Limerick side Feenagh-Kilmeedy fall to heartbreaking loss in Munster club hurling final:
By John Keogh Limerick Leader Sport
FEENAGH-KILMEEDY’S Munster dream ended in heartbreak in Mallow this Saturday afternoon following a 2-14 to 1-15 loss to St Catherine’s of Cork in the Munster Club Junior Hurling Final.
The Limerick side recovered from a three-point half time deficit to level the game with 20 minutes remaining but fell to a tough loss. Their cause wasn’t helped by a red card to full back Kevin Murphy in the final quarter for a second yellow card.
Diarmuid Coleman was a constant source of scores and he finished with 10 points for the west Limerick side but it wasn’t enough with Eoin Condon’s goal double sees Catherine’s home in the end.
A long range free from Catherine’s keeper Eoin Davis opened the scoring in the second minute before Condon’s first goal after a Michael Bergin error put his side four points to the good.
Feenagh-Kilmeedy recovered with a goal of their own after a superb flick by John O’Gorman saw Ruairi O’Connor in on goal and he fired a devastating shot to the net.
Coleman and Sean O’Donoghue were on fired from placed balls in the opening half but it was Maurice Fitzgibbon and Luke Ryan from play that saw Feenagh-Kilmeedy level the game on 17 minutes at 1-5 each.
However, five minutes later, Condon was at it again for Catherine’s with a flick to the net from close range after another booming Davis free from distance.
O’Donoghue soon had his side four to the good but a long range strike from Coleman saw the score at 2-8 to 1-8 at the end of a superb first half of hurling.
David Boyce’s second of the game soon had two-points between the teams and then a Coleman free brought the Limerick side to within one of their Cork opponents.
O’Donoghue and Coleman traded frees before the latter levelled the game for a third time with a superb strike from inside his own 65 metre line.
However, it was O’Donoghue that took hold of the game from there with four on the bounce to put St Catherine’s 2-13 to 1-12 in front heading into the final quarter.
Scores were at a premium in the final stages with Feenagh-Kilmeedy being reduced to 14 when Murphy was sent off for a challenge on Condon.
A Coleman free reduced the deficit to three points with 10 to play but an inspirational score by Catherine’s substitute Kevin Barry gave them breathing space.
Two Coleman frees in the space of three minutes gave Feenagh-Kilmeedy hope heading into added time. He then dropped a free into the heart of the Catherine’s defence deep into added time but the Cork side managed to scramble the ball to safety an earn a two-point winning margin and the Munster title.
SCORERS – FEENAGH-KILMEEDY: Diarmuid Coleman 0-10 (0-9 frees), Ruairi O’Connor 1-0, David Boyce 0-2, Maurice Fitzgibbon, Luke Ryan and Sean Kelly 0-1 each.
SCORERS – ST CATHERINE’S: Sean O’Donogue 0-9 (0-5 frees), Eoin Condon 2-0, Eoin Davis (0-1 free), Shane Cotter, Brian Mulcahy, Kian O’Donoghue and Kevin Barry 0-1 each
FEENAGH-KILMEEDY: Michael Bergin; Bobby Donegan, Kevin Murphy, Sean Murray; David Boyce, Bryan Hannigan, James O’Regan Sean Kelly, Cian O’Connor; Diarmuid Coleman, Maurice Fitzgibbon, Luke Ryan; Ruairi O’Connor, Neilus Irwin, John O’Gorman.
SUBS: Ger O’Gorman for Irwin (35 mins), Jimmy O’Sullivan for J O’Gorman (46 mins), Patrick O’Doherty for Kelly (51 mins), Ronan O’Connor for Ryan (58 mins).
ST CATHERINE’S: Eoin Davis; Fionn O’Connell, Eoghan O’Riordan, Liam O’Connor; Kian O’Donoghue, Oisin Fitzgerald, Kieran Neville; Kyle Wallace, Shane Cotter; William Leamy, Rory Galvin, Sean O’Donoghue; Brian Mulcahy, Eoin Condon, Matthew Mulcahy.
SUBS: Eoin Wallace for O’Connor (42 mins), Gearoid O’Brien for Leamy (42 mins), Kevin Barry for M Mulcahy (51 mins).
REFEREE: Nicky O’Toole (Waterford).