Ballyduff 2-15 Lixnaw 1-18
A late sideline cut from the brilliant 19-year-old Lixnaw marksman Shane Conway ensured his side forced replay as Ballyduff were denied a record breaking 25th Kerry hurling title in front of a huge crowd at Austin Stack Park.
Those present witnessed one of the best quality finals of recent vintage with two outstanding individual displays. Ballyduff's Padraig Boyle lit up the afternoon with a personal haul of 2-11 while the precocious Conway fired 1-10 of his own.
Boyle had 1-6 on the board before Jack O’Sullivan scored the only non-Boyle score of the half. Boyle added another and the sides retired at 1-8 apiece with Shane Conway getting 1-4 for Lixnaw.
The second half was end-to-end stuff with some excellent scores. Ballyduff made an explosive start with two long-range Boyle frees. In the 34th minute Aidan Boyle set up brother Padraig whose shot was parried by PJ O'Gorman, who could not prevent the sliotar from drifting over the line for Boyle's second goal.
Ballyduff led by three (2-15 to -1-15 ) with six minutes left but Shane Conway saved the day with points from a free, a 65 and then a 62nd minute sideline cut that levelled a thrilling contest. The sides will meet again on Sunday.
BALLDUFF: P J O'Gorman; A O'Connor, P O'Grady, C Kearney; D Goulding, P Costello, E Ross; D O'Carroll, A O'Carroll; P O'Carroll, A Boyle, J O'Sullivan (0-1); J, P Boyle (2-11, 1-0 pen, 1'65, 4f), M Boyle (0-1), J Goulding (0-2). Subs: L Boyle for P O'Carroll (h/t), G O'Brien for A Boyle (52), T Slattery for J O'Sullivan (52), A Boyle for L Boyle (59)
LIXNAW: M Stackpoole; D McCarthy, P Corridan, G Stackpoole; B Brosnan (0-1, 1f), S Power, C O Keeffe; J Griffin (0-1), B McAuliffe (0-1); J Buckley (0-1), R Heffernan, R Galvin (0-1); J McKenna (0-1), M Conway (0-2), S Conway (1-10, 5 frees, 1'65, 1 SC). Subs: D Shanahan for G Stackpoole (24), J Wallace for R Heffernan (h/t), J Flaherty for R Galvin (47), C Sheehy for J McKenna (56)
Referee: J Murphy (Limerick)
