Kilkenny title joy for Erin’s Own

IT may still be May, but the first county senior title is already on the sideboard.

Erin’s Own (Castlecomer) defeated Mullinavat 1-5 to 1-3 in Sunday night’s Kilkenny SFC final in Nowlan Park. They now face a five-month wait to play in the Leinster Club championship.

In a county where hurling is the number one code, there are only eight senior football clubs. According to county secretary Pat Dunphy, the championship is played on a straight knockout basis.

“Over the years we played the championship at different times in order to give it some status. In recent years we’ve played it earlier and it has worked out well for us. Certainly the clubs have no problem with the early start.

“This year’s championship began in late March and finished on Sunday.

“The crowd was small due to the inclement weather but the standard was excellent.

“People would be critical of our football, but if we could get some of our hurlers to play the game, we’d be a match for most counties.

“The dual involvement is not an option in Kilkenny however. The down side of playing the football so early is the long wait to compete in the Leinster club (championship), but that won’t worry Erin’s Own.

“It’s something they can look forward to once the hurling championship is over.”