Kavanagh points the way for Croker-bound St Mullins

St Mullins (Carlow) 1-19 Ferns St Aidans (Wexford) 1-17

St Mullins caused a minor surprise when they ushered the Wexford champions out of the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship at Cullen Park on Sunday.

There was a time that a match between the club sides of the respective counties would provide only one winner and that was a Wexford side. Not any more as Ferns St Aidans found out to their cost here.

Coming in, many people predicted that this was going to be a 50-50 game. The amateur pundits were proved right as the Carlow side just about edged through. Yet no-one could argue that they didn't deserve their win.

Marty Kavanagh for St Mullins needs no introduction to hurling folk up and down the country. He scored seven points in the first half with six coming from frees.

After his opening two points, Ferns St Aidans scored a cracking goal when Paul Morris collected on the edge of the big square and found the net with an unstoppable shot. Their rivals didn’t flinch and, wind assisted they led at half-time by 0-12 to 1-06.

In that half, James Doyle scored two points while Paidi O’Shea, Paddy Boland and Jason O’Neill also pointed. In addition to Byrne for the visitors, Chris Dunbar, Corey Byrne Dunbar, Diarmuid Doyle and Jonny Dwyer raised white flags.

It was tight all the way through the second half. The key moment came at the start of the fourth quarter when James Doyle passed to Conor Kehoe. The midfielder still had it all to do and even though he didn’t get full power on his shot, he did enough to beat James Lawlor in the goal.

St Mullins retreated a little from there and brought their rivals on to them. Byrne continued to convert the frees for the away side. He was also denied a three-pointer by Kevin Kehoe in the home goal.