Kilkenny JHC- St Patrick’s take down Piltown in close affair

This Round 2 Junior Championship game in well-presented John Locke Park on Saturday in front of a decent crowd was well contested, entertaining, with plenty of good effort, courage, and skill.

The result was in the lap of the gods right to the final moiety, when the winners packed the remains of their flagging determination into the final push for the wire.

With 10 minutes remaining, the winners had caught and passed the South Kilkenny outfit by a jittery point.

It was “Go big or go home” time for either side at that juncture.

None realised the seriousness of the situation better than St Patrick’s talisman, Kevin Kelly.

What an exhibition this man presented to the spectators.

He was perfection personified, scoring 16 points of his side’s total, five of which came from play.

In the interests of balance and fairness, the Piltown sharpshooter Ronan Ryan was not found wanting when answering the needs of his side.

He too was exemplary in everything he touched, ramming fourteen points between the Ballyragget posts, 10 of which were placed balls.

At the end of the first quarter the sides were level at seven points apiece.

Sloppy tackling by both sides precipitated the free-taking fest enjoyed by Kelly and Ryan.

With the aid of the breeze in the first half, the North Kilkenny outfit indulged in over-hurling the Piltown half back line of Robert Tobin, Kevin and Darragh Walsh.

The subsequent high press paid a tasty dividend, which afforded them a four-point lead at the break; St Patrick’s 0-13, Piltown 0-9.

In addition to Kelly, Michael and Geoff Brennan, Christian Connick and Mark Doheny were very much in the groove when the hard yards were on the menu.

However, a four-point lead was deemed by many, particularly by the winner’s supporters, as tentative.

Five times the sides were level in the hard-fought third quarter.

Martin Power, Cian Kinsella, and Shane O’Dwyer were exerting constant pressure on the winner’s defence. A brilliant, net-busting’ goal by Kinsella, set up by Power in the 8th minute into the new half was pure magic.

For the first time in the game the black and amber brigade had hit the front.

However, the winners readjusted their focus and resolve. Kevin Kelly and Michael Brennan roamed more north of their own attack than hitherto exercised.

A Kelly point had the sides level two minutes after Kinsella’s screamer. Six minutes later two super points by the brilliant Ronan Ryan had restored the Piltown lead.

Two points by Kelly and Michael Brennan forced the scorekeeper to hand back the lead to the winner. Kelly and Ryan again cut the lead in two. The afterburners were on to match the speed.

Ryan and Kelly swapped points with eight minutes remaining. Two frees by Kelly by the 24th minute and they were out by two.
Ryan and Kelly shot points, maintaining the “Raggett” lead to a single puck of the sliotar. .

The energy visibly was drained from the courageous, never-say-die Piltown men. Two silly concessions of frees, which Kevin Kelly expedited sealed their doom.

St Patrick’s: Billy Morrissey, Oisin Brennan, Mark Staunton, Chris Delaney, Ned Glennon, Steven Staunton, Robert Doheny, Geoff Brennan (0-2), Richie Mc Evoy (0-1), Christian Connick (0-1), Michael Brennan (0-2), Mark Doheny (0-1), Kevin Kelly (0-16; eleven frees); Sean Brennan, Shane Culleton.

Subs: Rob Healy, Bill Staunton, Cian Doheny, James Gannon.

Piltown: James Norris, Henri Culleton, Joe Cooney, Michael O’Dwyer, Robert Tobin, Kevin Walsh, Darragh Walsh, Aaron Kinsella, Billy O’Callaghan, Martin Power, DJ Knox, Cian Kinsella, Braedon Wheeler, Ronan Ryan.

Subs: Robbie Culleton, Andrew Phelan, Niall O’Brien.

Referee: Gavin Quilty