Victory for Seniors in Leinster League

The Kilmacud Crokes hurling week was crowned with a Leinster Senior Hurling League victory over Rappparees at Gorey on Sunday 26th April 2009.

Pulsating is the word.  The Enniscorthy men got the first two points.  Frees from Aodhan de Paor and Donal McGovern leveled the scores before Rapps went one ahead in the twelfth minute.  One hundred and twenty seconds later Damien Byrne cleared to Donal McGovern.  The full forward fed James Burke whose run along the left wing culminated in a good point.  In the sixteenth minute a McGovern free put Crokes ahead for the first time, 0-4 to 0-3.  Within a minute the lead was cancelled and by the twentieth minute the Wexford men had forged two clear.  Points from Eoin de Paor and Donal McGovern had it level for the fourth time by minute twenty two.  In what was left of the half Rapparees recorded two overs to take a two point advantage, 0-8 to 0-6.

Thanks to one from Donal McGovern and two from James Burke, the Kilmacud team led by a single point within ten minutes of the restart.  By the forty third minute, two points for Rapperees interrupted by a Donal McGovern free conversion, meant the game was level for the sixth and last time at 0-10 each.  Rapps raised the next two white flags.  The signal for the Kilmacud fightback was a foul on the highly impressive Shea Gillen, converted from 70 metres by Aodhan de Paor.  Rapps quickly restored the two point advantage.  A fifty second minute reaction point by James Burke brought it back to one and when the same player doubled a 65 to the net the Kilmacud side led 1-12 to 0-13.  Midfielder Gillen soared to claim the puck out and split the posts off his left, 1-13 to 0-13.  A Shane O’Rorke point on the run was segued by Donal McGovern’s sixth. 

It was now a five point game with still more excitement to come.  The Wexford men pressed and with two minutes to go goaled.  Crokes had to defend the most precarious of leads.  In the final moment Rapparees lofted a high free into the Stillorgan goalmouth.  Aodhan de Paor’s fetch was just what the occasion needed and as he hit the ground the final whistle sounded to give Crokes the points, 1-15 to 1-13.  On what was a satisfactory outcome and in a match where every Kilmacud player had his moment, the winners had Shea Gillen, Aodhan de Paor, James Burke and Donal McGovern most to thank.

Team: R Sweetnam, S McNicholas, F Garvey, D Byrne, A de Paor (0-2, f-2), N Corcoran, N Lillis, S Gillen (0-1), H Gannon, S O’Rorke (0-1), E de Paor (0-1), J Burke (1-4), P Clinton, D McGovern (0-6, f-3), L Bourke.  Subs: A Cleary for N Lillis (58 mins, inj), R Mangan, N Mulligan, K Dalton, B O’Leidhin and B O’Rorke.