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KILMACUD CROKES 1-29
WHITEHALL COLMCILLE 1-7
Image courtesy Mark McDonagh
Kilmacud Crokes preserved their perfect record in Group 2 of the Go-Ahead Ireland Dublin Senior 1 Hurling Championship when getting the better of Whitehall Colmcille by twenty-two points at Parnell Park on Saturday afternoon.
While far from their fluent best, Kilmacud were full value for their 1-13 to 0-5 interval advantage with Dara Purcell’s 8th minute goal the key moment in the first-half.
It was always going to prove an uphill task for a Whitehall team denied the services of the injured Eoghan O’Donnell, Eddie Moran, Lee Gannon, Daire Gray and the absent Cormac Costello while losing Enda O’Donnell to a facial injury certainly didn’t help their cause.
Their efforts could not be faulted and they gained tangible reward as Niall O’Connor netted in the 46th minute but Crokes eased home at their leisure with Oisín O’Rorke top scoring with ten points.
Crokes opened up brightly through early points by Brendan Kenny and Conal Ó Riain but Colmcille were soon back on level terms thanks to Paddy Spellacy (free) and Jamie Raftery.
Late replacement Purcell highlighted the options at Kilmacud’s disposal and he showed great pace when cutting inside from the right flank and leaving Ronan Murray helpless with a precise finish into the bottom corner.
While Spellacy popped over his second free by way of reply, Crokes began to click through the gears with a brace of O’Rorke frees augmented by points from Brian Hayes, Michael Roche and Purcell as they led by 1-7 to 0-3 by the end of the first quarter.
Whitehall continued to battle and were rewarded through a 16th minute point by Seán Foran but that effort proved their final score for sixteen minutes as their opponents piled on the pain in the second quarter.
Hayes was his usual graceful self at midfield and added two stylish points with Fergal Whitely and Purcell also contributing as Kilmacud entered the break with an eleven-point lead.
Spellacy and O’Rorke exchanged frees in the early stages of the second-half but Whitehall continued to face incessant pressure as they yielded points to Whitely, Ciaran Donovan and Purcell by the 38th minute.
Whitely could well have added a goal to his personal tally five minutes later but Murray made a fine, diving save to his left, with O’Rorke casually converting the resultant ‘65’.
A green flag was raised at the opposite end at the start of the final quarter as O’Connor pulled first time into the net after the Crokes defence had failed to deal adequately with a Spellacy free.
Kilmacud dusted themselves down from that concession to resume their dominance with substitute Alex Considine adding a brace of points and it was fitting that Purcell should complete the scoring with his two late points bringing his personal tally to 1-5 by the final whistle.
Scorers – Kilmacud Crokes: O O’Rorke 0-10 (7f, 1 ’65); D Purcell 1-5; B Hayes, F Whitely 0-3 each; C Donovan, A Considine 0-2 each; B Kenny, M Roche, C Ó Riain, A Hatt 0-1 apiece. Whitehall Colmcille: P Spellacy 0-4 (4f); N O’Connor 1-0; S Foran, J Raftery, C Cummins 0-1 apiece.
Kilmacud Crokes: E Gibbons; B Sheehy, D Lucey, C Ryan; T Stakelum, B O’Carroll, C Ó Riain; B Kenny, B Hayes; C Conway, O O’Rorke, F Whitely; D Purcell, C Donovan, M Roche. Subs: A Hatt for B Hayes (half-time), E Keys for Stakelum (half-time), A Considine for Roche (39), C Mac Gabhann for O’Carroll (48), R Smith for Sheehy (48).
Whitehall Colmcille: R Murray; E O’Reilly, J Thorp, D Ryan; E O’Donnell, D Noonan, S Dunphy; A McDermott, S Foran; J Raftery, P Spellacy, N O’Connor; C Sheedy, S Kellett, N Carroll. Subs: C Cummins for O’Donnell (Temp, 22), S Thorp for Ryan (half-time), R Kerins for Carroll (49).
Referee: Seán McCarthy (St Vincent’s).