Templenoe 4-08, Waterville 2-10
Templenoe won their first ever South Kerry League title with an exciting victory over Waterville on a very windy evening in Derrynane GAA Grounds. Following a prolonged period of rain the ground was very heave but held up well for the sixty minutes.
Templenoe played with the wind in the first half, but struggled to utilize this advantage, and it was actually Waterville who opened up the scoring with a point from Oran Clifford. Templenoe had to wait until the eight minute to register their first point with a Brian Crowley pointed free. Patrick Clifford and Brian Crowley quickly added further scores but Barry O’Dwyer responded with a free for Waterville. Templenoe had already worked two clear goal chances but both were saved. Waterville were far more clinical in front of goal and did not kick a wide in the half.
Barry O’Dwyer added another free on the twentieth minute, and this was followed by a frantic minute of play when a well worked Waterville goal by Eoin O’Sullivan was cancelled out by a John Rice goal sixty seconds later. The Templenoe goal swept straight down the field from Danny Cahalane’s kick out, to Pat Spillane and ended up with goal scorer John Rice to finish to the net.
A Stephen O’Sullivan pointed free for Templenoe preceded Waterville’s second goal which was finished to the net by Jamie O’Sullivan. Pat Spillane closed out the scoring of the half leaving the interval score Templenoe 1-05, Waterville 2-03. Templenoe kicked six wides during the half.
Brian Crowley kicked the first two points of the second half as Templenoe started much better against the wind, but Waterville replied with points by Sam O’Dwyer and Barry O’Dwyer. Pat Spillane finished off a good move involving Patrick Clifford and Martin Reilly to score Templenoe’s second goal and following a Barry O’Dwyer free, Martin Reilly kicked a rebounded effort off the ground to the net to leave the score on the 42nd minute, Templenoe 3-07, Waterville 2-06.
Barry O’Dwyer kicked two frees to reduce the arrears coming into the last quarter, and a further long range point by Eoin O’Sullivan of Waterville left a point in the difference. The decisive score came with five minutes remaining when Pat Spillane scored his second goal. Waterville again responded with an Oran Clifford point but Pat Spillane closed out the scoring with a well taken point from a tight angle leaving Templenoe victorious on a score of Templenoe 4-08, Waterville 2-10.
Templenoe Scorers: Pat Spillane 2-02, Brian Crowley 0-04, Martin Reilly 1-00, John Rice 1-00, Stephen O’Sullivan 0-01, Patrick Clifford 0-01
Waterville Scorers: Barry O’Dwyer 0-06, Eoin O’Sullivan 1-01, Jamie O’Sullivan 1-00, Oran Clifford 0-02, Sam O’Dwyer 0-01
Templenoe Team: Danny Cahalane, John Moriarty, Kieran O’Neill, Joseph Sheehan, Patrick Clifford, Tom Spillane, Kieran McCarthy, Sean Sheehan, Josh Crowley-Holland, Martin Reilly, Brian Crowley, Pat Spillane, Stephen O’Sullivan, John Rice, Dara O’Connor
Subs: Dan O’Connor
Waterville Team: Patrick O’Dwyer, Jamie Donnelly, Mike O’Shea, Cillian Cronin, Fergal Cronin, Fionan Clifford, Alan O’Dwyer, Oran Clifford, Cillian Clifford, Jack Curran, Barry O’Dwyer, Niall Fitzgerald, Sam O’Dwyer, Jamie O’Sullivan, Eoin O’Sullivan
