Kilcummin played Ballydonoghue on 17th August 2011 in Na Gael pitch Tralee in the Division 5 13-a-side County Final. The final score was Kilcummin 6-10 to Ballydonoghue 4-6.
Conditions were perfect in Tralee for this encounter which saw table toppers Kilcummin win against an exceptionally skilled and spirited Ballhdonoghue side.
Kelvin Teahan opened the scoring for Kilcummin with a goal which he followed with a converted penalty on the 8th minute. Two minutes later Kelvin struck again with another goal.
At 14 minutes Jason O’Leary scored a point followed by Matthew Keane 2 minutes later. Jason O’Leary scored from a free 18 minutes in.
Ballydonoghue opened their account with a point from play on 19 minutes and followed up with another point a minute later. However the game was turned on its head when the referee awarded a penalty to Ballydonoghue in the 22nd minute which was ably converted. This consolidated a period of dominance for Ballydonoghue and they followed up with another point and a goal over the next 3 minutes.
John fleming, who had an outstanding game at centre field, didn’t take this lying down and after winning the ball from the kickout made a supreme effort and breached the Ballydonoghue defence to score a great individual goal. Ballydonoghue scored another point in the 30th minute whereupon the referee called half time and the teams went to the break, Kilcummin 4-3 to Ballydonoghue 3-3.
The second half started as the first half when Kelvin Teahan struck home for another goal for Kilcummin straight from the throw in. This time Ballydonoghue responded immediately with a point. Kilcummin kept up the pressure with an excellent point on the 5th minute from Matthew Keane and after another well worked attack a free was awarded to Kilcummin 2 minutes later. This was ably converted by the sure-footed Jason O’Leary.
Not to be outdone Ballydonoghue thrilled the crowd with the strike of the night when on the 8th minute their corner forward struck from far out to catch the top corner of the net. The pressure was now back on Kilcummin and the backs lead by Philip Casey in the centre fought hard to recycle the ball. Their work yielded fruit when Philip was awarded a free in front of the goals which he duly converted on the 13th minute. Over the next seven minutes Kilcummin regained control of the game and converted 3 more points from play, one each from Kelvin Teahan, Matthew Keane and Jason O’Leary. On 21st minute Ballydonoghue responded with their penultimate point and 4 minutes later Jason O’Leary converted from a free. Ballydonoghue scored their final point in the 26th minute and Kelvin Teahan finished off the game for Kilcummin with a great goal on the 27th minute.
The final score in Tralee was Kilcummin 6-10 to Ballydonoghue 4-6.
The Kilcummin defence responded to an enormous effort from Ballydonoghue from half way through the first half to the 8 minutes into the second half. However it is a testament to Dean Fleming in goals and defenders Ian Fitzgerald, Robert Enright, William Maher, Daniel Moynihan,Philip Casey and Aaron Healy who came on as a sub in the second half, that this threat was repelled and Kilcummin’s forwards were set up with excellent ball to turn defence into attack.
John Fleming made herculean efforts through out the game and was very well supported by Sean O’Sullivan at Centre Field who regularly made piercing runs through the centre with the ball.
Kilcummin’s forwards however proved too much for Ballydonoghue’s backs. The half forward line of Matthew Keane,Paul O’Riordan and Padraig Gleeson and Paudie O’Connor who came on as a sub in the second half, continuously showed for the ball, turned and pushed for home.
The full forward line of Kelvin Teahan and Jason O’Leary, who between them scored 5-6, were supreme throughout and Ballydonoghue had no answer to this kind of scorepower.
The substitutes on the night were Conor Teahan, Shane O’Donoghue, Shane Moynihan, Dean Fitzgerald, Gearoid Kerins and Oscar O’Connor. All these players played their part during the year and in the lead up to this great win for the team.
Team Mentors were Willie Maher, Eamonn Kelly and John Fitzgerald and a big thank you goes out to each one of them who gave of their time so freely throughout the year. This caps of a very successful year for Kilcummin Under 16s who earlier in the year won the East Kerry Championship Division 2 title.
Thanks to Pat and Billy for the match report.
