AFL DIV. 1 ROUNDUP – 19TH MAY
ADULT FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION ONE ROUND-UP: MAY 19
By Daire Walsh
As a result of their commanding 1-15 to 0-10 triumph over Cuala on Saturday evening, St Vincent’s currently lead the way at the top of the Adult Football League Division One table.
Played at St David’s, Artane rather than their usual home venue of Pairc Naomh Uinsionn, the Marino men succumbed Cuala to their second league defeat of 2018.
Following previous wins at the expense of St Sylvester’s, St Oliver Plunkett’s/Eoghan Ruadh and Castleknock, Vincent’s have a 100% success rate from the opening four rounds of this year’s top-flight. They are currently one point ahead of second place Kilmacud Crokes – who recorded an impressive 3-10 to 0-12 victory against Ballyboden St Enda’s at Silver Park.
When the two sides met recently in the Senior One Club Championship, Shane Horan and Callum Pearson combined to propel Crokes towards a convincing win. It was the turn of Longford native Brian Kavanagh and Dara Mullin to provide the clinical edge in attack on this occasion – their sharp three-point finishes helping the Stillorgan side to secure a 2-2 to 0-5 interval cushion.
While ‘Boden (undefeated heading into this contest) caused a number of problems to the Crokes rearguard, the experienced duo of Pat Burke and Mark Vaughan kept the hosts in the ascendancy. Tom Fox and Pearson also found the target, before Stephen Williams added a goal on the stroke of 50 minutes to seal Crokes’ third win of the competition.
Their opening round draw with St Brigid’s (1-9 apiece) ensures the defending champions are slightly adrift of Vincent’s, but they are in prime condition ahead of another home encounter with Na Fianna on Wednesday.
Lucan Sarsfields and St Oliver Plunkett’s/Eoghan Ruadh also remain in the hunt during a busy period of league activity across the county. They met at 12th Lock on Saturday, with Plunkett’s coming out on top in an absorbing encounter (0-20 to 2-10).
The Navan Road outfit now join Lucan Sarsfields in joint-fourth, with the latter’s superior score difference giving them a slight edge in the table.
Meanwhile, Naomh Maur built on a recent victory over St Brigid’s by comfortably overcoming the challenge of Castleknock in Rush. Though there was little to separate the teams in the early exchanges, a brace of quickfire goals – including a magnificent strike by former Dublin minor Ciaran Archer – ensured Maur’s were 2-6 to 0-5 in front at the break.
The home team (the surprise package in last year’s league) never looked back from this point, and with Ciaran Reddin and Conor McGuinness added goals in the latter stages, they prevailed on a scoreline of 5-10 to 0-9.
Elsewhere, Ballymun Kickhams finished with a commanding cushion of 2-12 to 0-9 against Thomas Davis at Pairc Ciceam to register their maiden win of this year’s league. It was also a successful evening for the previously winless duo of Na Fianna and St Sylvester’s, who claimed respective triumphs over St Brigid’s (0-18 to 1-9) and Ballinteer St John’s (2-14 to 1-14).