Kerry suffer shock defeat to Donegal as Kildare take big step towards promotion

Donegal beat Kerry by four points in Division 2 of the Allianz Hurling League. 

BRACE: Liam McKinney scored two goals for Donegal in their surprise victory over Kerry. Pic: Ben McShane/Sportsfile

With Kerry succumbing to a shock defeat in Letterkenny and Down out of action, Kildare took a huge step towards promotion from Division Two of the Allianz Hurling League with their comprehensive 2-25 to 0-17 win over Derry at Celtic Park on Saturday, where David Qualter (0-9), Darragh Melville (1-6) and Jack Sheridan (1-2) led the way on the scoring front for the Lily Whites.

Sheridan struck his goal in the first half while Melville split the uprights four times from play as Kildare took a 1-17 to 0-6 lead, leaving Derry with far too much to do. Christy McNaughton fired over 11 points for the hosts as they showed a bit more life up front, but never looked like reeling in the deficit.

Donegal defeated Kerry by four points, 5-14 to 3-16, in a thriller at a blustery O'Donnell Park. Kerry had led 1-10 to 2-1 at the break. Oisin Maunsell got Kerry's first half goal while Conor Gartland and Liam McKinney raised green flags for Donegal.

Peter Kelly got Donegal's third goal shortly after the break and by the midway point of the second half, the home side were in the lead. Tom Doyle got Kerry's second goal with 10 minutes to play and the teams were level. 

However, Donegal finished strongly with two quickfire goals from McKinney and Ruairi Campbell giving them a six-point lead. Ronan Walsh got a consolation goal for Kerry in injury time.

In Division Three, London and Wicklow remain in the driving seat, but they were pushed to the pin of their collars by Mayo and Roscommon, despite what the final 4-19 to 2-13 score from Bray Emmets GAA club would suggest.

The Garden County hit three injury time goals, two from the stick of Pádraig Doyle either side of another from Torna Mulconry, to see of a resilient Roscommon challenge.

Doyle also found the net after five minutes and when he split the uprights five minutes later, the Garden County were 1-5 to 0-1 in front and dominant.

The lead was out to nine points before Conor Mulry, Jack Dowling and Brendan Mulry hit three points in as many minutes approaching half-time, but Wicklow hit back with scores from Luke Evans and Ronan McMahon to lead by eight at the interval.

That lead was gone by the 47th minute, the bulk of the work done when Dowling and Cian Murray raised green flags in the space of a minute, but their failure to score against after Jack McGahon’s equaliser in the 55th minute was their undoing.

London had to dig deep into their reserves of grit and resolve at the Connacht Centre of Excellence yesterday to hold off a late surge from Mayo, who looked like they might overtake the 14-man Exiles in the closing stages.

Enda Egan’s point from a sideline cut and Evan Kelly’s goal were the highlight moments for London in a scrappy first half, after which they led by 1-8 to 0-6. Egan added a second goal early in the second half but points from Liam Lavin and Cormac Phillips kept Mayo in the game and when Shane Boland found the net, quickly followed by Niall Eames’ second yellow card, it felt like the comeback was within reach.

David Devine and Seán Glynn had other ideas, nailing three tricky frees to see London over the line.

In Division Four, Niall Garland shot 1-7 for Monaghan while James Slevin hit four fine points from play as they overcame Warwickshire by 3-19 to 0-15 in Clones. Longford led by six early on against Lancashire after Reuben Murray hit an early goal at Glennon Brothers Pearse Park, but they still just about hung on to win by 2-12 to 2-10, and league leaders Louth ran into their first speed bump of the year in their home tie against Leitrim at Darver.

They trailed by a goal at half-time (1-8 to 0-8) against Leitrim and just about salvaged a share of the spoils despite adding just five points in the second half of a windswept encounter at their training centre.