Laune Rangers Blue 1-9, Kenmare Shamrocks 0-14
Laune Rangers Minor Boys Blue team bowed out of the County Minor League Division 1 at the Semi Final stage on Bank Holiday Monday afternoon, as they were defeated by an impressive Kenmare Shamrocks team in JP O’Sullivan Park.
An early pointed free by Kenmare was cancelled out by a well taken Jack Lynch point for Rangers. Kenmare – playing with the aid of a strong breeze in the first half – added two points before John Burke added a brace (1 free) to tie the scores again, although Kenmare pointed another free to lead by 0-4 to 0-3 with fifteen minutes played.
Another Kenmare point doubled their lead, but Rangers began to grow into the game. Jack Lynch & Niall O’Brien scored points to level matters – the latter one coming from an excellent run by wing back O’Brien who forced a save from the Kenmare goalkeeper before kicking the rebound over the bar. Kenmare nudged ahead with another point, but Laune Rangers took the lead at the end of the half as Jack Lynch scored an excellent goal for the home side. A Kenmare point left the minimum between the sides at the break.
Half Time Score:- Laune Rangers Blue 1-5, Kenmare Shamrocks 0-7.
The visitors came out flying at the beginning of the second half, scoring four consecutive points (3 frees), but a super point by John Burke stemmed the tide and left Rangers trailing by 0-11 to 1-6 with a quarter to play.
Kenmare Shamrocks were not going to be denied on the day, however. Three more unanswered points put the visitors five ahead and, with Rangers camped up field in search of a way back into the game, Kenmare broke on a counter attack. However, Rangers goalkeeper Harvey Mangan pulled off a great save to deny the away side on their final attack. Laune Rangers pressed forward and added points from Darragh Clifford (free), Seánie Diggin and Logan Foley to reduce the deficit to two points, but time would run out on Rangers as Kenmare booked their place in the County Minor Division 1 Final.
Full Time Score:- Laune Rangers Blue 1-9, Kenmare Shamrocks 0-14.
It is Laune Rangers’ first defeat in Division 1 of the County Minor League since the 2019 Final, as the Laune Rangers Minors failed to make a fourth successive Division 1 decider.
Laune Rangers Blue:- Harvey Mangan, Tim Mangan, Shane Clifford, David O’Brien, Joseph O’Neill, Oisín Birmingham, Niall T O’Brien (0-1), John Burke (0-3, 1f), Tom Garry, Eoin O’Connell, Rian O’Sullivan, John Tuohy (capt), Stephen Gannon, Darragh Clifford (0-1f), Jack Lynch (1-2). Subs: Gavin Mangan for O’Neill, Seán Diggin (0-1) for Garry, Logan Foley (0-1) for O’Sullivan, Devin Hogan for Tuohy, Ryan Carey for Lynch