Kilnadeema/Leitrim

The Kilnadeema/Leitrim Under 12 team which lined out against Clarenbridge in their first championship game, Back Row: Liam Kelly, Evan Curley, Stephen Roche, Brian Molloy, Keith Callanan, Glen Costello, Dara Donoghue, Martin O'Brien, Tony Molloy, Jacques Chaheen. Front Row: Colm Callagy, James Donnellan, Justin Moran, Patrick Halpin, Jessica Deely, Jack Kenny, Ciaran Cannon, Daniel Mottram, Paul Houlihan, Noel Farrell.

The Under 12 championship has always been a vital starting block in the career's of many promising young hurlers and so it is with some surprise that it was decided to scrap the competition at the end of 2007 and also to make the competition 'no solo'. Kilnadeema/Leitrim with a very promising young team decided to enter the A championship for the first time ever and the competition started against underage kingpins Clarenbridge in Leitrim on Monday May 28th. Having just won the Under 14 championship two days previous, it was back to their own grade for three of that panel Brian Molloy, Tony Molloy and Dara Donoghue. Dara played in goals for the Under 14 team but lined out at Centre Half Back on this team with the brilliant Brian Molloy at Full Forward and Tony in Midfield. The game was only one minute old when Brian Molloy opened his account with a point from play after the goalie saved his first shot. One minute later Brian was fouled near the goals and he stepped up to blast the ball to the net. It was already turning out to be the Brian Molloy show and the team captain soon added another point from a free near the sideline to leave the scoreboard reading 1.02 to no score after 3 mins. Brian continued to trouble Clarenbridge and he added another point from play a minute later before Justin Moran got in on the act with a lovely point from play on 6 Minutes. Brian added another free on 8 minutes and another from play a minute later to leave his side leading 1.06 to no score. Then we had the second goal of the game when corner forward Justin Moran scored after taking a good pass from Daniel Mottram and 5 Minutes Daniel got on the scoreboard himself with another point. Finally the first half was brought to an end with another Kilnadeema/Leitrim goal this time from centre half forward Martin O'Brien to leave the half time score 3.08 to no score. Clarenbridge were been totally outclassed. Kilnadeema/Leitrim continued to pile on the pressure straight after half time when wing forward Ciaran Cannon pointed from play. A Minute later Brian Molloy scored from play and followed that up a min later with another point. Corner Forward Liam Kelly added his first point of the contest to leave the score reading 3.12 to no score after 4 mins. A Minute later Brian scored from play again before Kilnadeema/Leitrim introduced all 5 subs allowed. One of those subs jack Kenny staked a claim for a place on the team the next day with a goal and a point on 10 and 11 mins. Brian Molloy continued to score at will and added a great 40 yard point on 15 minutes to finish the scoring of a very one sided game 4.15 to no score. It is very unusual for a team to get no score in a game but Clarenbridge never looked like scoring with Keith Callanan never tested. For Kilnadeema/Leitrim it was a great start to the campaign but much tougher battles lie ahead with Loughrea next up. One to look forward to.

Scorers: Brian Molloy 1.09, Justin Moran 1.01, Jack Kenny 1.01, Martin O'Brian 1.00, Daniel Mottram 0.01, Ciaran Cannon 0.01, Liam Kelly 0.01.
Team Lineout: Keith Callanan, Evan Curley, Glen Costello, Noel Farrell, Stephen Roche, Dara Donoghue, Jessica Deely, Jacques Chaheen, Tony Molloy, Ciaran Cannon, Martin O'Brien, Daniel Mottram, Justin Moran, Brian Molloy, Liam Kelly.
Subs used: Colm Callagy, James Donnellan, Patrick Halpin, Paul Houlihan, Jack Kenny.

