Delaney on the Mark as Coill Dubh defeat Clane

By Daire Walsh

Coill Dubh 1-18

Clane 1-12

Mark Delaney struck 1-9 at Manguard Park on Sunday as Coill Dubh produced a strong second half performance to get past the challenge of Clane in a UPMC Kildare Senior Hurling Championship preliminary round.

With the elements at their backs, Clane knocked over unanswered points through McKenna (free) and Ben Muldoon inside the opening 60 seconds of the action. Yet Coill Dubh subsequently settled into a familiar stride as a 1-1 salvo from Delaney was followed by a maiden score for full-forward Johnny Byrne.

Clane swiftly responded when McKenna superbly split the uprights from inside his own half, only for Coill Dubh to once again reinforce their authority with a brace of points by midfielder Dylan Brereton. They were making light of the fact that there was a strong breeze against them, but Clane eventually built momentum with five white flag efforts on the bounce – McKenna (two), Samuel Donovan, Sean Christanseen and Dylan Brereton all finding the range in this juncture.

However, Dylan Brereton’s third of the half helped Coill Dubh to restore parity, while Oran O’Sullivan and Conor Carew were on hand to cancel out Clane singles from McKenna and Simon Healy.

Although a monster free from McKenna offered the latter a 0-11 to 1-7 interval cushion, Coill Dubh were still very much in the reckoning on the resumption.

It took them less than a minute to level matters for a sixth time – Byrne splitting the posts on this occasion – and the impressive Delaney then edged the 11-time winners into the ascendancy by the 37th minute. The industrious wing-forward added to his tally from play, before Clane (who are on top of the Kildare SHC roll of honour with 16 titles) finally opened their second period account with an Eimhin Gillman point on the third-quarter mark.

Three consecutive frees from Delaney left Coill Dubh in a strong position, until McKenna (who registered two goals for Kildare against Down in their final game of this year’s Joe McDonagh Cup) rattled the net from a 25-metre free on 55 minutes.

This was the lifeline that Clane badly craved, though Coill Dubh produced the perfect response to their lead being reduced to a bare minimum. Thanks to 0-3 haul from Delaney, as well as one apiece from substitute Keenan Brereton and Byrne, they finished with six points to spare.

Scorers: Coill Dubh: Mark Delaney 1-9 (0-4 frees), Dylan Brereton, Johnny Byrne 0-3, Oran O’Sullivan, Conor Carew, Keenan Brereton 0-1 each.

Clane: Paddy McKenna 1-6 (0-4 frees), Eimhin Gillman 0-2, Sean Christanseen, Samuel Donovan, Simon Healy, Ben Muldoon 0-1 each.

COILL DUBH: Owen Lenehan; Conor Gordon, Mark Grace, Fionn Moran; Dean O’Regan, Declan Flaherty, Ross Carew; Dylan Brereton, Evan Smullen; Mark Delaney, Jack Kenny, Oran O’Sullivan; Conor Carew, Johnny Byrne, Jamie Kenna. Subs: Keenan Brereton for O’Regan (46).

CLANE: Mark Doyle; Adam Donovan, Michael Cahalan, Daniel Malone; Sean O’Rourke, Sean Christanseen, Cillian Ryan; Eimhin Gillman, Samuel Donovan; Simon Healy, Paddy McKenna, Ben Muldoon; Christopher Bonus, Killian Ahern, Sean Malone. Subs: Hugh Muldoon for Healy (half-time), Tom Malone for Bonus (44), Brian Healy for O’Rourke (48), Dillon Ryan for Christanseen (57).

Referee: Niall Colgan.