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2022 Allianz Hurling League Division 2 – Down 1-19 Kerry 0-20

Name: 2022 Allianz Hurling League Division 2 – Down 1-19 Kerry 0-20
Start: 2022-03-19T14:00:00+00:00
End: 2022-03-19T16:00:00+00:00
Location: Ballycran

March 19, 2022 @ 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Down defeated Kerry by 1-19 to 0-20 in Round 5, Division 2A of the Allianz Hurling League on Saturday March 19th at Ballycran, Down.

Kerry edged out of direct path to Division 2 league final https://t.co/kiqeoHxDsh

— Irish Examiner Sport (@ExaminerSport) March 19, 2022

Kerry edged out of direct path to Division 2 league final

Report by Neil Wanton for the Irish Examiner newspaper

Allianz HL Div 2: Down 1-19 Kerry 0-20

KERRY will have to settle for an Allianz League semi-final spot after coming up short in Ballycran against a resilient Down outfit.

Victory would have given the Kingdom a direct passage to the Division 2 final but an injury-time free from Down’s Oisin McManus took that out of their reach.

A profligate first half with the wind threatened to leave Kerry with an uphill task after the break but a flurry of scores just before the break, with captain Maurice O’Connor prominent, gave the visitors an 0-14 to 0-8 HT lead.

Causeway’s Colum Harty rose to the challenge in the second half with three points to negate the influence of a goal from a penalty from Down’s Conor Woods. But a 55th free from Paul Sheehan levelled matters at 0-15 to 0-12 as Down confidence grew.

Kerry’s semi-final opponents will be determined Sunday – a Westmeath win in Kildare means the Kingdom would have to go to Mullingar, but a victory for the Lilywhites would keep Kerry in second place and a home semi.

DOWN: S Keith; M Hughes, J McManus, T Murray (0-1); M Conlon (0-1), C Woods (1-2, 1-0 pen, 2f), C Taggart; P Óg McCrickard (0-1), L Savage; R McCusker, P Sheehan (0-7, frees), C Egan; D Sands (0-1), M Fisher (0-2), E Sands.
Subs: O McManus (0-3, 2f) for Egan (23), J Doran (0-1) for McCusker (48), C Cassidy for Murray (56), B Trainor for Sheehan (58).

KERRY: M Stackpoole; C O’Keeffe, E Leen, F Mackessy (0-1); F McCarthy, M Leane (0-2), C Walsh; D Collins, M Boyle; S Nolan (0-1), S Conway (0-7, 6f), C Harty (0-3); P O’Connor (0-1), P Ahern, P Boyle (0-4).
Subs: Eoin Ross for McCarthy (30), N Mulcahy for Ahern (42), M O’Connor (0-1) for Nolan (48), G Dooley for Collins (59)

Referee: Chris Mooney (Dublin)