HURLERS REACH FIRST EVER PREMIER INTERMEDIATE FINAL 2019-10-01 11:39:00

Cork County Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship Semi-final – Kilworth 2-16 V Inniscarra 0-15 on Sunday September 29th 2019 in Pairc Uí Rinn.

There were scenes of elation both on the pitch and in the stands on Sunday afternoon when the final whistle was sounded and we had made history in progressing to our first ever premier intermediate hurling county final. We have waited a long time to get here and now we are just 60 minutes from reaching the Promised Land.  

After the wet weather of Saturday and Monday, we were very lucky to have beautiful sunshine and dry conditions for our semi-final clash on Sunday afternoon in Pairc Uí Rinn. It was wonderful to see such large crowds gathered in both stands to watch the match and support the lads in their bid to reach the final. The game had a 2pm throw-in and it was Inniscarra who enjoyed the better of the two starts as they went into a 0-2 to 0-0 lead after four minutes. Noel McNamara, who finished with a tally of 1-10 on the day, got us off the mark in the 5th minute with a pointed free followed by another in the 8th minute. The opposition enjoyed much more possession than us in the early stages and they were quick to go two points clear again by the ten minute mark, 0-4 to 0-2. Our first crucial goal of the game came in the 13th minute when Maurice McNamara cleared the ball down field to his brother Noel who caught it excellently, turned his man and baring down on goal, he buried it to the back of the Inniscarra net to put us in front for the first time in the game, 1-2 to 0-4. It was tit-for-tat for the for the next few minutes with both sides exchanging scores but Inniscarra happened to pull away again with a three point lead by the 26th minute, 1-4 to 0-10. Noel McNamara with a pointed free and Brian Tobin with a point from play reduced the gap and then came our second crucial goal of the game just before the break. Jamie Sheehan this time winning the ball and finding the corner of the Inniscarra net to put us a point clear, 2-6 to 0-11. Instead of going in two points down at half time, we were thrilled to go in a point up considering we hadn’t played our best hurling in the opening 30 minutes. Although we had a slow start to the game and we conceded a number of frees, we stuck at it and a number of points from Noel McNamara along with the two goals kept us in it and we were in a very good position heading in at the break.

Kilworth made a great start to the second half and that’s just what we needed, pulling into a three point lead by the 41st minute, 2-10 to 0-13. Inniscarra kept plugging away at our lead and although they did miss a number of scoring chances, they could only reduce the gap to within two points. Our defence held strong and they withstood the pressure to keep us in front. It was great to see more scorers get their name on the score sheet in the second half and Paddy Moakley also had an impact when he came in off the bench. We outscored the opposition 0-10 to 0-4 in the second 30 minutes with a much better performance and in the end we ran out very deserving winners on the score line of 2-16 to 0-15. This was an incredible team effort from Kilworth. Semi-finals are not easy to win, they aren’t always pretty but our lads worked extremely hard for the entire 60 plus minutes to grind out that win. They made it over that all important winning line and we will now relish the chance to meet Fr. O’Neills in the final. This is our third year on the trot meeting O’Neills in the championship and we’ll be hoping that this year will be our third time lucky after they knocked us out in round three in 2017 and at the quarter-final stage last year. We all remember the county final of 2005 as well but everything crossed that the result will be a very different one this time around. Let’s go out there and give it our all! Let this be our year!

As said previously, this is our first final at this grade.  This is our first county final in seven years. And this is our fourth county final in the last fifteen years. That in itself is some achievement for our wonderful club. But we don’t want to stop here. We want to go that one, big step further. We want to be crowned county champions and we will do everything we possibly can to make that happen. There is just 60 minutes between us and making history. Just 60 minutes between us and entering the history books with what we hope will be our first ever premier intermediate hurling title. Just 60 minutes, that’s all it takes. The countdown is on and we want the management and the players to know that we are all behind you in your quest for glory. We are with your every step of the way and we will continue to support you as best we can going forward. We wish you all the very best of luck in your preparations for the final and of course in the big game once we have a date. Here’s hoping that now is our time. Kilworth Abú!


Team and scorers: Kieran Walsh, Maurice McNamara, Kieran Lane, Mark O’Connor, Nathan Byrne, Dave Twomey, Austin O’Hara, Brian Tobin (0-2), Eoin McGrath, Seán Keane, Liam Whelan (0-1), Eoin Carey (0-1), Jamie Sheehan (1-01), Noel McNamara (1-10 (0-8f)) and Will Condon (0-1). Subs used: Paddy Moakley for Mark O’Connor.

THANK YOU

On behalf of the club and the team we would like to sincerely thank Seán O’Brien for once again providing Lucozade Sport ahead of last Sunday’s game. It was greatly appreciated as always Seán.


