Round-up: Fulfil Leinster U20 Championship action
Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
Fulfil Leinster U20 Hurling Championship
Kildare 2-24 Kerry 0-15
Meath 2-21 Antrim 1-17
By Paul Keane
Mark Kiernan fired an early goal to put Kildare on the road to a big win in Phase 1 of the Fulfil Leinster U-20 HC.
With two teams set to emerge from the six participating in Phase 1, the Lilywhites kept their hopes of progression alive with a 15-point win over Kerry.
Kiernan netted in the 10th minute to open up a 1-4 to 0-1 lead for the hosts who powered on to lead by 1-13 to 0-6 at half time.
Oran Byrne, free-taker Tom Power and Tim Ryan were all on the mark with points for Kildare too in the opening half.
Kerry needed at least a goal after the break at Kildare's training centre but couldn't deliver one as Kildare stretched the lead.
Byrne, Power and Ryan weighed in with more scores while Tom Boran also got on the scoresheet.
And Kildare wrapped it up with a second goal in stoppage time from Rian Curran.
Their reward is a Phase 1, Round 2 tie against Westmeath with the winners of that game set to advance to one of the two Phase 2 groups.
Kerry's campaign isn't over as they will now enter the Tier 2 Leinster U-20 competition.
Earlier this afternoon, Kyle Ennis and sub Joey Christy struck the goals for Meath in their impressive win over Antrim in Kilmessan.
Louis McIvor fired Meath's first three points and was a threat throughout, from frees and open play.
There were scoring contributions also from Patrick Jordan and Mark Leavy as the young Royals hit the break leading by 0-13 to 1-8.
Finn Conroy, from the local Kilmessan club, nailed Meath's first point of the second half.
The Ennis goal arrived in the 42nd minute, leaving Meath 1-16 to 1-13 ahead at that stage.
Cathal Barron added a couple of tidy points before Christy netted Meath's second goal late on.
Meath will play Carlow in Phase 1, Round 2 while Antrim will join Kerry in competing in the Tier 2 competition.
