Newmarket have all the answers against Kiskeam
Mikey Browne and Barry O'Connor, Newmarket, try to block the shot of Sean O'Sulivan, Kiskeam, with Jack O'Connor, ducking out of the way.
Newmarket were deserved winners in the Duhallow derby as four points separated them from their neighbours from Kiskeam at the end on an entertaining encounter in Group B of the Bons Secours Cork SAFC in Kanturk on Saturday evening.
They led by three points at the break after playing with the wind and really twisted the knife after the interval with the O’Keeffe cousins Conor and Ryan nigh unmarkable and Hugh O’Connor growing more influential as the game progressed.
Kiskeam will rue two missed goal opportunities in the second half. They trailed by 0-10 to 0-6 when Josh O’Keeffe saved brilliantly from Gene Casey though Thomas Casey did convert the resultant ’45. Points from Conor O’Keeffe and O’Connor pushed Newmarket further clear before Maurice Casey made it 0-12 to 0-8 with ten to play. Then Newmarket defender, Aidan Browne, cleared a goal-bound effort from Anthony Dennehy off the line and when O’Connor kicked a beauty of a point to push his side five clear, that seemed to be that.
Kiskeam, however, thought otherwise. Dennehy fed Thomas Casey and he cracked home a beauty of a goal to leave two between them with five to play.
Newmarket’s response was impressive, however, as fittingly Conor O’Keeffe and then Ryan O’Keeffe pushed them four clear to leave them on top of the group with Béal Átha’s Ghaorthaidh.
The game was played at a pedestrian pace from the off, with both teams happy to move the ball around without any real penetration and they were level on four occasions across the half. Conor O’Keeffe gave Newmarket an early lead, but quick-fire scores from the impressive AJ O’Connor and Thomas Casey soon had Kiskeam in front. Barry O’Connor levelled things up before O’Keeffe and Sean Sullivan exchanged scores to leave them tied at 0-3 each at the end of the opening quarter.
Sullivan then added two more to his tally to the concern of Newmarket as they nominally had the wind at their backs, even if it was arrowing more towards the corner than Anthony Casey’s goal. Nonetheless, they were happy when points from Hugh O’Connor and Paudie Allen brought them level again before they kicked on coming up to the break. Conor O’Keeffe’s cousin, Ryan kicked two sweet scores from play before Conor kicked his third to give his side a 0-8 to 0-5 interval lead. They may have wished for more, but considering where they were 12 minutes previously, they would have been reasonably content.
They were more than content at the game’s conclusion as they now look forward to a game with Béal Átha in three weeks’ time while Kiskeam will have to pick themselves up before they take on Clyda Rovers.
R O’Keeffe (0-1 ’45) and C O’Keeffe (0-2 frees) (0-5 each), H O’Connor (0-3, 0-1 free), B O’Connor and P Allen (0-1 each)
T Casey (1-3, 0-1 free, 0-1 ’45), S Sullivan (0-3, 0-2 frees), M Casey and AJ O’Connor (0-1 each).
J O’Keeffe; M Browne, G Forde, P Allen; A Browne, TJ Brosnan (c), B Daly; M Cottrell, C Browne; D O’Keeffe, K O’Sullivan, B O’Connor; C O’Keeffe, R O’Keeffe, H O’Connor.
P Browne for Brosnan (30), J Ryan for B O’Connor (42), D Hannon for O’Sullivan (44),D Cottrell for D Browne (50), A Ryan for M Cottrell (62).
A Casey (c); J Daly, J O’Connor, D Linehan; AJ O’Connor, K O’Connor, M Casey; T Dennehy, D Fitzgerald; T Casey, M Herlihy, E Daly; M Casey, S Sullivan, D Scannell.
G Casey for Scannell (33), S O’Riordan for Herlihy (44), A Dennehy for M Casey (47), D Scannell for Sullivan (60.
Justin Murphy (Castletownroche).
