Dan really is the man for Cill na Martra

Cill na Martra 1-17

Kilmihil 0-7

BRENDAN KENNEALLY REPORTS

IT was a great day for Cill na Martra and the entire Gaeltacht Mhuscraí parish on Sunday when the Cork premier intermediate football champions played hosts to Clare kingpins Kilmihil in the quarter-final of the AIB Munster intermediate football championship at Páirc Ui Chuana.

It was Cill na Martra’s first-ever Munster championship game and there was a huge crowd present, most of whom were supporting the home side, and the players did not disappoint their loyal and enthusiastic fans.

Cill na Martra played extremely well, defended magnificently and constantly broke forward at a pace the Clare men could not cope with. Up front the Cill na Martra attack, with Daniel Ó Duinnín in marvellous form, fired over score after score to have this game put to bed from early in the second half.

Kilmihil had been under serious pressure from the 21st minute when Sean Ó Fóirréidh cleared up field to Ciarán Ó Duinnín, who linked with his brother Daniel and then took the return pass to shoot the only goal of the game. That gave the home side a 1-5 to 0-3 lead at that stage. Ten minutes into the second half with Cill na Martra now enjoying a 1-12 to 0-7 advantage, the Claremen lost their centre back Dan Keating to a red card. Thereafter it was really only a case of how much the Cork men would win by.

Kilmihil scored first through Shane Downes after five minutes but there was an immediate reply from Daniel Ó Duinnín to level. Cill na Martra took the lead in the 12th minute, Damien Ó hUrdail shooting over. Two points in rapid succession for the winners followed, Daniel Ó Duinnín and Cris Ó Meachair finishing bouts of combined play, but Kilmihill hit back with two excellent scores, both from Ciarán Downes.

A free for off-the-ball holding on Mike Ó Deasúna yielded a point for Daniel Ó Duinnín from a free in the 20th minute. Sixty seconds later came the only goal of the game and the writing was on the wall for Kilmihil, even at this early stage.

In the ten minutes before half time, Cill na Martra added four points to their tally, two from Daniel Ó Duinnín and one each from Mike Ó Deasúna and Finén Ó Faoláin, to draw further in front of the Clare side, who had two points from Ciarán Downes in reply. With the score a 1-9 to 0-5 at the break it looked likely that the home side would go on and take the laurels.

Two points within as many minutes of the resumption for the Clare side, David Lernihan and Martin O’Leary the scorers, gave brief hope of a revival but Daniel Ó Duinnín, with three super points on the trot, quickly killed off any such notions. With Cill na Martra leading by 1-12 to 0-7 the outcome was fairly predictable. It became certain in the 42nd minute when Kilmihil defender Dan Keating was red-carded for an off-the-ball incident. Thereafter the edge went out of the contest, though the home defence did not let up in concentration and kept the opposition scoreless for the final 30 minutes of the game.

‘Dan Ó’ and ‘Damo’ added points before the teams started to introduce substitutions with the outcome accepted, Mike Ó Deasúna kicked two points, one from a long-range free, and Shane Ó Duinnín, hero of the county final win, had the final score of the game in the 52nd minute.

Scorers

Cill na Martra: D Ó Duinnín 0-9 (3f); C Ó Duinnín 1-0; M Ó Deasúna 0-3 (2f); D Ó hUrdail 0-2 (1f); F Ó Faoláin, S Ó Duinnín, C Ó Meachair 0-1 each.

Kilmihil: C Downes 0-4 (2f); D Lernihan, M O’Leary and S Downes 0-1 each.

Cill na Martra: Pádraig Ó Críodáin; Colm MacLochlainn, Tadhg Ó Corcora, Finén Ó Faoláin; Danny Ó Conaill, Seán Ó Fóirréidh, Cianie Ó Fóirréidh; Antóin Ó Cuana, Gearóid Ó Goillidhe; Daniel Ó Duinnín, Ciarán Ó Duinnín, Damien Ó hUrdail; Fionnbarra Ó hÉalaithe, Micheál Ó Deasúna, Criostóir Ó Meachair.

Subs: Shane Ó Duinnín for C Ó Meachair (45), Eoin Ó Conaill for D Ó Duinnín (51), Graham Ó Mocháin for C Ó Fóirréidh (53), Aaron Ó hUidhir for A Ó Cuana (55), Antaine Ó Loingsigh for D Ó hUrdail (56).

Kilmihil: Seán Scott Cafferkey; Fionn Febbraro, John Finucane, Mikey Keating: Jack Browne, Dan Keating, Gavin Downes; David Lernihan, Stan Lineen; Shane Downes, Ciarán Downes, Gearóid O’Grady; Martin O’Leary, Seán Crowley, David Coughlan. Subs: Conor Crowley for G O’Grady (45), Conor Finucane for D Lernihan (53), Nialládraig Reidy for D Coughlan (55), P O’Grady for S Crowley (56).

Referee: Séamus Mulvihill (Kerry).