Kilmessan edged out in Trim thriller

Laois side prove too strong for Meath champions

Castletown (Laois)....................2-19

Kilmessan.................................1-20

The wait for a first Leinster Club IHC title for a Meath team since Kilmessan last claimed it in 2008 goes on as the recently crowned Meath senior champions were stopped at the first hurdle by a strong Castletown side from Laois in Trim on Saturday.

Backboned by three members of the Laois Joe McDonagh Cup winning side Castletown just about shaded the verdict as Kilmessan fell agonisingly short despite being in the game throughout an absorbing contest.

Castletown managed to keep Kilmessan at arms length for the majority of the game and apart from a couple of brief moments after Sean Doyle's goal made it 1-5 each in the 19th minute and after the same player's free in the 55th minute made it 1-19 to 2-16, Kilmessan always trailed.

Castletown were marginally the deserving winners as they created the more clearcut chances and played the swifter, tidier hurling. However, their wayward shooting, albeit under fierce pressure from the determined Kilmessan rearguard, ensured they never pulled clear.

The Laois side had more than twice as many wides as Kilmessan as they hit 13 efforts off target compared to Kilmessan's six, but it was their ability to respond positively to every move the Meath champions made that was both impressive and decisive.

Senior champions as recently as just eight years ago, Castletown only bounced back to the top tier in the O'Moore County this year after winning the Premier Junior title, but they played an impressive style of sharp, neat hurling that bamboozled Kilmessan at times in the opening half.

However, after the break Kilmessan got to grips with their slick opponents and limited their space and time to such an extent that they caused the visitors plenty of problems.

Castletown started well and after they had a penalty claimed waved away by the referee the excellent Jack Breen, who finished with six points, opened the scoring in the third minute.

Ninety seconds later a long free from goalkeeper Gearoid Gaughan picked out Daniel Whelan and his quick pass released Tom Og Phelan for the opening goal.

That margin of four points remained after Will Byrne and Sean Doyle traded points with the visitors Breen and Og Phelan, but a superb score from one of those Joe McDonagh Cup winners Martin Phelan stretched Castletown's lead to 1-4 to 0-2 in the 12th minute.

Byrne's second point was swiftly followed by a pair of converted frees from Doyle as Kilmessan closed to within two, but the gap was back out to three in the 19th minute when Og Phelan landed another free.

Doyle's opportunist goal, after Gaughan batted down Darragh Horan's long ball into his path, restored parity for the first time, but Castletown's response was emphatic as Kyron Cuddy landed a free and then pulled on the sliotar for his side's second goal to make it 2-6 to 1-5.

That second goal was a hammer blow and completely avoidable as Kilmessan had a free in midfield before dissent towards the referee saw him change the decision to a throw-in and from Breen's delivery Cuddy bagged Castletown's second goal.

Jack Cottrell and Lorcan Byrne traded points with McDonagh Cup winner Ryan Mullaney and Breen as the four-point gap remained, 2-8 to 1-7, and in the closing three minutes of the half the sides shared four points with Kris Gorman and Lorcan Byrne narrowing the deficit to two before Breen and Cuddy (free) responded to ensure a 2-10 to 1-9 lead for the Laois men at the break.

After Gorman narrowed the deficit 90 seconds into the second-half a brief row erupted following a late hit on goalkeeper Sean Power that probably warranted more than a yellow card, but after the dust settled Conor Walsh and Conor Phelan, who replaced the bloodied Aaron Phelan, stretched Castletown's lead to 2-12 to 1-10.

Finn Conroy and Cottrell exchanged points with Cuddy (free) and Breen as Castletown maintained their five point cushion, but then Kilmessan hit a purple patch and between the 45th and 47th minutes Gorman, Lorcan Byrne, Lorcan O'Connor and Will Byrne hit successive points to close the gap to 1-16 to 2-14.

Cuddy stopped the momentum with a free and Conor Phelan wiped out a Doyle free to sustain Castletown's two-point lead.

Doyle did drag Kilmessan level for a second time in the 55th minute with points from play and from a free, but Castletown finished strong as Breen and Cuddy re-established their two-point lead in the second minute of injury-time.

Mark Horan made it a one point game in response for Kilmessan, but when Conor Doran lofted over a huge point it put enough daylight between the sides to leave Kilmessan needing a goal which never came as their dream of provincial glory again ended in disappointment.

Castletown: Gearoid Gaughan; Killian Cuddy, Shane Phelan, Rory Kelly; Ryan Peters, Ryan Mullaney (0-1), John Gaughan; Tadhg Cuddy, Conor Walsh (0-1); Martin Phelan (0-1), Jack Breen (0-6), Daniel Whelan; Tom Og Phelan (1-2 one free), Aaron Phelan, Kyron Cuddy (1-5 five (0-1) frees). Subs: Conor Phelan (0-2) for A Phelan 36m, Joe Phelan for J Gaughan 52m, Conor Doran (0-1) for D Whelan 55m.

Kilmessan: Sean Power; Lorcan O'Connor (0-1), Shane Brennan, Noah Conroy; Kris Gorman (0-3), Kyle Donnelly, Alex Smyth; Cian Maguire, Finn Conroy (0-1); Will Byrne (0-3), Lorcan Byrne (0-3), Darragh Horan; Mark Horan (0-1), Sean Doyle (1-6 four frees), Jack Cottrell (0-2). Subs: Joey Keena for Maguire half-time, Kevin Keena for F Conroy 56m, Paddy Lally for Cottrell 59m.

Referee: Brian Kearney (Kildare).