Five-star Easkey remain hurling kings of Sligo
Easkey celebrating their fifth straight Sligo SHC title after their victory over Naomh Eoin on Saturday night.
Sligo Senior Hurling Championship – Final
Easkey 0-15
Naomh Eoin 0-12
In Quigibar, Enniscrone
Easkey won their fifth consecutive county senior hurling title on Saturday evening as they proved too strong for the challenge of Sligo town side Naomh Eoin.
Playing beneath the floodlights of Enniscrone-Kilglass GAA Club, Easkey started the game brightly and landed the first two points of the game through Andrew Kilcullen and Rory McHugh before Gerard O’Kelly Lynch pointed a free for Naomh Eoin.
Three unanswered points, including a brace from Kilcullen, ensured the Sea Blues led 0-5 to 0-1 after 10 minutes of play.
Gerard O’Kelly Lynch replied with a point but two on the spin from Kilcullen had the defending champions five points in front, 0-7 to 0-2, by the quarter hour mark.
Tony O’Kelly Lynch would add two points before the break for Naomh Eoin but that still didn’t stop Easkey taking a 0-9 to 0-5 advantage into the dressing-room.
The town side narrowed the gap further upon the resumption, as Paul O’Brien fired over the first point of the second-half, but Easkey added a brace through Finnian Cawley and Kilcullen, a free, and after 40 minutes of play they were still five points ahead.
Naomh Eoin tried hard to cut the deficit late on but they needed a goal and couldn’t get the ball past Jimmy Gordon. Gerard O’Kelly Lynch did tag on three points for his side but a stoppage time point from Rory McHugh proved enough as Easkey came away with victory by three points.
Scorers – Easkey: Andrew Kilcullen 0-7 (2f), Rory McHugh and Finnian Cawley 0-3 each, Fionn Connolly and Adam Rolston 0-1.
Naomh Eoin: Gerard O’Kelly-Lynch 0-7 (4f, 1 ’65), Tony O’Kelly-Lynch and Paul O’ Brien 0-2 each, Paul O’Leary 0-1.
Easkey: Jimmy Gordon; Eoghan Rua McGowan, Gavin Connolly, James Weir; Donal Hanley, Niall Kilcullen, Ronan Molloy; Finnian Cawley, Daniel Rolston; Mikey Gordon, Joe McHugh, Rory McHugh; Patrick Walsh, Andrew Kilcullen, Fionn Connolly. Subs used: Adam Rolston, Eanna Moylan.
Naomh Eoin: Stephen Fleming; Kevin Beirne, Donal Keaveney, Stephen Sheridan; Darragh Cawley, Paul O’Brien, Thomas Davis; Gerard O’Kelly-Lynch, Liam O’Kelly-Lynch; Paul O’Leary, Tony O’Kelly-Lynch, Robert O’Kelly-Lynch; Donnacha O’Brien, Joe Carroll, Fergal O’Kelly-Lynch. Subs used: Arthur Wall, Michael Munnelly, Rory O’Conallain REF: Michael Connolly