WELL DONE U10S

Well done to the Kilara Óg U10s who played at half time in Sunday’s game against Inniscarra. It was great to see our up and coming stars playing in Pairc Uí Rinn and we hope they have many more great days out there in years to come.


DECK THE PLACE IN RED AND WHITE

So now that we have a county final to look forward to, it’s time to get the village ready and decked out in red and white colours from top to bottom! We want every single house in the village and surrounding areas to put out a red and white flag in support of our hurling heroes. You can buy a big flag, two small flags or a car flag in the ‘Almost Everything €2 Shop’ in Fermoy for just €3 so please help us to cover the village in red and white by purchasing one or maybe more! We promise it won’t break the bank! And it would be greatly appreciated by the club and the team themselves. We, as a club will be out on Saturday putting up posters, flags and bunting so please join in and let’s make sure everyone knows that we are in a county final! Let’s get behind our team for the most important event the year!

TRAINING FUND

As our premier intermediate hurlers have now reached the county final and they, along with their management have put in a tremendous amount of work to get there, it is tradition to set up a training fund which anyone can donate to for the team. It is the least we can do considering how much time, effort and commitment it takes to get to this stage of the competition. If you or anyone you know would like to donate to this fund then please let one of the club officers know. We would love to hear from you. And we thank you in advance for your kind donations. 


CORK GAA CLUB DRAW

It’s that time of year again! It’s time to renew your membership for the new year of the Cork GAA Club Draw. If you haven’t joined before, then now is the time to become a new member and you could win big just like some of our previous winners! You can join for the year at a cost of €100 (10 draws + 2 free) or you can choose to pay monthly/ quarter yearly, etc.

MONEY TOWARDS THE DEVELOPMENT

Remember that this draw is vital for raising funds for our club and it is very important that it is supported by as many people as possible, especially people from within our own club and village. By joining today you could become a winner just like Finbarr McCarthy, Mary Walsh, John O’Brien and Ned O’Brien who were recent price winners in a Cork GAA Club Draw. Not only could you be a winner but you could also help Kilworth GAA raise vital funds towards the future development of our Club House and pitch facilities. Every cent that goes towards the development will help to make it happen but we cannot do that alone. We need you help and by joining the Cork GAA Club draw, you are doing so. Please spread the word about the draw, both you and the club can become big winners from it! If you would like to join then please contact any club officer today.

VOLUNTEERS

In order to collect the money for the draw, we also need help and volunteers to come on board. A committee of ten or twelve people to collect money from just ten people each would make a huge difference and it would offer a great helping hand to the club. If you are willing to get involved and help out in any small way at all, then please let us know. All help will be greatly appreciated and we would love to hear from you!


LOTTO JACKPOT HITS €17,350!

There was no winner of our lotto jackpot last Monday night worth €17,200. The numbers drawn were 10, 11, 21 and 22. The lucky dip winners of €25 were: Doloros Caplice c/o Centra, Kate Barry c/o Dinny Twomey, Liam Walsh c/o Mossie McNamara and Mike Bransfield c/o the Butchers. Next week’s jackpot will be €17,350. Tickets cost just €2 each or 3 lines for €5 and they are available locally in the four pubs, the Gallery Crafts and in O’Sullivan’s Centra Kilworth. You can also purchase a lotto ticket online at www.kilworthgaa.com. Be sure and play today for your chance to win! Best of luck!


FIXTURES

Cork County Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship Final – Kilworth V Fr. O’Neills on Sunday October 20th in Pairc Uí Rinn @ 2:00pm. (TBC – If Imokilly win their semi-final next Sunday, this fixture is likely to change.) 

Minor Hurling County Semi-final – Kilara Óg V Sliabh Rua on Saturday October 5th in Mayfield @ 4:00pm.

Junior ‘A’ Football County R1 – Kilworth V St. Michaels on Sunday October 13th @ 12pm in Glenville (ET). (TBC)


BEST OF LUCK MINOR HURLERS

On behalf of the club we would like to wish the best of luck to the Kilara Óg minor hurlers and their management in their highly anticipated county semi-final on Saturday. They will play Sliabh Rua in Mayfield at 4pm on Saturday October 5th and all support is greatly appreciated. Please come out and get behind the lads. Let’s try and get to another county final!


VOTES OF SYMPATHY

On behalf of the club we would like to express votes of sympathy to the Twomey family Kilworth and Ballynoe following their recent bereavement.


FOLLOW US

Please like our “Kilworth GAA” Facebook page (facebook.com/KilworthGAA), follow us on Twitter @KilworthGaa or check out our new website @ www.kilworthgaa.com. You can also follow us on Instagram @kilworthgaa. These pages will be updated on a regular basis and Twitter will also have regular updates of the scores and key moments from all our championship games later in the year.


MAIN CLUB SPONSORS: Mike Walsh Pharmacy, Aherne’s Pub, The Village Inn, Kilally Stables and Mitchelstown Dental Clinic




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