Kilbrittain 1-23 Tracton 0-21

Sunday March 22nd - Red FM Div 5 Hurling League

For all images from the match see Match Photos here >

Tracton came to Kilbrittain all guns blazing but perhaps didn't expect to meet the garrison of recent All Ireland winners, eager, ready and waiting, on their home turf in Clashavanna. Yes, Kilbrittain's mighty men were up early on Sunday morning and primed for action for the 11.30am clash with old rivals Tracton. It was a crisp morning in Kilbrittain which turned milder as the game progressed. Sans any wind from the village end, which could have strongly favoured a side, each team instead had a fair whack at a result and so they both went at it hammer and thongs.

Josh O'Donovan races through midfield.

Kilbrittain fired the first warning shot, playing toward the village with Josh O'Donovan narrowly missing the uprights but signalling that the home side were raring to go. Tracton replied themselves, missing a good goal opportunity to a wide, before their corner forward rifled a free over the bar not two minutes in. Then Seán Sexton and Mark Hickey joined forces down the right wing, making tough adversaries to overcome, as they moved to dispossess Tracton's midfielder who had raced forward. The ball bounced over the sideline. Hickey took the cut which crossed the field to the other wing. There Ronan Crowley was ready to collect and he sent Kilbrittain's first point flying through the posts and onto the scoreboard.

Seán Sexton and Mark Hickey team up to make a formidable marking pair in the opening minutes.

Next, Holland was unlucky to send a free effort only just wide as Tracton did the same down their end. It was the men in red and green who got back on the horse first though, pointing over their second just before Hickey smacked his first point, a classy one from play, neatly over the crossbar. In the same period, gallant Sexton found himself clearing a ball deep in the right half-back line, after he'd followed it from left of midfield. Collecting it, he made a big run up the right wing as far as the half-forward line, where, challenged by his mark, the ball escaped his hurleys length. The ball was pulled on in the air by a Tracton man and Sexton made a valiant effort to dive upon him for the block, body arched and outstretched. The shockwave clash of the two hurleys was felt by all nearby and the fall to ground was no doubt a hard one that he may still be feeling today.

Seán Sexton puts his body on the line to save the ball from Tracton's grasp.

Tracton were next to score with a point from play and a neat free, both from their right half forward. Then Kilbrittain's O'Donovan found space and belted over the bar for his first point from play. Tracton added a further point off a well taken free from left corner forward Cian Quinn before Kilbrittain worked the ball through Eóghan Byrne, doing well at halfback, and Hickey, to bring it to O'Donovan for his second point of the day and Kilbrittain's fourth. Tracton 0-05 Kilbrittain 0-04.

An injured Aaron Holland runs to the bench to be seen to.

Tracton drew first blood in this battle when Aaron Holland got accidentally sliced over the eyebrow as they entered the eleventh minute. With the Granreigh native out of action, Séamus O'Sullivan was brought on in his stead and did well from the get go. Hickey switched positions with Crowley on the other wing and Éoin O'Neill, who started in the forward line, was brought back to make up a three-man midfield while Hol was out of action in triage. The resultant free Hickey sent over, for his first of ten of the evening, while making it 0-05 a piece on the scoresheet.

Mark Hickey prepares for a free. Then a confident long ball up the wing from Kilbrittain's Colm 'Cully' Sheehan found Luke Griffin in the right corner. He veered at pace toward goal. Tracton's backline tried to their credit to keep him out and managed to block his initial tap on goal but the bounce back found determined Griffin again, who countered it cleverly into the back of the net. The goal pushed Kilbrittain ahead 1-05 to 0-05. Tracton were resolute however and returned fire with three points of their own, two from play and a free to level again in a matter of minutes.

Luke Griffin collects Colm Sheehans ball before racing for goal.

Both teams seemed a match for each other, with a lot of action happening around midfield and the halfback and forward lines. Sexton, Crowley, O'Donovan and O'Neill were to the fore getting stuck in, while the Sheehan brothers Tomás and Colm, Byrne and O'Sullivan were defiant in the face of red and green stripes. Next, Crowley had a lash off an opportunity that presented itself, but it just narrowly missed the uprights before artful O'Donovan pointed over Kilbrittain's sixth to keep them ahead. Not a minute later and another foul on the visitors however, saw them point over too and all was level again 1-06 to 0-09.

Adam Griffin and Éoin O'Neill battle for possession in the half forward line. As the wounded Holland was sutured up and running back onto the field with fifteen minutes gone, Sexton was paying the price for his unreserved physical efforts and was making his way off the field on the opposite side injured. O'Sullivan stayed on to cover him for the rest of the half. Around the same time, Tracton were gifted another free which they duly sent over. Holland was eagerly after getting back into the fray and missed another point by a whisker.

