Malone sends Kilkenny into final
KILKENNY 3-11
LONDON 2-9
Daire Walsh
KILKENNY will face New York in tomorrow’s All-Ireland Junior Football Championship decider at Croke Park after producing a superb performance to defeat London at Abbotstown last night.
The Cats had stormed ahead by three early on with scores from Jamie Holohan, Mick Malone and Rory Monks, only for the Exiles to turn the tables on them courtesy of unanswered efforts by Shay Rafter (two), Conor Spinks and Thomas Waters.
Parity was ultimately restored at 0-7 apiece in time for the break. Former hurling star Paul Murphy was the most recognisable figure in the Kilkenny team at full-back, but it was in attack that their star performers were found. After Kenny (two) and substitute Shane Stapleton knocked over three successive points, a 1-1 salvo from Malone left the Cats seven in front at the third-quarter mark.
An uninterrupted scoring sequence of 2-2 – including a brace of goals for Rafter – brought London back into the ascendancy, but Kilkenny responded to this set-back in devastating fashion with majors from Kenny and Malone in the 55th and 59th minutes.
Scorers – Kilkenny: M Malone 2-2, M Kenny 1-5 (0-3f), C Hennessy, J Holohan, R Monks, S Stapleton 0-1 each. London: S Rafter 2-3 (0-2f), C Spinks 0-5 (0-3f), T Waters 0-1.
KILKENNY: K Dunphy; S Kelly, P Murphy, T Kenny; K Blanchfield, C Wallace, J Fennelly; J Culleton, T Aylward; M Kenny, M Malone, C Hennessy; A Mansfield, J Holohan, R Monks. Subs: S Stapleton for Holohan (h-t), S Murphy for Kelly (34), J Walsh for Kenny (35-42, blood), Walsh for Monks (46), E Phelan for Kenny (50-54, blood), Phelan for Mansfield (57), J Dermody for Malone (62).
LONDON: K Cunningham; E Reilly, P O’Connor, R McCready; R Lennon, R O’Connell, M Tierney; S O’Halloran, R Forde; C Doyle, S Rafter, D Lynch; A McNulty, C Spinks, T Waters. Subs: J Obahor for Doyle (h-t), T Barry for Waters (39), C Clarke for O’Halloran (48), M Joyce for Lynch (54), R Kearney for McNulty (62).
REF – K Faloon (Armagh).