SHC: Longest day is Longwood's
June 22, 2013
Longwood's Anthony Healy
Kildalkey ........... 0-13
Rory Maguire and Anthony Healy led the scoring charge as Longwood put a significant deposit on the points in the opening half.
Mickey Burke also made a significant contribution to this outcome, playing a key role in several scores added to a trio of timely interventions in the final quarter.
Longwood led from the opening minute when Healy registered the first of his eight points in this meeting of last year's beaten semi-finalists.
Maguire netted at the town end in the 5th and 16th minutes. When Ryan Moore became the third Longwood player to register 11 points separated the sides, 2-8 to 0-3, with 20 minutes gone.
Kildalkey were severely hampered by the absence of a number of key players through emigration and injury. David Harman's accuracy from placed balls helped them eat into the deficit.
Kildalkey's full-forward and the game's top scorer landed four frees in the lead into half-time at which point the board read 0-7 to 2-8.
From the resumption, Kildalkey had time and whatever advantage the elements offered but lacked the necessary artillery to erase the deficit.
Veteran Nick Fitzgerald was introduced at full-forward seven minutes into the second period with Harman moving to midfield.
Fitzgerald's point marked the end of a low scoring third quarter at which stage Longwood had increased their lead to eight points, 2-10 to 0-8.
Midfielder Eoin Lynch's 33rd minute score was the main moment of this phase of the game. It followed a forward surge by the Longwood number eight.
All the scores in the final quarter came from frees with Kildalkey 'keeper Conor Flynn getting in on the act when his goal attempt in the first minute of stoppage time skied over the bar for his side's final score.
It was left to Healy to complete the scoring moments later and complete a memorable evening for Longwood.
Harman opened his account in the fourth minute in response to points by Healy (free) and Maguire. The latter netted five minutes in when the Kildalkey rearguard failed to deal with a Damien Healy delivery.
Burke and Joey Stenson played significant supporting roles for Maguire's second goal and by the 20th minute Longwood had exceeded what proved to be Kildalkey's final tally.
Before the throw-in a minute's silence was observed in memory of Ted Murtagh, loyal Trim clubman and sponsor of this competition, who died during the week.
Longwood - Alan Ennis; Nathan O'Neill, Enda Dixon, Chris Lynch; Joey Stenson, Mickey Burke, Johnny Furey; Eoin Lynch (0-1), Karl Ennis; Coran Byrne, Damien Healy, Ryan Moore (0-1); Aaron Ennis, Rory Maguire (2-2), Anthony Healy (0-8, 5fs).
Kildalkey - Conor Flynn (0-1f); David Conneely, Maurice Keogh, Stephen Forde; Francis Doran, Tony Fox, Mairtin Doran; Sean Corrigan (0-1), Padraig Geoghegan; Andrew Fagan, Sean Heavey, Luke Rickard; Mark Healy, David Harman (0-9, 8fs), Derek Doran (0-1). Subs - Matt Rickard for Fagan (22), Johnny Murray for Fox (28), Nick Fitzgerald (0-1) for L Rickard (37).
Referee - Gerry O'Brien (Wolfe Tones). Tweet
