Carlow SHC Final: Glory again for Mount Leinster Rangers

Carlow SHC Final

Mount Leinster Rangers 3-16 St Mullin's 1-18

By Paul Keane at Netwatch Cullen Park

Chris Nolan clearly enjoys the limelight, starring under the floodlights with a stunning hat-trick of goals to help secure back-to-back Carlow SHC titles for Mount Leinster Rangers.

This year's county captain was the difference with 3-6 in total at Netwatch Cullen Park as Borris based Rangers held firm to claim their 13th county SHC win.

Nolan sniped his first goal from a penalty, then nailed a thrilling solo goal and got lucky with his third when the St Mullin's goalkeeper fumbled.

Nolan provided more heroics late on too with three crucial points to kill off a brave St Mullin's fightback.

With 19 of the previous 20 SHC titles shared between the two clubs - 12 to Mount Leinster Rangers and seven to St Mullin's - there were no secrets between the teams beforehand.

And the clubs' fourth final in a row amounted to a terrific advertisement for Carlow hurling in front of the TG4 cameras.

St Mullin's simply refused to relent and wiped out a six-point deficit in the final quarter to tie it up approaching the hour.

But five late Rangers points, three from Nolan and two more from Richard Coady and Jamie Nolan, eventually eased them over the winning line.

Rangers will now advance to the AIB Leinster club SHC and will take on the Dublin representatives at the quarter-final stage back in Netwatch Cullen Park on November 8.

When Rangers and Mullin's previously met in the group stage in early August, the men in black and red won by an emphatic 5-24 to 0-15 scoreline.

That was a second defeat for St Mullin's in the group as they also began the campaign with a surprise defeat to Ballinkillen.

But with a fully fit and firing team they rekindled their best form in the weeks after that, enjoying a sweet 3-21 to 0-14 semi-final win over Ballinkillen.

As for Rangers, they reached the final with a perfect record, six wins from six outings.

They hit the ground running too with Nolan's first goal, from a 10th minute penalty, leaving them with a 1-1 to 0-1 advantage.

Ted Joyce won the penalty off Mullin's full-back Paudie Kehoe and when Nolan converted, it was the start of a mini-blitzkrieg for the on-fire forward.

By half-time he'd helped himself to 2-3 with his second goal an absolute beauty in the 20th minute.

This year's Joe McDonagh Cup final skipper took off on a lung-bursting diagonal run through the centre of the Mullin's defence and released a sidewinder off his left that flew to the far corner of the net.

Some of the hits were off the charts as two old rivals battled for every single ball. Rangers captain Richard Coady and Mullin's attacker Colm Kavanagh had a ferocious early collision. A couple of minutes later, Kevin McDonald and Mullin's captain Ger Coady slammed into each other.

All of the St Mullin's scores in the first-half came from placed balls with Conor Kehoe accounting for seven of them as Rangers led 2-7 to 0-8 at that stage.

Keho came alive again after the restart with a brilliant solo goal to cut the deficit to two points.

Nolan's third goal arrived soon after when his point attempt from the left dropped short and somehow flew past the goalkeeper, 3-8 to 1-9.

Rangers appeared to be in a great position midway through the half but their six-point lead was wiped out by six Mullin's singles in a row in the final quarter, 3-11 to 1-17.

Rangers were mightily grateful that goalkeeper Dean Grennan pulled off a point blank save from Martin Kavanagh during the third quarter also.

The teams were tied with a minute of normal time to go but Rangers came good again with five late points, three from the brilliant Nolan.

Mount Leinster Rangers scorers: Chris Nolan 3-6 (1-0 pen, 0-3f), Joe Dundon 0-2, Donagh Murphy 0-2, Ted Joyce 0-2, Richard Coady 0-2, Jamie Nolan 0-1, Ruairí Murphy 0-1 (0-1f).

St Mullin's scorers: Conor Kehoe 1-10 (0-9f), Martin Kavanagh 0-4 (0-2f), Paddy Boland 0-2, James Doyle 0-1, John Doyle 0-1.

Mount Leinster Rangers: Dean Grennan; Michael Doyle, Evan Kealy, Conaill Fitzpatrick; Kevin McDonald, Diarmuid Byrne, Fiachra Fitzpatrick; Richard Coady, Joe Dundon; Donagh Murphy, Jon Nolan, Paul Coady; Chris Nolan, Ted Joyce, Ruairí Murphy.

Subs: Edward Byrne for Jon Nolan h/t, Jamie Nolan for P Coady 41, Dean Tobin for R Murphy 51, Kyle Nolan for Joyce 58.

St Mullin's: Séamus Murphy; Laurence Brennan, Paudie Kehoe, Ciarán Harris; Paul Doyle, Michael Walsh, Ger Coady; Jack Kavanagh, Eamonn O'Shea; James Doyle, Martin Kavanagh, John Doyle; Conor Kehoe, Paddy Boland, Colm Kavanagh.

Subs: Páidi O'Shea for G Coady h/t.

Referee: Seán McCormack (Fighting Cocks).