Kilmallock power to Limerick SHC win over Doon at TUS Gaelic Grounds
Both sides came into Thursday night’s contest having won their opening Limerick Senior Hurling Championship ties
Kilmallock earned a second win in the Whitebox Limerick Senior Hurling Championship Group with a 3-23 to 1-17 win over Doon at a sun-soaked TUS Gaelic Grounds on Thursday evening.
James Hickey’s side were the better team throughout with goals from Shane O’Brien, Oisin O’Reilly and a Michael Houlihan penalty helping them to victory.
The lively Oisín O’Reilly tested Thomas Lynch seconds into the tie but the Doon shot-stopper was equal to it in the early minutes.
Michael Houlihan made no mistake from the resulting 65’ and got his side off the mark, what followed was a green and white onslaught.
Pierce Connery fired over a quickfire double to give Kilmallock a 0-3 to 0-0 lead and moments later the first green flag of the day was raised via Shane O’Brien.
The Limerick inter-county star pounced on a long ball into the Doon full-back line and made no mistake from close range, nothing Thomas Lynch could do this time around.
A Houlihan free followed by a fine Graeme Mulcahy effort put Kilmallock into a commanding 1-5 to 0-0 lead before Adam English got his Doon side off the mark with a badly needed effort.
Shane O’Brien almost bagged his second goal of the day after ten minutes but he was brilliantly denied by Lynch, who was busy in the opening exchanges.
Points from Cian O’Donovan and Dean Coleman steadied the ship for Doon but their Kilmallock counterparts could not miss at the pother end of the field.
Ciaran O’Connor and Shane O’Brien were pin-point accurate from distance to open up a 1-7 to 0-3 lead after 12 minutes.
Doon responded well with three points on the bounce through Adam English (who was excellent throughout the opening half), Cian O’Donovan and Pat Ryan.
It was then Kilmallock’s turn to register three white flags in-a-row and they did so through Connery and Houlihan (2).
Both sides would exchange points for the five minutes that followed before a second green flag of the day was raised and it came from the electric Oisín O’Reilly who gathered possession on the Doon endline before rifling home from close range, his effort unstoppable.
O’Reilly’s goal put James Hickey’s side 2-11 to 0-9 ahead but to Doon’s credit, they responded well with three points on the spin, not for the first time in the opening half.
Efforts from English (2) and Ryan brought their side back into the contest.
Killian Hayes and Conor Hanley Clarke nudged Kilmallock further ahead and it was Adam English who rounded off the first half scoring with an exquisite effort to leave the sides at 2-13 to 0-13 heading into the break.
Pierce Connery was first to raise a white flag in the second half as both sides traded scores early on.
Corner-back Cian O’Donovan scored his fourth of the contest as English continued to be a threat up top for Doon.
Shane O’Brien, like his inter-county counterpart, was in sublime form for his side with both teams putting on an exhibition in front of goal.
Doon were reduced to 14 players on 39 minutes when Chris Thomas was given his marching orders by Kieran Guina for denying a goal scoring opportunity.
Michael Houlihan made no mistake from the the resulting penalty and Kilmallock were now in a commanding 3-16 to 0-15 lead.
English continued to keep his side’s scoring tally ticking over as did Kilmallock substitute Gearoid Enright who notched a quickfire double once introduced from the bench.
Midfielder Michael Houlihan continued to showcase pin-point accuracy from range to keep a Doon comeback at bay.
Doon struck their only goal of the day with a quarter of an hour to play. Donal Coughlan rifled home to give last year’s beaten finalists some hope but Kilmallock simply were not to be denied.
The likes of Shane O’Brien, Michael Houlihan, Oisín O’Reilly and Conor Hanley Clarke continued to nudge James Hickey’s side further and further in front as the contest came to a close.
Referee Kieran Guina sounded for full-time as Kilmallock made it two wins from two in this year’s championship following a 12-point win.
SCORERS - KILMALLOCK: Michael Houlihan 1-9 (4f) (2 65’s), Shane O’Brien 1-4, Pierce Connery 0-4, Oisín O’Reilly 1-1, Gearoid Enright 0-2, Conor Hanley Clarke 0-2 (2f), Ciaran O’Connor and Graeme Mulcahy 0-1 each; DOON: Adam English 0-10 (7f), Cian O’Donovan 0-4, Donal Coughlan 1-0, Pat Ryan 0-2, Dean Coleman 0-1
KILMALLOCK: Conor Hanley Clarke; Aaron Costello, Robbie Egan, Jackie Dwane, Mark O’Loughlin, Ciaran O’Connor, Killian Hayes, Michael Houlihan, Steven Quirke, Oisín Enright, Shane O’Brien, Graeme Mulcahy, Pierce Connery, Phelim O’Reilly, Oisín O’Reilly; Subs: Gearoid Enright for O Enright (42 mins), Conor Staunton for Quirke (49 mins), Dylan O’Brien for Hayes (49 mins),
DOON: Tomás Lynch; Cormac Ryan, Tommy Hayes, Cian O’Donovan; Aidan O’Connell, Mikey O’Brien, Richie English; Darragh O’Donovan, Chris Thomas; Sean McDonnell, Adam English, Eamonn Richardson; Dean Coleman, Donal Coughlan, Pat Ryan. Subs: Gareth Thomas for Richardson (36 mins), Darragh Coughlan for McDonnell (48 mins), Kevin Maher for Coleman (48 mins), Jack Ryan for A English (55 mins, inj)
Referee: Kieran Guina (Feohanagh-Castlemahon)