Kilmessan create history

It may be one small step, but Kilmessan"s victory in the Leinster Club IHC final over a renowned Kilkenny outfit, Erin"s Own was a giant leap for Meath hurling and one of the greatest days in the glorious history of Meath"s most successful club. Erin"s Own"s dream of glory in Leinster was blown away at windy Nowlan Park, but the losers had no gripe. With champion-like decency, they accepted defeat at the hands of a better team. 'We have had a fantastic year,' assured Erin"s Own manager Donal Dunne. 'We were beaten by a better team. There can be no cribbing.' Strong willed and hard chasing Kilmessan went to Nowlan Park with hope in their hearts and a determination to leave no room for regret. 'We met the challenge we set ourselves in every way,' assured genial team manager, Martin Curran. 'This win is a boost for Meath hurling, for all the people who work to promote the game in the county. We had to dig out the victory. The players were looking forward to playing in Kilkenny and in Nowlan Park, and they covered themselves in glory.' Victory booked a place in the All-Ireland semi-finals against the Connacht champions. And Curran has a serious vision for the future. 'We will do everything to try and win the All-Ireland now,' he continued when he related the story about sitting in the stand in Croke Park at last year"s final and thinking that 'yes, Kilmessan could win this competition". 'For now, Kilmessan, the Leinster champions, has a nice ring to it,' he beamed. Erin"s Own were a little taxed throughout trying to cope. Yet, they might have sneaked a win or a draw. The usually deadly accurate David Buggy missed two handy chances from frees during the second-half. In the 35th minute Michael Murphy got a run at the Kilmessan goal, but "keeper Mark Brennan darted off his line and brought off a brave body block. That was the entire body of the Kilkenny hard luck story, if there was to be one. Kilmessan could point to a series of eight wides shot during the first-half when they fared better than anyone had a right to expect when playing against the wind. Early in the second-half they got a goal ahead. They were bubbling and dominating, but they couldn"t reflect their good out-field hurling where it really matters, on the scoreboard. Then Erin"s Own scored a goal against the run of play that earned them parity at 1-4 each. The visitors were up for the serious battle that followed. The strong hurling of top scorer, Nicky Horan, team skipper Ger O"Neill, Stephen Clynch, David Donnelly, Mark Reilly and the wandering Joey Keena, who were all excellent, played a huge part in propelling the Meath side through to victory. A cold and blustery day, with the wind sometimes howling, turned the venue into an uninviting place. The early play was ragged and without direction. Kilmessan were full blooded in their approach, but their first touch was a bit off. Erin"s Own were on the back foot, but they worked hard and chased everything. Eight minutes passed before Buggy, with an assist from Martin Boran, opened the scoring with a point for the wind backed home team. Keena was placed by Horan for an equaliser in the 12th minute. The scoreboard told a story of an even contest. The wides tally related something different - Kilmessan 5, Erin"s Own 2. The winners, who by now had settled into their stride and had a more sure touch throughout the field, hit the front in the 16th minute when Horan pointed a free from 20 metres. Even better was to follow in the 22nd minute. Stephen Clynch blasted a ball up field. Anton O"Neill put in a clever tackle that knocked an Erin"s Own defender aside and allowed the ball run through when it came to ground around 20-metres from goal. Horan swept onto it and with a vicious left handed ground stroke arrowed the ball into the net to make it 1-2 to 0-1. Michael Murphy turned good work by Michael Moran into a point before Martin Boran added a great one in the 24th minute as the home side responded with real spirit. The story at half-time wasn"t to change. An exchange of points left Kilmessan interval leaders by 1-3 to 0-4. The winners opened the second-half with a point from the left wing by Ger O"Neill, who was sent galloping into space by a neat pass from Horan. The crucial save by Brennan was the next major happening, but really, the stronger hurling was being played by Kilmessan. Somewhat against the run of play, Erin"s Own drew level in the 39th minute. A move started in their own half ended with Jimmy Byrne opening the path to goal for Michael Murphy, who blasted the ball past the charging net minder from 20-metres to make it 1-4 each. A nice piece of quick thinking by driving wing-back Mark Reilly helped Kilmessan regain the lead. Reilly delivered a lineball on the left back, and half-way across the field to free centre-back Stephen Clynch who hit the target from 60 metres. An equally good piece of inventive hurling at the other end involving Buggy as creator and Michael Murphy as finisher squared the issue again (1-5 each) in the 42nd minute. A push in the back on the flying Ger O"Neill led to Horan shooting the lead point from a 45-metre free within seconds. By now the contest was white hot, the exchanges honest and furious. Chances were few and far between. The home side was threatening from time to time. In the 51st minute Erin"s Own Boran blocked down a defender about two metres to the right of the Kilmessan goal and virtually on the end line. He steered the ball along the ground and scooped it into the net. The score was scrubbed by the umpire who claimed the ball had been blocked over the end line. Kilmessan made good that escape, and minutes later Ger O"Neill shot a great point after first saving the ball from going over the sideline before making space to shoot. There were seven minutes left. The action from there to the finish was nerve testing as Erin"s Own threw everything and everyone forward in a bid to rescue the game. Their only scoring return came in the shape of a pointed free from Boran following a foul on Buggy. A late, frantic effort for an equaliser from the same Boran missed the target. The day belonged to Kilmessan, O"Neill, Curran and company. SCORERS Kilmessan - N Horan 1-3, 0-3 frees; G O"Neill 0-2; S Clynch 0-1, J Keena 0-1. Erin"s Own - M Murphy 1-2; M Boran 0-2; R Ryan 0-1, D Buggy 0-1. THE TEAMS Kilmessan - M Brennan; P McGovern, D Donnelly, R Donnelly; M Horan, S Clynch, M Reilly; G O"Neill, P Farrell; C Curtis, N Horan, J Keena; M Doyle, A O"Neill, C Keena. Subs - D Reilly for R Donnelly, P Donnelly for Curtis, E O"Brien for A O"Neill. Erin"s Own - T Brophy; A Moran, S Meally, P O"Donovan; D Byrne, D Fogarty, C Dunne; R Ryan, C Fogarty; E Brennan, M Murphy, M Moran; J Byrne, D Buggy, M Boran. Subs - D Mealey for Ryan, M Owens for Brennan, D Wallace for Murphy. REFEREE Syl Whelan (Wexford).