The clash of Kilnadeema/Leitrim and Loughrea is always special no matter what grade it is in and it was certainly no different when the two clubs clashed in the second round of the Under 12 A Championship at Leitrim on Monday June 10th. With the game now 'No Solo' scores are not as easy to get on the score board and the scores are usually not very high. Loughrea who looked the stronger side when the teams took the field were the first to settle down and opened the scoring on 2 Minutes when their Full Forward scored a point from play. Most of the game now was been played between the two Half Forward lines with very little ball going near the goals in the early stages. Kilnadeema/Leitrim did look more dangerous when in possession and this was how their first score arrived on 8 minutes when Centre Half Forward Martin O'Brien showed great skill to crash a lovely ball against the cross bar only for the lurking Under 10 Corner Forward Jack Kenny was waiting pounce with a clever goal which gave the home side a great start. Brian Molloy, who was been watched very well at Full Forward missed a few chances in the next few minutes as Kilnadeema/Leitrim owned the ball for long spells without getting near the goals. Then on 18 minutes Martin O'Brien made another break only to be fouled 21 yards from goal when a goal looked on. Brian Molloy stepped up and in a flash had the ball in the net to put his side ahead 2.0 to 0.01. Referee Paul Murphy soon sounded the half time whistle to leave 5 points between the sides. Kilnadeema/Leitrim continued to dominate after half time and Brian Molloy was coming more into the game as he opened the scoring in the second half with a lovely point from play after a great move involving Dara Donoghue and Martin O'Brien. Loughrea soon got back into the contest on 5 minutes when their Full Forward crashed home a low shot despite the efforts of Keith Callanan in the goals to leave the score reading 2.01 to 1.01. This goal really drove Kilnadeema/Leitrim on to an even bigger effort and with Stephen Roche, Dara Donoghue and Jessica Deely dominating in the Half Back line and Tony Molloy and Jacques Chaheen on top at Midfield the ball kept been pumped forward regularly. 2 minutes later Brian Molloy scored a great point from 40 yards out to stretch the lead. Sean Callagy was now introduced to the side for Justin Moran. We had to wait until the 13th minute for the next score and it was worth waiting for as Brian Molloy showed all his wonderful skills to score a point from play after great work by Stephen Roche and Tony Molloy. The score board now read 2.03 to 1.01. Any hopes Loughrea had of a come back were defiantly dashed don 17 minutes when Martin O'Brien, who was brilliant all through scored a lovely goal from distance. A Minute later probably the best score of the game came to Midfielder Tony Molloy when he broke on to a Martin O'Brien pass to slot over a point from 40 yards on the run. Kilnadeema/Leitrim then had the comfort of introducing two more subs as the strolled to victory 3.04 to 1.01. After a very easy win in their opening game against Clarenbridge this was a much more serious victory by a well coached and skilful team They will now go on with confidence against Tommie Larkins next week.

Scorers: Brian Molloy 1.03, Martin O'Brien 1.00, Jack Kenny 1.00, Tony Molloy 0.01.
Team Lineout: Team Lineout: Keith Callanan, Evan Curley, Glen Costello, Noel Farrell, Stephen Roche, Dara Donoghue, Jessica Deely, Jacques Chaheen, Tony Molloy, Justin Moran, Martin O'Brien, Daniel Mottram, Jack Kenny, Brian Molloy, Liam Kelly.
Subs used: Colm Callagy, Sean Callagy, Ciaran Connors.

Under 12 team defeat Tommie Larkins to reach knockout stages of championship

Under 12 hurling championship round three played in Ballinakill on Monday June 18th
Kilnadeema/Leitrim 5.02 Tommie Larkins 1.00

