Kilmacud Crokes crowned Minor A Hurling Champions after tight battle v Ballyboden St Endas

KILMACUD CROKES 0-15 BALLYBODEN ST ENDA’S 1-10

Kilmacud Crokes were crowned PTSB Dublin Minor ‘A’ Hurling Championship winners as they got the better of Ballyboden St Enda’s by two points at a damp O’Toole Park on Sunday morning. 

In doing so, the Stillorgan outfit completed the football and hurling double, having edged the same opponents a week previously by the same narrow margin. 

With scores at a premium all morning in what were, admittedly tricky conditions, the impeccable free-taking of Rory Flannery was a key factor in Kilmacud’s triumph and it was fitting that he should open the scoring in the 1st minute. 

Sean Culleton replied in kind for St Enda’s within a minute before Flannery popped over the first score from play to hand Crokes a narrow lead in the early stages. 

With Deimhne Murphy a solid presence at centre-back, Kilmacud added to their lead through Flannery and Louis Robinson by the 8th minute but their lead evaporated two minutes later as Gary Ormsby found space to fore low past Hugh Leahy at his near post. 

Flannery and Culleton exchanged frees to leave the teams deadlocked at 0-5 to 1-2 at the end of the first quarter before another Flannery free restored the narrow Crokes lead in the 17thminute. 

A scoring lull followed as the St Enda’s rearguard began to dominate their direct opponents with Bobby Cummins a towering presence at full-back while Peter Cashin and Daithí Gannon were equally resolute in their last line of defence. 

Culleton ended a barren period of ten minutes when levelling matters in the 27th minute while points by Ballyboden’s Ernesto Tennant and Kilmacud’s Joey Davy helped ensure a 0-7 to 1-4 stalemate by half-time. 

Crokes resumed on the front foot through a point by influential midfielder Paul Batten and another Flannery free and the latter preserved his team’s two-point buffer with two further scores to cancel out strikes at the opposite end from Culleton. 

Ballyboden began to click into gear towards the end of the third quarter however and after Culleton had added a classy score from play, lively wing-back Daithí Grant levelled events in the 44th minute with an inspirational effort. 

That momentum was maintained as Ormsby edged the Firhouse Road outfit ahead two minutes later but Flannery ensured that the lead was a short lived one when firing over his ninth point of the contest. 

With the title up for grabs in the final ten minutes, it was Kilmacud that seized the initiative, taking the lead in the 52nd minute courtesy of Connie O’Sullivan and doubling that buffer through an excellent Dara Crean score three minutes later. 

While Culleton halved Ballyboden’s deficit soon after, Crokes manged to withstand some late pressure as Ethan Verling escaped for an insurance score in the closing minutes, putting the finishing touches to a noteworthy double for Kilmacud.    

Scorers – Kilmacud Crokes: R Flannery 0-9 (7f, 1 ’65); E Verling, P Batten, L Robinson, C O’Sullivan, J Davy, D Crean 0-1 apiece. Ballyboden St Enda’s: S Culleton 0-7 (5f, 1 ’65); G Ormsby 1-1; E Tennant, D Grant 0-1 apiece.

Kilmacud Crokes: H Leahy; Z Saunders, D Tighe, J Sherry; E Verling, D Murphy, J Smyth; P Batten, A Blanker; L Robinson, C O’Sullivan, J Davy; R Flannery, R Crowley, D Crean. Subs: J Quinlan for Saunders (46), T O’Halloran for Smyth (49), O Flannery for Crowley (49). 

Ballyboden St Enda’s: J Heavey; P Cashin, B Cummins, D Gannon; R Cairns, C Cosgrove, D Grant; J Clohessy, T Hutchinson; C Doyle, C O’Connor, E Menton; S Culleton, E Tennant, G Ormsby. Subs: D Kirwan for Menton (41), R O’Shaughnessy for Hutchinson (54), C O’Regan for Ormsby (57).  

Referee: Fergal McDonagh (Round Towers Clondalkin).