Kilskyre/Moylagh fancied to claim Kit Mitchell Cup

It's only a young competition, this is just the third iteration of it and the second time the Kit Mitchell Cup has been played for, but already the SHC B has been revoluntionary in its concept and entertaining in its design.

Brought about by a gulf in class between the top five or six teams in senior hurling and the other six or seven, the secondary competition was initially played for by the sides who didn't qualify for the latter stages of the Jubilee Cup before becoming a championship in its own right this year.

The restructuring has been a huge success and has led to a more competitive competition and at least five of the six sides involved all entered their campaign with realistic ambitions of winning it outright.

As it stands just two remain, Dunderry and Kilskyre/Moylagh, and a new name will feature on the still shiny cup.

Kilskyre/Moylagh go into Saturday's final in Boardsmill as favourites in the eyes of the bookies, but a fool and their money are easily parted and only a fool would bet against Dunderry with any degree of certainty.

It is easy to understand my Kilskyre/Moylagh are favourites. A quick look through their team and the quality of names found there, combined with a scan of their results over the last couple of years frames a picture of a club on the rise.

Last year Kilskyre/Moylagh cruised to the IHC crown with a 32-point win over St Patrick's, a seven-point win over Donaghmore/Ashbourne, a 12-point win over Kildalkey, 11 points to spare against Drumree and a 13-point win over Boardsmill before beating St Peter's by eight in the semi-final and Rathmolyon by a similar margin in the final.

They've stretched that seven championship match winning run to 12 with five wins on the trot in this year's SHC B and a scoring difference of +51.

Included in that winning run is a 2-24 to 0-11 win over Dunderry in round two - ominous.

However a lot has changed since that early August day in Grangegodden and while Kilskyre/Moylagh have shown no sign of relenting, Dunderry have improved almost beyond recognition.

Wins over Navan O'Mahonys, Longwood and Killyon secured second spot in the group and that extra game has afford them the opportunity to welcome back Mark Leavy into the fold following injury and the confidence gained from the semi-final win over Longwood will be huge.

Longwood provided the last opposition for both of Saturday's finalists.

Kilskyre/Moylagh were already assured of top spot and their place in the final before they earned a 1-21 to 2-10 win in round five. The pressure was off for the north Meath men that day and they played with abandon and freedom, whereas Dunderry came out on top in a must win game against Killyon.

In the semi-final Dunderry were very impressive in seeing off Longwood by 3-19 to 1-16, so the line of form suggests the gap that existed between Dunderry and Kilskyre/Moylagh earlier in the campaign has certainly closed.

From back to front, Kilskyre/Moylagh are littered with quality. Charlie Usher in goals, Sean Geraghty in front of him, Daire Shine at six, Tom Shine in midfield, Oisin McDermott working his socks off in the middle third, Darren O'Higgins and Willie McGrath up top - it just screams winners.

However, Dunderry have their aces too. Their semi-final win, while bolstered by the excellence of players like Evan Nolan, Luke Martyn and Jamie Leavy, was founded on a determined, resolute defence.

Jack Fagan is a former county goalkeeper, Darragh Fay is a tenacious corner-back, Conor Leavy is a stalwart full-back, while in midfield Adam Kelly and Jamie Duffy have a balance of toughness and touch and are capable of causing problems.

One thing is absolutely certain about Saturday's final in Boardsmill, there won't be 19 points between the sides like there was in round two. There won't even be nine. Dunderry have improved beyond all recognition and while it is hard to see them completely closing that gap they will make Kilskyre/Moylagh work very hard for their first Kit Mitchell Cup.