The Under 12 A Championship rollercoaster continued for Kilnadeema/Leitrim when they visited their neighbours and great rivals Tommie Larkins in the splendid new setting of Ballinakill GAA grounds on Monday June 17th. With both teams having recorded two victories to date, this was a game which could decide a semi-final place for one or the other. Kilnadeema/Leitrim got off to the perfect start when Justin Moran, their lively Corner Forward got on the end of a long Dara Donoghue clearance to goal for his side. Kilnadeema/Leitrim kept driving forward and were rewarded again a minute later when Wing Forward Liam Kelly picked up the ball 30 yards out and lobbed the ball over the Goalie's head to score another goal and put Kilnadeema/Leitrim six points ahead so early in the game, ( This begs the question why do Under 12's have to play in full size goals with such a high crossbar). A Minute later Kilnadeema/Leitrim could have had another goal as Justin Moran has his effort disallowed for a square ball. Tommie Larkins came much more into the game after this and got a big score of their own on 6 minutes when Centre half Forward Cathal Kelly scored a goal after the ball deceived Goalie Keith Callanan. Justin Moran was having the best game of this championship and it got even better on 10 minutes when he got in for another goal after Brian Molloy saw his shot saved by the Goalie, this left the scoreboard reading 3.00 to 1.00 half way through the first half. Any hopers Tommie Larkins had of a comeback were seriously curtailed 2 minutes later when Midfielder Tony Molloy goaled, again reacting to a long clearance from Dara Donoghue who took a pass from a Brian Molloy 65. Five minutes later Brian Molloy ended the first half scoring with a lovely point from play after a great move involving Stephen Roche and Martin O'Brien. The half time score board made nice reading for Kilnadeema/Leitrim supporters 4.01 to 1.00. Sean Callagy was introduced at half time as Kilnadeema/Leitrim changed their side to protect their big lead. Tommie Larkins hit the crossbar with the first shot of the second half before Brian Molloy put over a 65 yard free for his side to stretch the lead to 11 points. For the next 10 minutes Tommie Larkins put on big pressure to see could they reduce the lead but to no avail. Kilnadeema/Leitrim soaked up all the pressure before striking for another goal when Centre Half Forward Martin O'Brien got in for another goal. Kilnadeema/Leitrim were now able to introduce a few substitutes as they saw out the game to record a wonderful victory. It was a good performance, if not a great one with some players having a off day and other playing very well. They now play against Craughwell in their final game to try and reach the semi-final. This is worth waiting for.

Scorers: Justin Moran 2.00, Martin O'Brien 1.00, Liam Kelly 1.00, Tony Molloy 1.00, Brian Molloy 0.02.
Team Lineout: Keith Callanan, Noel Farrell, , Glen Costello, Evan Curley, Stephen Roche, Dara Donoghue, Jessica Deely, Jacques Chaheen, Tony Molloy, Liam Kelly, Martin O'Brien, Daniel Mottram, Jack Kenny, Brian Molloy, Justin Moran.
Subs Used: Sean Connors, Patrick Halpin, James Donnellan.

Action Photo's Kilnadeema/Leitrim v Tommie Larkins

Under 12 championship Round four played in Craughwell on Thursday June 21st
Kilnadeema/Leitrim 1.01 Craughwell 2.03
Under 12 hurling by nature can be very unpredictable from game to game with players form going up and down. For Kilnadeema/Leitrim Under 12 team nobody was sure what team would turn up for their final group game against Craughwell in Craughwell pitch on Thursday June 21st. Both teams still had a big chance of qualifying for the semi-finals. In a game that never reached the heights of recent games with the play been confined mostly to the middle section of the pitch where Craughwell were very strong. The game was very close in the early stages with few chances been created. On 10 minutes the opening score came when John Moynihan of Craughwell got on the end of a breaking ball to crash home a goal after Keith Callanan had saved the earlier shot from Brendan callanan. Kilnadeema/Leitrim tried to expose Brian Molloy in the Forward line and it worked on 16 mins when he got the ball 30 yards out and lobbed the goalie to score an equalising goal. Right on the stroke of half time Craughwell went back in front when Patrick Prendergast scored a point from a free to leave the half time score reading 1.01 to 1.00. Like the first half there was very few chances created in the second half with Craughwell on top in most positions. 12 minutes into the half John Moynihan scored his second goal which had a big hint of a square ball about it to put Craughwell four points up, and John was on hand again on 18 mins when he scored a lovely point. Midfielder Matthew Freaney then added another point as Craughwell dominated the game. Brian Molloy, who tried very hard all through did score the final score of the game from play. While this was a disappointing performance by Kilnadeema/Leitrim, it might be a blessing in disguise as they must now go back to the drawing board and get ready for a possible quarter final.

Scorers: Brian Molloy 1.01.
Team Lineout: Keith Callanan, Noel Farrell, , Glen Costello, Evan Curley, Stephen Roche, Dara Donoghue, Sean Callagy, Jacques Chaheen, Tony Molloy, Liam Kelly, Martin O'Brien, Daniel Mottram, Jack Kenny, Brian Molloy, Justin Moran.
Sub Used: Jessica Deely

Disappointment for Under-12's as Turloughmore prove too strong in Semi-Final

Under 12 Hurling Championship A Semi-Final played in Ballinasloe on Thursday July 26th
Kilnadeema/Leitrim 1.03 Turloughmore 3.02

