Blanchfield brace helps DIT get back on track
Fitzgibbon Cup
DIT 3-19
WIT 1-19
Daire Walsh
Grangegorman
Goals in each half by Kilkenny’s Liam Blanchfield helped DIT to get their Fitzgibbon Cup campaign back on track against WIT at Grangegorman last night.
The Metropolitan college – who were defeated by UL in the opening round last Sunday – hit the front with a superbly-taken Blanchfield goal in the ninth-minute.
A Shane Murphy three-pointer subsequently moved WIT into the ascendancy, but thanks to fine contributions from Westmeath trio Derek McNicholas, Niall O’Brien and Robbie Greville, DIT developed a 1-13 to 1-10 interval cushion.
Indeed. when Conor Ryan and Blanchfield found a way past WIT’s Mark Fanning in the 33rd and 38th minutes respectively, their chances of success received a significant boost.
This was the Deise outfit’s first game of this season’s competition, and despite the best efforts of Pat Lyng, late scores by Luke Kelly and O’Brien (two) sealed a six-point win for DIT.
Scorers for DIT: N O’Brien 0-10 (8f, 1 ’65’), L Blanchfield 2-0, J Cahill 0-3, C Ryan 1-0, D McNicholas 0-2 (1f), L Kelly, N Mitchell, R Greville, J McGuirk 0-1 each.
Scorers for WIT: P Lyng 0-9 (6f), S Murphy 1-2 (0-2f), J Pendergast 0-3, C Flood, S O’Brien 0-2 each, J O’Connor 0-1.
DIT: S Brennan; W Kavanagh, C Hendricken, P Cass; J Cahill, D McNicholas, L Kelly; E Dunne, C Ryan; N Mitchell, P Maher, L Blanchfield; N O’Brien, R Greville, J McGuirk.
Subs: C Taylor for Cahill (54), N Walsh for McGuirk (63).
WIT: M Fanning; S Smyth, M Whelan, T Hayes; O McGrath, J Henderson, C Lyons; J Prendergast, C Flood; P Lyng, S O’Brien, S Murphy; C Hennessy, J O’Connor, P Walsh.
Subs: B Ramsey for Murphy (h-t), J Kennedy for Flood (49), C Burke for O’Connor (55).
Referee: J McGrath (Westmeath).