Kilcummin’s under 16s came back from trailing 1 -4 to 4 points at half time to take a well deserved victory by 2-10 to 1-12 against Spa in this East Kerry Division Two final in Fitgerald Stadium on Tuesday 17th May. Despite starting stronger and going into an early lead, Kilcummin lost their grip on the game as the clock wound down to half time and went in trailing by a goal.
Kilcummin reasserted themselves in the second half. Both sides exchanged scores but Kilcummin goaled and by the time there was 18 minutes left on the clock the sides were level at 1-7 each. Further exchanges of scores saw Spa take the lead with a score of 1-10 to Kilcummins 1-9. It looked like fate was against the Kilcummin lads when some fantastic pressure saw the ball hit the top of the right upright and rebounded to be sent goalward only for it to rebound again off the lower left hand post with 9 minutes to go.
Kilcummin drew level, as deserved, and with five minutes to go the scorecard read 1-10 each. It seemed that victory was slipping away when Spa succeeded in converting two further points and with less that 2 minutes to go Kilcummin trailed by those two points. Spa played to wind down the clock as they passed the ball among each other in the centre of the field.
The Kilcummin boys were not for lying down, and in the dying seconds they gained possession to drive the ball home into the Spa net. A fantastic game and a fantastic victory saw Kilcummin win out by 2-10 to 1 -12 and take a well deserved Division 2 title.
Congratulations to Willie Maher, John Fitgerald and Eamon Kelly and to their squad:
1 Connor Teahan 2 Arron Healy 3 William Maher 4 Daniel Moynihan 5 Paudie O’Connor 6 Padraig Gleeson 7 Robert Enright 8 John Fleming (capt) 9 Sean O’Sullivan 10 Dean Fleming 11 Matthew Keane 12 Paul Riordan 20 Ian Fitzgerald 14 Kelvin Teahan 15 Jason O’Leary 16 Shane O’Donoghue 17 Dean Fitzgerald 18 Shane Moynihan 19 Oscar O’Connor 21 Gearoid Kerins 22 Davie Gleeson.
Phillip Casey could not tog out on the evening due to injury.