Kevins beaten by Clonad in the opening round of the Leinster Junior Hurling Championship

KEVINS 0-16 

CLONAD 0-19

It proved a disappointing day for Kevins as they succumbed to Clonad by three points in their AIB Leinster Club Junior Hurling Championship quarter-final at O’Toole Park on Saturday afternoon. 

There was never much to separate the teams throughout but the greater experience of the Laois champions proved invaluable as they finished on the front foot to secure their progression to the last four. 

It was Clonad that played with the breeze and the hill in the opening-half with corner-forward John Onions availing of the elements as he scored six points, four of which came from placed balls while Fionn Holland caught the eye with three points from play.  

That the visitors were never allowed to pull away from the hosts was down to some solid defending from full-back Shane Codd, while Joey Mowlds was his typically influential self at centre-back. 

Karl Walsh chipped in with three points to keep the Kevins scoreboard ticking over while two points apiece from Adam Mitchell and the lively Declan Power were augmented by further scores by Jack Fenlon and Brian Considine as the hosts entered the break trailing by 0-12 to 0-9. 

That deficit was soon overturned as Kevins controlled large parts of the third quarter, opening up a two-point advantage courtesy of further points by Walsh, the tireless Dan O’Loughlin, Power and David Reid (free). 

However, a second-half wide tally of nine mitigated against the locals while a brilliant save from Clonad goalkeeper and captain James Farrell midway through the final quarter proved the turning point of the game. 

Onions fired over three further points after the break to take his personal tally to 0-9 by the final whistle and a brace of scores from midfielder Barry Cormack were enough to see the visitors over the line. 

Scorers – Kevins: K Walsh 0-6 (4f); D Power 0-3; A Mitchell 0-2; D O’Loughlin, D Reid (f), J Fenlon, B Considine, C Walsh 0-1 apiece. Clonad: J Onions 0-9 (7f); F Holland, B Cormack 0-3 each; PJ Daly 0-2; D O’Sullivan, R Holmes 0-1 apiece. 

Kevins: B Óg Flannery; J Cox, S Codd, O Fitzpatrick; C Minogue, J Mowlds, J McNamara; D O’Loughlin, D Reid; J Fenlon, B Considine, C Walsh; K Walsh, A Mitchell, D Power. Subs: J Henessy for C Walsh (37), C Tuite for Mitchell (46), K Grogan for O’Loughlin (Blood Sub, 53), D O’Brien for Tuite (58).   

Clonad: J Farrell; G O’Brien, J Ahern, L Whelan; C Hand, D O’Brien, C Duff; B Cormack, P O’Callaghan; PJ Daly, F Holland, J Norton; J Onions, D O’Sullivan, R Holmes. Subs: J Noonan for Norton (40). 

Referee: Ciarán Flynn (Meath).