Offaly schools claim maiden title
STAR TURN: Offaly's Adam Screeney scored 1-8 for Offaly Schools. File pic: INPHO/Evan Treacy
Offaly Schools claimed a first Leinster Colleges Senior Hurling championship title when running out two point winners over St Kieran's, 1-16 to 1-14 in UPMC Nowlan Park on Saturday.
The combined Offaly outfit were represented by six different schools and they also had eight starters from the county's All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship Final defeat against Tipperary last year.
That sort of experience really told in this school's decider with Adam Screeney proving to be the standout performer as he scored 1-8 with 1-3 of that from play.
Screeney's second-half goal arrived when he took advantage of a misdirected Stephen Manogue puckout before finding the net and it proved to be the defining moment of the game.
That gave the Offaly Schools a five point lead entering the final 10 minutes and while Kieran's rallied with efforts from Aaron McEvoy, Padraig Naddy and Rory Glynn, the Kilkenny school ultimately just fell up short.
