Kilbree 2-24 Kilbrittain 1-05

Saturday March 21st - Carbery Div 1 Hurling League

For all images from the match see Match Photos here Yesterday, Saturday March 21st, Kilbrittain's junior hurlers headed to Rossmore for their first league match of the season, testing some new positions out and welcoming a brace of new faces to the adult grade. A warm sunny haze greeted players and onlookers alike in the home ground of Kilbree, last year's Junior A Championship finalists, who were well up for their first match back in action too.

Kilbrittain's Owen MacCarthy launches the ball upfield in the first half. Kilbree opened the scoring with three unanswered points from Cillian Twohig, Jim Shanahan and Martin O'Donovan before they yielded to their first wide. A further point from Joseph O'Donovan saw them comfortably ahead with seven minutes gone before Kilbrittain were gifted a free and Eamonn Lyons dutifully pointed over. Lyons was unlucky to point wide minutes later, but Paudie Brennan and captain Keith Hunt, were doing well around the half forward line, pressuring the Kilbree backs, while CJ Bryan and Gavin O'Shea made breaks through midfield. After Kilbree succumbed to their second wide, Brennan was on hand, with nine minutes gone, to send a big belter of a point over the bar for Kilbrittain but Kilbree retaliated in force.

Séamus O'Sullivan retrieves possession from Kilbree in the first half.

The blue jerseyed halfback line created numerous chances, raining ball down toward the Kilbrittain uprights. Happily for the Kilbrittain defence, while Kilbree were active, these opportunities were not as accurate as they may have hoped with just one point from Mike Keohane and four wides. Any dropping ball was quickly acted upon by Kilbrittain corner back Kevin O'Neill, fullback Ivan Burke and Gavin Kenny, who was busy around the half-back line. Young Adam Desmond, one of the many Minors blooded for their first adult match, did well in Kilbrittain's other corner, against the strong attacking Kilbree forward line.

Focused: Kilbrittain's Shaye Ustianowski works hard in midfield.

Also getting stuck in was Shaye Ustianowski, or 'Shusti', to distinguish him for his two older brothers, who had a cracking start to his adult career, his work rate around midfield not unnoticed. Indeed Kilbrittain's workrate was strong elsewhere around the pitch with special credit due to Séamus O'Sullivan, another who was in form on the wing. But they had to work hard as Kilbree put forward a team of tall, broad shouldered lads who packed a punch when it came to creativity across the field. We'd have expected nothing less from the team that did so well in the championship last season. And so, despite Kilbrittain's good work ethic they found their own scoring chances hard to come by.

Cathal Callaghan leaves his mark in his wake as he scores his first goal for Kilbrittain in the adult grade. Having said that, with barely the first quarter of the match over, Kilbrittain made a good move through midfield and the forward line to advance with a goal in mind. Mark O'Shea and Hunt were instrumental in the build up, ultimately finding the fresh Minor, Cathal Callaghan, in the square. The young gun smacked his first goal of the adult grade nicely into the back of the net. All was level, Kilbrittain 1-02 to Kilbree 0-05. Though Kilbree lost their right corner forward Martin O'Donovan to an injury at this time, their left corner forward, the yellow helmeted Jim Shanahan, a native of Limerick, was about to really come into the game for Kilbree with his first free for the home side. A wide followed for both teams, including an excellent effort by Hunt for Kilbrittain from 50meters out.

Kilbree's talisman Jim Shanahan.

While the day heated up to a summery level, so did the scores for the men in blue. Their full forward Twohig sent an unstoppable rocket of a ball flying into the Kilbrittain net with twenty minutes gone on the clock and while the visitors managed a reply point down the other end, Kilbree kept the pressure on, adding another point from play from Joseph O'Donovan. Then Shanahan was on hand to point over two frees, a stylish one from out the field, as well as another bullet, rifled over the bar from 20 meters out. Before the halftime whistle blew he added another point to his tally, lobbing a high ball through the uprights to make it Kilbree 1-10 to Kilbrittain 1-03 at the break.

HALFTIME: Kilbree 1-10 Kilbrittain 1-03

Kilbrittain's Adam Desmond tries hard but Cillian Twohig lets fly a belter of an unstoppable goal in the first half.

