Brave Lisdowney fall short in bid for Leinster glory

A fast finishing Rathnure held the edge as they saw off Kilkenny champions Lisdowney in a hugely entertaining AIB Leinster IHC Final in Chadwicks Wexford Park earlier this afternoon.

A Richard McEvoy goal in the early minutes of the second half gave Trevor Fletcher's team the lead for the first time but Lisdowney were unable to make that breakthrough count as Rathnure made their experience count.

Led by Jack Redmond who scored 0-12 in total, the home side held a narrow one point half-time advantage but at that stage, the Kilkenny side were still very much within range.

McEvoy then fired in a brilliant second half goal but after initially getting back level on three occasions, Rathnure eventually took control as they hit the front inside the final 10 minutes.

The Wexford sides's momentum continued till the end with Redmond leading the way as they secured a first title at this grade of hurling.

Lisdowney's frustration got the better of them late on after Pat O'Carroll was given a red card for an off the ball offence and while the defeat will sting in the short-term, they can still look back on a very successful season.

Teams and Scorers

Rathnure: Jack Redmond 0-12 (0-1 ’65, 0-3 frees), Shane Lawler 0-4, Mick Redmond 0-3, Ciarán O’Connor, Seán O’Connor 0-2 each, A.J. Redmond 0-1

Lisdowney: Brian Kavanagh 0-7 (0-7 frees), Richard McEvoy 1-2, Cathal Jordan, Liam Dunphy 0-2 each, Pat O’Carroll, Niall Brennan, Luke Holohan 0-1 each

Rathnure: Kyle Martin; Stephen Martin, Brian Quigley, Conor O’Neill; Micheál O’Connor, Pádraig Doyle, Donal Wickham; Ciarán O’Connor, Eamonn Wickham; Jack Redmond, Rory Higgins, Mick Redmond; Shane Lawler, A.J. Redmond, Seán O’Connor.

Subs: Michael Martin for C. O’Connor (50 mins), James Tobin for Higgins (53 mins), Luke Codd for Lawler (58 mins), Mick Somers for M. O’Connor (61 mins).

Lisdowney: Aidan Tallis; Seán Phelan, Ben Tallis, Lar Campion; Michael Kenny, Eoin Walsh, Alan Dunphy; Liam Dunphy, Niall Brennan; Richard McEvoy, Pat O’Carroll, Eibhan McEvoy; Brian Kavanagh, Cathal Jordan, Luke Holohan. 

Subs: Eoin Kenny for Holohan (36 mins), David O’Carroll for Phelan (44 mins), Vinny Fitzpatrick for McEvoy (51 mins), Andrew McEvoy for Jordan (58 mins).

Referee: Matthew Redmond (Kildare).