Éire Óg Corra Choil cruise to huge victory to claim top spot in Kildare Senior B Hurling Championship

UPMC Senior B Hurling Championship

Éire Óg Corra Choill 7-24

Celbridge 0-6

Éire Óg Corra Choill recorded a convincing victory over Celbridge seconds to cement their place at the top of the Senior B Hurling Championship.

The win makes it five wins from five for Éire Óg in this campaign as the teams approach the semi-final stage.
The boys in maroon and yellow will undoubtedly be favourites for this Championship having recorded a 2-18 to 1-16 over nearest competitors Naas (2nds) in round two.

This game started as it meant to go on as Éire Óg’s Gary Dempsey had a green flag raised for his side less than a minute into this contest. It would be the first of seven in a game that with some more ruthless finishing could have seen double figures in the goal column for the winning side.

Come the 15 minute, it was Rory O’Neill’s turn to find the net as he was played through on goal and made no mistake smashing past Cormac Kelly in the Celbridge net. The goal made it 2-7 to no score.

O’Neill definitely couldnt be faulted for his finishing throughout this tie. The forward had a brace on the board before the half.
It would be the last action of the opening 30 as Celbridge had kept it tight in the time that had elapsed between but O’Neill was on hand to put a swift end to that.

The sides entered 3-15 to 0-2 at the break with the two Celbridge points coming from midfielder Sean Gleeson.
It would be goals either side of half time for Éire Óg as centre-forward Alan laGrue saw the sliotar pop up in the air following a Celbridge block.

The Éire Óg man opted against the use of the hurl for the dropping ball and instead opted to boot it instead. Innovative and in this case, effective as the ball shot into the net.

Rarely has an umpire on the green flag side of the goal been so busy but it could be waved furiously following Jack McGovern’s 48th minutes goal.

McGovern took the ball from outside the 45’ slaloming this way through bodies and did so in full control of the ball on his hurl. It never left the ash as he barrelled towards goal before flicking it up in the air and burying it top corner. An absolute peach and goal of the game undoubtedly.

There were still scores to settle and after a blistering first half, things for number 30 on the night Rory O’Neill had quietened down. But O’Neill wasn’t done yet and with just five minutes left on the clock he was sent through on goal once more.

A commanding lead for his team or not the front man will have wanted the net to bulge for his hattrick. And sure enough he found the net once more.

It contributed little to the result of this game but certainly a moment of personal pride for Rory O’Neill who was brilliant on the night.

Both sides retain their 100% record, although in very different fashions.

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Scorers: Éire Óg Corra Choill, Rory O'Neill 3-1, Paul Dolan 0-7, Kevin O'Mahony 1-3, Kevin Connor 1-2, Jack McGovern 1-1, Gary Dempsey 1-0, Liam Dempsey 0-2, Conor Kielty 0-2, Jack Higgins 0-2, Niall Dolan 0-2, Alan laGrue 0-1.

Celbridge, Sean Gleeson 0-3, Ronan Coakley 0-1, Sean Holmes 0-1, Joe Lenard 0-1.

ÉIRE ÓG CORRACHOILL: Paul Dermody; James Dolan, Kieran Moran, Adam Delmer; Gary Dempsey, Jack McGovern, Michael Begley; Paul Dolan, Jack Higgins; Kevin O'Mahony, Alan Lagrue, Liam Dempsey; Conor Kielty, Kevin Connor, Rory O'Neill. Subs: Daragh Crowley on for Alan LaGrue (Half time), Niall Dolan on for James Dolan (Half time).

CELBRIDGE: Cormac Kelly; Harry Lyons, Sean Lenard, Eoghan Lynch; Kieran Rubotham, Jack O'Brien, David Daly; Sean Gleeson, James Fallon; Liam Dillon, Oisin Lawlor, Alan Lawlor; Oisin Lynam, Ronan Coakley, Sean Holmes. Subs: Joe Lenard on for David Daly (Half time), Niall Langan on for Alan Lawlor (44 minutes).

REFEREE: Matthew Redmond.