Kerry County Senior Hurling Championship Final Replay – St Brendan’s 0-13 Lixnaw 0-8

St. Brendan’s defeated Lixnaw by 0-13 to 0-8 in the Kerry County Senior Hurling Championship Final Replay on Sunday October 27th at Austin Stack Park Tralee.

Famine over for Brendan’s

By Murt Murphy for the Irish Examiner newspaper

St Brendan’s 0-13 Lixnaw 0-8

St Brendan’s, Ardfert ended a 23-year famine in the Kerry SHC when they beat 14-man Lixnaw in the replayed final at Austin Stack Park yesterday in a game ruined by a swirling wind and a heavy surface. It was Lixnaw’s third final loss in four years, and they were architects of their own downfall, shooting 12 wides and having experienced defender Maurice Corridan red-carded in the 26th minute. To their credit they did not fold until ten minutes from the end, when inspirational centre-back Darren Dineen fired St Brendan’s to the front, a lead they were not to lose. Four more unanswered points followed from John Egan, Eoin McCarthy, Darren Wallace and a Dineen last minute penalty when he opted to point rather than go for goal.

It was a game dominated by defences with Darren Dineen a colossus for St Brendan’s, along with Conor Flaherty, Kevin Orpen and Eamonn Corridan, while for Lixnaw Trevor McKenna, Pat Corridan, Declan McCarthy and Brendan Brosnan hurled their hearts out. Lixnaw were backed by the strong wind in the opening half, but failed to take advantage, shooting eight wides as they led 0-5 to 0-3 at the interval. Two points from James Flaherty, one from Cillian Fitzmaurice and two frees from Brendan Brosnan was Lixnaw’s meagre return, while John Egan accounted for all of the St Brendan’s total.

Despite being a man down, Lixnaw began the second-half in explosive fashion with two Brosnan frees. However, as the half wore on, St Brendan’s began to spray the ball wide and Lixnaw, visibly tired, and two Egan frees, combined with points from Cian Hussey and Tom Moloney, tied the game at 0-7 apiece. John Galvin gave St Brendan’s the lead for the first time, in the 46 minute, but a Brosnan free levelled the contest in the 49 minute. However, once man of the match Darren Dineen raced upfield to point St Brendan’s into the lead, Lixnaw tired visibly, and St Brendan’s finished them off in style to win the Neilus Flynn Cup for the first time since 1990.

Scorers for St Brendan’s: J Egan 0-6 (0-3 frees, 0-1 ’65), D Dineen 0-2, 0-1 pen, T Moloney, O McCarthy, C Hussey, J Galvin and D Wallace 0-1 each.

Lixnaw scorers: B Brosnan 0-5 all frees, J Flaherty 0-2, C Fitzmaurice 0-1

ST BRENDAN’S: D Delaney, F Horgan, C Flaherty, K Orpen, K Hannafin, E Corridan, R Horgan, D Dineen, D Moriarty, T Moloney , O McCarthy, T Hannafin, C Hussey, J Galvin, J Egan.

Subs: S Griffin for O McCarthy (20), D Griffin for F Horgan (h/t), O McCarthy for S Griffin (33), K Fitzgerald for T Hannafin (48), D Wallace for J Galvin (52)

LIXNAW: M Stackpoole, D McCarthy, T McKenna, P Corridan, J Silles, M Corridan, D Shanahan, J Griffin, B Brosnan, C O’Brien, S Power, Cillian Fitzmaurice , E Galvin , R Heffernan, J Flaherty

Subs: J Wallace for E Galvin (h/t), R Galvin for Cillian Fitzmaurice (54) Conor Fitzmaurice for C O’Brien (56)

Referee: John Sexton (Cork)