County Semi-finals and finals are something everybody will dream about during their careers, but very few get to achieve the chance to play in them, and so to reach an Under 12 A County Semi-final was a very big achievement for Kilnadeema/Leitrim hurling club. Having topped their group ahead of such well known star underage clubs as Loughrea, Craughwell, Tommie Larkins and Clarenbridge was itself hugh progress for the club, but to to reach the promise land of a County final they had to defeat one more of the super powers of underage hurling in Galway from north of the County Turloughmore and set up a final against near neighbours St Thomas. Having had to wait around for a few weeks before the game came up, one wondered how the team would react to such an occasion. The game was finally fixed for Duggan Park, Ballinasloe on Thursday July 26th. The evening was perfect for the game with a little bit of sunshine, a rare sight this summer. Turloughmore who had already played Kilnadeema/Leitrim a few weeks before hand in a challenge game and suffered a seven point defeat certainly looked up for the challenge this time as they got stuck into Kilnadeema/Leitrim from the start and it took them only one minute to stamp their authority on the game with a goal almost from the throw in to really set Kilnadeema/Leitrim back on their heels so early on. We all wondered how they would react and while they had chances they fail to convert them and then they conceded a number of free's to Turloughmore as well who luckily didn't score from them. On seven minutes they finally got on the score sheet when Dara Donoghue scored a point after taking a short pass from a Brian Molloy free. We wondered would they now settle down and take off. Play was very tight at this stage with nothing between the team before on 10 minutes Brian Molloy had a great point from play to reduce the margin to just a point This proved to be the last score of a low scoring half and certainly Kilnadeema/Leitrim were very much still in with a shout in the contest and a possible place in the final as the score board read 1.00 to 0.02 in the north Galway sides favour. Kilnadeema/Leitrim made a few positional switches at the start of the second half with Martin O'Brien moving to Midfield and Liam Kelly going to Full Forward and Brian Molloy on the forty. Disaster for Kilnadeema/Leitrim struck right from the off in the second half as they conceded another goal. We wondered how they would respond to this latest setback. In the 5th minute Justin Moran was fouled near goal which Brian Molloy went for goal from but was unsuccessful and shortly after Brian was unlucky again when another goal bound shot was saved. Brian then added a point from a free to close the gap. In the seventh minute Turloughmore increased their lead when the converted a free to put them 5 points ahead. Any hope Kilnadeema/Leitrim had of a comeback was knocked back on 11 minutes when Turloughmore struck for their third goal following a great effort by Kilnadeema/Leitrim to clear their lines. All was not lost though as a Dara Donoghue free in the 15th minute was blasted to the net by Justin Moran to give them some hope of victory. This was to be their last chance as Turloughmore added another point on 19 minutes when they converted a free to leave the final score line reading Turloughmore 3.02 Kilnadeema/Leitrim 1.03. The dream was over but one thinks that this is not the last you will hear of this team in the future as they competed wonderfully in the top grade of club hurling in the county and we look forward to seeing them again in Feile in two years time. Full credit to Des, Kevin and Joe for the way they looked after this team.

Scorers: Justin Moran 1.00, Brian Molloy 0.02, Dara Donoghue 0.01.

Sean Callagy, Noel Farrell, , Glen Costello, Evan Curley, Stephen Roche, Dara Donoghue, Tony Molloy, Jacques Chaheen, Liam Kelly, Jessica Deely, Martin O'Brien, Daniel Mottram, Keith Callanan, Brian Molloy, Justin Moran.
Subs. Jack Kenny, Ciaran Connor, Patrick Halpin

	Kilnadeema/Leitrim	Last Updated 02/03/2008
	Hurling Club
	Cumanan Luthchleas Gael Cill na Dioma - Liathdroim

Tommie Larkins on the attack as Tony Molloy and Glen Costello react first.	Liam Kelly, Stephen Roche and Brian Molloy chase down this ball
Kilnadeema/Leitrim defence stand tall for this free	Kilnadeema/Leitrim Goalie Keith Callanan keep his goal intact
Tony Molloy prepares to clear this ball against Tommie Larkins	Stephen Roche and Dara Donoghue make sure nothing passes their area
Joe Kenny gathers his team around him for vital instructions as Kevin Molloy and Des Roche look on	Kilnadeema/Leitrim Wing Back Jessica Deely takes a well earned rest