As the second half commenced, so did some changes, giving lads their first taste of hurling since last year. Kilbrittain stalworth Sam Dewey arrived on the scene for Ustianowski. Dewey is a welcome sight to see back in action for Kilbrittain, after some injuries last year. His own work-rate is excellent, indeed, in time, a Dewey-Shusti pair-up around midfield may be an unrivalled partnership not to be questioned for it's effort...watch this space. Also joining Kilbrittain in the second half were Minors, James O'Mahony and Darragh Crowley who were given their first taste at an adult game, moving in for half-forward Bryan and goalkeeper McCarthy. Hunt, having a great game around the half forward line managed to convert the next point for Kilbrittain with a mighty swing, while Lyons made good on a run down the left wing, marked hard by his man, Liam O'Brien. Lyon's stepped into space on his left letting fly from a tight angle to put Kilbrittain's fifth point on the board and tightening the margin to just five points 1-10 to 1-05. However, this would be the end of Kilbrittain's tally for the day as Kilbree took off on a scoring spree.

Kilbrittain's Cillian Harrington races Kilbree's Shane O'Donovan for possession.

Their next score from O'Donovan was struck straight as an arrow, just a foot over the crossbar and while wides came over the next twenty minutes, for the most part, it was point after point for the men in blue. First, two back to back frees for Shanahan, then another point from O'Donovan before Shanahan powerfully swung for his fifth and sixth point, Kilbree's fifteenth and sixteenth point respectively.

Kilbrittain's Kevin O'Neill moves to strike as Kilbree's Jim Shanahan moves in to hook. Kilbrittain were fighting hard for possession, with tenacious O'Neill and focused O'Sullivan ever vigilant to Kilbree's movements, doing well against their marks. The minor contingent was also getting stuck in around the pitch with Cillian Harrington and Cathal Callaghan busy around midfield while, a year more seasoned, John Ryan made an impact when he came on in defence. Kilbree's Conor O'Sullivan, on for Mike Keohane, sent the next two points through the uprights before another unstoppable shot laced into the Kilbrittain net from Kevin Keohane.

Kilbree's Cian Murphy is challenged by Kilbrittain's Cathal Callaghan. The scoreline now read 2-18 to 1-05 yet Kilbree weren't finished, and apart from a wonderful block from Kilbrittain's O'Neill in front of a goal opportunity, Kilbree managed another six points in the last ten minutes, across a spread of players. Shanahan scoring first, followed by a point from Brian Deasy and two more from Twohig. Then Johnathan Deasy added a score with minutes left on the clock before Oisín Harrington joined in with Kilbree's final point of the day. For a finish, the scoreline in Rossmore read Kilbree 2-24 to Kilbrittain1-05. Kilbrittain play St. Columns next and that game is set to be played on Sunday April 5th at 3pm in Kilbrittain, while Kilbree take on Randal's same day at the same time, in Ballinacarriga.

Scorers: C. Callaghan (1-0) E.Lyons (0-02), P.Brennan (0-01), K.Hunt (0-01) UN(0-01) Team: Owen MacCarthy, Adam Desmond, Ivan Burke, Kevin O'Neill, Gavin Kenny, Padriag Brennan, Séamus O'Sullivan, Gavin O'Shea, Shaye Ustianowski, CJ Bryan, Keith Hunt, Mark O'Shea, Cillian Harrington, Eamonn Lyons, Cathal Callaghan. Subs: Sam Dewey, James O'Mahony, Darragh Crowley, John Ryan, Darragh Hayes. Scorers: J. Shanahan (0-5)(0-05F), Cillian Twohig (1-03), Joseph O'Donovan (0-04), Kevin Keohane (1-0), Conor O'Sullivan (0-02), M. O'Donovan (0-01), Mike Keohane (0-01), B.Deasy (0-01) J. Deasy (0-01) O. Harrington (0-01)

Team: William Tyner, Joe Bailey, Liam O'Brien, Olan Murphy, Shane O'Donovan, Brian O'Donovan, Cian Murphy, Johnathan Deasy, Brian Deasy, Joseph O'Donovan, Gearóid McCarthy, Mike D. Keohan, Jim Shanahan, Cillian Twohig, Martin O'Donovan. Subs: Kevin Keohane, Conor O'Sullivan, Oisín Harrington, James Clancy.