LEINSTER JH C1 FINAL: MALAHIDE CS 6-21 COL AN ATHA KILMUCKRIDGE 0-3
Force with Luke as Malahide CS secure the Leinster ‘C1’ crown in style
Daire Walsh
LUKE Hughes registered two goals at the Wicklow Centre of Excellence last Friday as Malahide Communty School claimed the Leinster Schools’ Junior Hurling ‘C1′ Championship title with an emphatic 6-21 to 0-3 triumph over Colaiste an Atha Kilmuckridge.
The excellent Hughes had been in fine scoring form during his side’s success against St Kevin’s CBS in the Dublin Schools’ Junior Hurling ‘C’ decider last November, and following their provincial semi-final victory over Castlepollard Community College in mid-March, Malahide were battle-hardened for their showpiece encounter with the Wexford outfit.
Kilmuckridge had progressed to this stage from the South Leinster competition, and in spite of what the final scoreline might suggest, they were within touching distance during the early stages of the contest.
However, a significant scoring burst by the north Dublin school opened the floodgates in the second-quarter.
As a result, Malahide brought a seemingly insurmountable 3-9 to 0-1 cushion into the interval, and with midfielder Sean Hawkshaw and defensive lynchpin Darragh McLoughney – who recently featured for Dublin North in the Leinster Juvenile Hurling ‘A’ League – producing outstanding displays, they continued to dominate after the restart.
In addition to Hughes’ contribution, Peter Murphy, Conor Hine and Naomh Mearnog’s Jack Keogh (one of two players from the team that doesn’t hail from the local St Sylvester’s club) also found the back of the Kilmuckridge net, Malahide CS sealed the silverware on offer in clinical style.