By Daire Walsh

Thursday March 29 2012

DUBLIN NORTH 3-17

OFFALY SCHOOLS 2-5

Donal Burke and Dylan Curtis were the stars of the show in Kinnegad on Monday afternoon as Dublin North captured the Leinster Schools Group Team Juvenile ‘A’ Hurling crown in some style against a committed, yet ultimately overhwelmed, Offaly Schools side.

Having defeated their Metropolitan rivals Dublin South (the winners of this competition last year) at the penultimate stage, North embarked on this encounter with plenty of confidence and enjoyed a dream start, with goals from Na Fianna’s Burke and Whitehall club man Curtis supplying them with a 2-2 to 0-0 cushion inside the opening five minutes of play.

This proved to be the decisive period of the game, as it gave Dublin North an excellent platform on which to build a committed performance.

The boys from the Faithful County did their best to force their way back into proceedings before the end of the half, but the reliable presence of Hugh Fenlon and Paul Rigney in the North defence ensured their resistance was not to be broken before the midway point.

To Offaly’s credit, they kept battling until the end, and they registered a couple of consolation goals in the second period following some admirable industry in their opponent’s half.

Dublin North were never in danger of letting their lead slip, however, with a second goal from Burke helping them on their way to a decisive 15-point victory in the end.

Aside from Burke and Curtis, Dublin North also had a star performer in the shape of midfielder Peter Feeney, and all three (along with a host of other players on the panel) will surely have a big future in schools hurling over the next few years.

– Daire Walsh