SHC B final: Historic day as Kilskyre/Moylagh lift the Kit Mitchell Cup
Fergal Flynn keeps control for Kilskyre/Moylagh as Dunderry's Darragh Fay gives chase during the SHC B final at Boardsmill
Kilskyre/Moylagh 2-19 Dunderry 1-13
It was a Carlsberg day for Kilskyre Hurling & Camogie Club. By the time the final whistle sounded at Boardsmill on Saturday evening, the club had written two new chapters into its history book in the space of a few hours.
The day began with celebration. Kilskyre's Under 14s claimed the Division 1 County Final, seeing off Loughcrew Gaels Gaeil Colmcille and Trim to become the first juvenile team in the club's history to win a Division 1 title.
Attention then turned to Boardsmill, where Kilskyre Moylagh's senior side travelled to face Dunderry in the Kit Mitchell Senior B Hurling Championship Final. The venue did itself proud. Boardsmill pitch and club overall was pristine and well deserved of hosting any final. A healthy crowd gathered, many of them neutrals drawn by the promise of a good contest between two sides with everything to play for.
Dunderry were the first to settle, opening the scoring with two early points that suggested they meant to dictate the pace from the throw-in. Kilskyre Moylagh, for their part, looked to play a patient, pressure-based game, working the ball through the lines rather than forcing it. The approach cost them early on — four wides in the opening exchanges will have tested the patience of their own supporters — before James Cooke settled the nerves with the first score of the game in the seventh minute.
From there, Kilskyre Moylagh began to find their range. Oisin McDermott and captain McGrath both landed points to edge the home side's grip on the game, while Mark Leavy kept Dunderry in touch with a well-taken point of his own. But it was Tom Shine who emerged as the dominant figure of the half, stringing together a purple patch of scores that stretched Kilskyre Moylagh's advantage and had the travelling support believing things might just go their way.
The killer blow landed in the seventeenth minute. Willie McGrath, leading his side both literally and by example, drove to the net with a sucker-punch goal that turned a promising lead into a commanding one. At 1-07 to 0-03, Kilskyre Moylagh had put real daylight between themselves and Dunderry, and the composure that had been so evident in their build-up play was now paying handsome dividends on the scoreboard.
Dunderry, to their credit, did not fold. They came out for the second half with real intent, firing over four points on the bounce to cut the deficit back to five and give their supporters something to shout about. For a few minutes, Boardsmill held its breath — this was shaping into the kind of contest that could turn on a single play.
That play came from Darren O'Higgins. His goal reasserted Kilskyre Moylagh's authority at exactly the moment Dunderry threatened to find a foothold, and he followed it almost immediately with a point of his own to push the lead back out to nine. It was a man-of-the-match performance condensed into two decisive minutes, and it took the sting out of Dunderry's revival just as it threatened to gather momentum.
Sharpshooter Tom Shine continued to find the target as the game wore on, adding to his earlier tally and ensuring Kilskyre Moylagh's cushion never came under serious threat again. By the time Luke Martyn found the net for a Dunderry consolation goal late on, the result was no longer in doubt. Charlie Usher held firm between the posts for Kilskyre Moylagh throughout.
When referee called time, it was Kilskyre Moylagh who stood as Kit Mitchell Senior B Hurling Champions. For a club that has spent recent seasons building steadily, this was the reward for that work laid bare — a third promotion in as many consecutive years, and with it, a place at the top table of Meath Hurling for 2027.
Taken together with the morning's Under 14 triumph, Saturday will be remembered as one of the defining days in Kilskyre Hurling & Camogie Club's history. Two titles, two generations of players, and one club that has every reason to believe its best days are still ahead of it.
From the juveniles who made history in Division 1 to the seniors who have now earned their place among Meath's top sides, Kilskyre has given itself plenty to build on heading into the new season.
Kilskyre/Moylagh: Charlie Usher; Podge Muldoon, Sean Geraghty, Jack Connell, Paul Hennessy, Daire Shine (0:01), Eoin Briody, James Cook (0:01), Fergal Flynn Conor Rennicks), Michael Geraghty,Oisin McDermott (0:01), Darren O'Higgins (1:02) Willie McGrath (1:06,5f), Luke Tom Shine (0:08)
Subs: Killian McCaffrey for Oisin McDermott, Luke Harte for Connor Rennicks, Sean Tunney blood sub for Darren O’Higgins, Benji Smith, Lorcan Maguire, Cormac Guirke, Gavin Corrigan, James McDonald, Derek Muldoon, Conor Briody.