Then Cully made a brave run up from the full back line where he'd gathered possession of the ball. Perhaps the Tracton lads didn't expect the tenacity, but Cully appeared to slow for a moment as if to offload the ball then shifted gear and bolted forward again leaving his mark trailing him from behind. As he stormed into midfield he let fly and the ball found O'Donovan who expertly sent the ball soaring through the uprights to level for the black and amber, 1-07 to 0-10. Tracton were stung and pushed forward at the Kilbrittain defence in a counter attack, however they found the territory defended well. Darragh Considine, strong in defence, Byrne, Kenny and O'Neill were to the fore to keep them back, pressuring Tracton into another wide before pushing them back out further up the field. And so, the Carrigdhoun men opted to take a long range strike which they admirably struck over.

Darragh Considine and Aaron Holland bear down on a Tracton forward.

Next Hickey was put to the spot for another free which he duly scored from but Tracton responded well with a another point from play and a converted free also. O'Sullivan and Conor Hogan teamed up for a goal chance but it was Hickey and another free effort that brought the scoreline back to within a point as the halftime whistle blew. Tracton 0-13 to Kilbrittain 1-09.

HALFTIME: Tracton 0-13 to Kilbrittain 1-09

Tenacious Séamus O'Sullivan keeps possession from his Tracton marks.

The second half continued much as the first had, with points replied to in kind and a physical intensity akin to when Kilbrittain met Davidstown-Courtnacuddy in the All Ireland Semi-Final. There were unrelenting battles for possession all around the pitch, making for a very entertaining game to watch. Combat veteran O'Donovan was doing trojan work in midfield and, aided by Adam Griffin, he pointed over soon after the resumption. Fouling was to haunt Kilbrittain though, as was discipline, as the referee moved the free taking spot too often, on account of dissent. Perhaps a good lesson to learn now before Kilbrittain meet the Glen in their next match in two weeks time, as that could likely be another match of close margins as well.

Aaron Holland lets fly in the second half. Tracton made the most of their next free before Hickey was unlucky hitting the post down the other end. But then, brawny Hol, strong in defence, sent an absolute belter of a ball, high and down field straight through the middle of the uprights from a good 70meters, lifting the team and supporters on the bank. Hickey followed with a free before both sides traded a free each. Then Tracton grabbed another free, while Kilbrittain were unlucky with two point efforts missing the posts by inches, before Holland found Hogan in the corner who struck a fine point to push Kilbrittain ahead 1-13 to 0-15.

Conor Hogan sprints away from his mark ball in hand. This battle was so evenly fought that neither team could edge ahead for long. Tracton replied, their Conor McGuinness pointing over smoothly, before they succumbed to a wide. Then Kilbrittain sent a volley of balls raining down on them. First up was Cully, who also just edged the posts by a hairs breadth, then Crowley converted a free. Tracton fired back successfully but the bandaged Holland, in control in the backline, raced forward again and struck another big point through the uprights. A wide and a free followed for Tracton. Then Hickey converted another free while Crowley arrowed another point over the crossbar. Tracton managed another free again and a point to narrow the margin and bring the teams back level 1-17 to 0-20.

Mark Hickey braces for impact against Tractons fullback.

The final ten minutes were tense. Tracton gave away five big frees which marksman Hickey hammered home, a man at ease under pressure. The Carrigdhoun side managed to reply with two points of their own from play, but the following four frees they couldn't answer. Indeed as the final minutes of the match ticked down, Kilbrittain's expert handling and marking of their counterparts, on the whole, to their credit, saw them finish out the game as the victors, in this frenetic, edge of your seat match. Kilbrittain 1-22 to Tracton 0-22. Kilbrittain will face Glen Rovers on their next day out, their first of the season away, at Glen Field. That match is currently set to be played on Easter Saturday, April 4th, at 3pm, while Tracton take on Youghal later that same Saturday, at 6pm. Scorers: M.Hickey (0-01) (0-10F), J. O'Donovan (0-05), L.Griffin (1-0), R.Crowley (0-03), A.Holland (0-02), C.Hogan (0-01). Kilbrittain Team: David Desmond, Darragh Considine, Tomás Sheehan, Charlie Kenny, Aaron Holland (Blood Sub 10': Séamus O'Sullivan), Colm Sheehan, Éoghan Byrne, Seán Sexton(Sub 15': Séamus O'Sullivan), Adam Griffin, Mark Hickey, Josh O'Donovan, Ronan Crowley, Conor Hogan, Luke Griffin, Éoin O Neill. Séamus O'Sullivan (Sub: James Hurley)

Tracton Team (Not in order): John Good, Kelvin Healy, Jamie Kingston, Joe Kingston, Cathal Lowney, Joe Lynch, Conor McGuinness, Daire O'Riordan, Robin O'Donovan, Daniel O'Flaherty, Cian Quinn, Rory Sincalir, Cian Walsh, Keith Webb.