Mike O’Halloran watched two Kerry Minor Hurling Championship semi-finals in Austin Stack Park yesterday afternoon…

Causeway 1-12

Abbeydorney/Parnells 2-12

One must credit Causeway Hurling Club who went on their own in the competition to give their young hurlers a chance to play in the Kerry Minor Hurling Championship, even though they had only 17 players.

Abbeydorney and Tralee Parnells came together to form a team to compete in the competition and they were able to muster 25 players.

Halfway through the first half it looked like Abbeydorney/Parnells would walk away with the game as they led 1-6 to 0-3.

The Abbeydorney scores came from Michael Slattery who found the net after four minutes, Adam Maunsell added three points Jack Sheehan and Darragh Reen had a point each.

Continued below…

Gary Carey who is just back from injury had all Causeway’s scores bar one that coming from Killian Dooley.

Causeway continued their improvement in the second half and twice came within two points of the winners.

Killian Dooley gave them a life line when he goaled on fifty three minutes to leave the score Causeway 1-12 Abbeydorney/Parnells 2-10.

Darragh Reen gave Abbeydorney/Parnells breathing space when he eased over a point, Adam Maunsell had the final score to leave it Causeway 1-12 Abbeydorney Parnells 2-12.

Crotta O’Neills 4-15

St Brendan’s 3-9

It looked at half time that St Brendan’s were in for a comprehensive defeat as they struggled to get any grip on the game. They were behind on a scoreline of 3-8 to 0-2, their points coming from frees.

Aodhan Behan bagged two goals and Declan Donoghue also had one in the net.

St Brendan’s managed to add three goals and seven points in the final thirty minutes but they had left too big a mountain to climb.

Padraig O’Mahony had a goal on 40 minutes, Seamus O’Halloran added another four minutes later, Padraig had another on fifty eight minutes but by then it was too late as Crotta O’Neills were comfortably ahead and had run their bench.

It is very difficult to see how Crotta O’Neills will not make it two championships in a row next weekend when they play Abbeydorney /Parnells in the curtain raiser to the Garveys SuperValu Kerry senior hurling championship.