Boden Croke it in final
By Hayden Moore
EVEN heroics from Kevin Desmond and Adam Kelleher in the opening half could not see Ballyboden St Enda’s over the line in their Minor ‘A’ Hurling Championship Final against Kilmacud Crokes.
Indeed, the Stillorgan side kept Boden quiet for 17-minutes after the interval in O’Toole Park on Sunday, in which time they rattled off 1-6 to win out 2-22 to 2-16.
Ballyboden's Kevin Desmond breaks into attack
The Firhouse Road men where hot out of the traps and scored within a minute as Kevin Desmond netted after some nice interplay between the forwards Malachy Codd and Cian Corcoran.
Corcoran proved a handful inside the Crokes ‘21’ and helped his side build up a four-point deficit following points from Codd, Pearce Christie, Luke Mc Dwyer and Adam Kelleher.
Christie scored a belter after an solo run down the wing, and that was coupled with a Desmond point while Eddie Gibbons kept the scoreboard ticking for the Stillorgan side down the other end.
Fionn Ó Cheallaigh cut the deficit when he beat Boden keeper Jack Lambert before another Gibbons free made it 1-9 to 1-7.
However, just before the half-time whistle Boden served up a flurry of scores through Kell-eher and a massive ‘65’ from Cillian Kirwan to see them 1-14 to 1-8 up at the break.
When play resumed, Kilmacud pinned Boden back and tallied up 1-6 through the ever-reliable Ó Ceallaigh and Gibbons.
Full-backs Joe McGrath, Seán O’Donnell, and Joe McGrath battled tirelessly in an effort to smother Crokes’ advances but they started to misfire down the other end as Kelleher dragged a couple of shots wide.
An impressive point from play by Desmond and a Feargal Ryan free inspired the Firhouse side but it was Crokes who prevailed as they chalked up another five points before Cillian Kirwan’s free found the back of their net.
But it was merely a consolation as the ref blew the final whistle, leaving Ballyboden hungry for revenge in their next encounter with Kilmacud in the Minor ‘A’ Football Championship semi-final on Sunday.
