Salthill off to a flier

Salthill/ Knocknacarra 1-16

Easkey 1-12

Darren Kelly in Bekan

SALTHILL/Knocknacarra became the seventh Galway club to be crowned Connacht Junior hurling champions on Saturday as a dominant start against Sligo’s Easkey gave them an advantage they held until the finish.

Donal O’Shea was top scorer with 12 points, and six of those in the opening quarter assisted a 1-8 to 0-3 advantage. O’Shea was also involved in the crucial goal on 15 minutes. His delivery towards the square found the captain Michael O’Donnell whose flick to the net set up the match winning advantage.

Conditions were superb in the Connacht GAA Centre but the wind was picking up around throw-in and the rain settled for the afternoon. The Sligo champions were quick off the mark. Managed by Killimor’s Colum O’Meara, Easkey opened through an Andrew Kilcullen point.

However, that was as good as it got as Salthill/Knocknacarra, and O’Shea in particular, began tallying scores. Three frees by the seventh minute put Diarmuid Ó hAodha’s side two up before O’Donnell got their first from play on seven minutes.

Shane Kelly was an addition from last month’s Junior 1 Final win over Micheál Breathnach and he pointed from the right wing on nine minutes to make it 0-5 to 0-1. Sligo under 20 hurler Thomas Cawley reduced arrears for Easkey but O’Shea hit back. And when he set up O’Donnell for the goal on the quarter hour, Salthill/Knocknacarra were 1-6 to 0-2 clear.

Two more for the Salthill/Knocknacarra’s talisman, both from play, created a nine point margin before Kilcullen converted Easkey’s third score.

“I think that was the plan,” said Ó hAodha when asked if they targeted hitting the ground running. “We knew we had to give a 60-70 minute performance today one way or the other.

“It didn’t matter. We’d love to start well but you have to finish well. The only time it matters when you’re winning is the end of the game.”

In Easkey’s defence, they kept the Galway champions honest for the remainder of the contest, but left it too late to seriously dent the difference between them. O’Shea had two more white flags by the 24th minute but Kilcullen was starting to make his presence felt.

Two more frees were followed by a point from play and Easkey were seven down with four minutes remaining in the half. Another O’Shea placed ball had Salthill/Knocknacarra 1-11 to 0-6 up at the break.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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