Round-up: Allianz HL D2 action
Kerry senior hurling team manager John Griffin. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
Allianz Hurling League Division Two
Meath 1-20 London 1-10
Kerry 5-23 Derry 0-12
Meath avenged last year’s Christy Ring Cup defeat to London in emphatic style in Trim. Mikey Cole’s stunning first-half goal set them on the road to a comfortable win over London to open their assault on this year’s Allianz League.
The scoreboard would suggest that it was in the second half when the Royals pulled away from their visitors, but the foundations were laid in the first half when Meath ended the 35 minutes level, despite hurling into a strong breeze.
London showed the value of the elements when they picked off three of the first four points, with Paul Kennedy hurling some good ball through from midfield.
Cole’s control and finish for the game’s opening goal wiped that lead off the board and that was followed by another crucial swing moment as Gavin King saved a David Devine penalty, awarded after a foul on London full-forward Fionn Whelan.
Fionn Ó Ríain Broin and Kennedy pointed to nudge London back into the lead but Tom Shine helped level the game at the interval, 0-8 to 1-5, and within a few minutes of the restart, Meath were in control after scoring six points unanswered.
Shine hit three, while his brother Daire Shine, Mikey Cole and Joey Cole also weighed in to give Meath momentum they never lost.
Conor Byrne’s second yellow card meant that London were too far adrift for Kennedy’s late goal to do anything other than reduce the margin.
It’s been a period of transition for Kerry since longstanding stalwart John Griffin took the reins, but the Lixnaw man is clearly moving the Kingdom in the right direction on the basis of a hugely impressive win in Celtic Park, albeit against a Derry side that only lined out with seven players from last year’s Christy Ring final.
Kerry had a point from Colin Walsh and a Daniel Casey goal on the board before the sliotar even touched the hurl of a Derry outfielder and by the 10 minute mark the Kingdom were rampant, 3-3 to 0-1 in front thanks to additional goals from Ronan Walsh and Oisín Maunsell.
The lead was out to 19 points at half-time and Kerry didn’t take a backward step from there, striking the first three scores of the second half and continuing to build up their scoring difference advantage with further goals from Ronan and Colin Walsh.
