Kilbrittain 3-19 vs Clonakilty 1-13

Wednesday April 16th

Kilbrittain Minor Division 1 League

Kilbrittain and Clonakilty faced off in this Minor Division 1 League clash on a cold, windy evening, with Kilbrittain starting brightly. An early goal from Ronan Sheehy, inside the opening two minutes, set the tone, followed quickly by a point from Cathal O’Callaghan and another from Sheehy. Brian Kelleher added a further point at the six‑minute mark.

Kilbrittain and Clonakilty in the second pitch at Aughamilla. (Photo courtesy Seán O'Connell) During this opening spell there was some solid play at midfield from Ben Coffey, while Jack Byerley, Clonakilty’s star centre‑forward, captain on the day and main source of their scores, made several fine attacking plays for the visitors. However, Kilbrittain’s defensive spine stood firm. Diarmuid O’Donoghue was outstanding at centre‑back, putting in a monster performance for Kilbrittain on the day and together with James O’Mahony he kept the Clonakilty threat under control for long periods.

Kilbrittain's center-back Diarmuid O'Donoghue (Photo from Kilbrittain vs. Kinsale)

Across the field Kilbrittain showed a savage intensity in both defence and attack. There was some fine team play and sharp hurling throughout, with more improvement sure to come as the season moves onto grass. Kelleher converted a free at eight minutes, followed by a point from Sheehy at nine. Two further Kelleher points from play at the 12th and 13th minutes reflected the strong supply coming from the Kilbrittain half‑back line. There were also excellent runs from Tom Hogan, clever play throughout from Adam Desmond, a strong showing from Shaye Ustianowski in midfield and some stellar defending across the back line. Kelleher added to his tally as the half wore on with another fine point after a great intercept on the left, taking an easy score. It was enjoyable, controlled hurling and impressive to watch. Some particularly fine passages of play which led to scores, included neat combinations from Desmond linking with O’Donoghue, O’Callaghan and O’Mahony, showing a real depth of skill and teamwork. A well‑worked move involving O'Donovan and O'Mahony set up Cillian Madden for a point at the 15‑minute mark, and Sheehy added another soon after, assisted by O’Callaghan.

At the 17th minute mark Kelleher struck an outstanding free from the 60‑yard line and as Kilbrittain continued to apply pressure, Kelleher added two further frees before the break. Playing against the wind, Clonakilty’s best spell saw them register two frees through Larkin on the 22nd and 23rd minutes but Clonakilty's strong Jack Byerley and Ben Coffey were well held by O’Donoghue, Desmond, and O'Mahony as the half wore on and so at the break Kilbrittain kept their lead 1-14 to 0-03.

HALFTIME: Kilbrittain 1‑14, Clonakilty 0‑03.

The second half, played under lights saw a resurgent Clonakilty with a strong wind at their backs. Kilbrittain struck early with a goal following sustained pressure around the square, with Cillian Madden finishing well. Then Sheehy added another point on the 33rd minute, and Kelleher followed with another free. One rather spectacular passage of play saw O’Donoghue deliver a sharp pop-pass to O’Mahony running along his shoulder. The latter picked out Madden with a lovely pass. While Madden connected and struck well, his effort drifted just wide of the right‑hand post — a score that would have been well deserved but a super piece of play nonetheless.

Kilbrittain's Ronan Sheehy (Photo from Kilbrittain vs. Kinsale)

Cathal O’Callaghan followed with another point, while O'Mahony later set up Madden for another score. Hogan too made several fine runs from deep, keeping Kilbrittain on the front foot. Clonakilty, to their credit, took full advantage of the wind for the rest of the half. Byerley landed a superb free from his own 45, followed by two points from play, another free, and a further point from Clonakilty's midfielder. Their full‑forward line then broke through Kilbrittain's defence for a well‑taken goal, and Byerley added another late point as Clonakilty finished strong. Despite the late surge, Kilbrittain held firm to see out the game, Kilbrittain 3‑19, Clonakilty 1‑13

Kilbrittain and Clonakilty under lights for the second half at Aughamilla. (Photo courtesy Seán O'Connell)

A standout feature of this match was the work rate and commitment shown by the team as a whole. From a hurling point of view, the panel will benefit from getting more time on grass to really hone their match play, but there is plenty to look forward to given the effort, attitude and togetherness displayed throughout. Scorers Kilbrittain: B.Kelleher (0-10), R.Sheehy (1-05), C.Madden (1-02), O.Madden (1-00), C.O'Callagahn (0-02) Team: D.Crowley, M.Coughlan, A.Desmond, T.Hogan, C.Croning, D.O'Donoghue, N.Egan, S.Ustianowski, J.O'Mahony, B.Kelleher, C. Callaghan, C.Madden, R.Sheehy, D.O'Donovan, O.Madden. Subs: O.O'Regan, R.Piper, J.O'Donovan, L.O'Donnell, J O'Neill, D.Cronin