke of half time to leave the score at the interval, Golden/Kilfeacle 3.7, Knockavilla Donaskeigh Kickhams 0.9.

Golden were quickly off the mark after the restart with points from Leamy, Padraig and Gavin Dalton and a major from Ben Currivan on forty seven minutes. Currivan was again on the mark, three minutes later, with his second green flag to put the game beyond the reach of the visitors. Michael Gleeson got in for a brace of points at the start of the fourth quarter but Golden pushed on and Eanna Ormond crashed home goal number six on the stroke of full time to record a good victory.

Golden/Kilfeacle; Jack Leamy (3.7, 3 frees), Ben Currivan (2.4), Eanna Ormond (1.0), Gavin Dalton (0.2), Padraigh Dalton (0.2), Jack Bergin (0.1)

Knockavilla Donaskeigh Kickhams; Shane Buckley (0.5, 2 frees), Adam Daly (0.4), Conor Horgan (0.3), Michael Gleeson (0.2), Philly O’Neill (0.1), Jamie Duncan (0.1)

Golden/Kilfeacle; Lee Hayes, Jack Dalton, Colin Tuohy, Padraig Dalton, Michael Coman, Gavin Dalton, Jason Morey, Jack Lonergan, Aaron Colohan, Eanna Ormond, Ben Currivan, Jack Bergin, Dan Quealy, Jack Leamy (Captain), Aidan Tuohy
Subs used: Brian Marnane for Dan Quealy (HT), James McLoughlin for Aidan Tuohy (50)

Knockavilla Donaskeigh Kickhams: Eoin Horgan, Jack O’Neill, Jamie Duncan, Diarmaid Carr, Sean Kingston, Conor Farrell, Brian Furlong, Shane Buckley, Adam Daly, Conor Horgan, Sean Cannon, Michael Gleeson, Philly O’Neill, Cormac Carr (Captain), David Kingston
Subs used: Tom O’Driscoll for David Kingston (34), Callum Ryan for Sean Kingston (34), Liam Hayes for Philly O’Neill (34)

Referee; Donie Horan (Eire Og Annacarty Donohill)