Scotland U17 Beat Kilkenny U17 15-9. | |
26 July 2016 Scotland U17 recorded a superb (3-6) 15-9 (2-3) win over Kilkenny U17 in the first match of their Marine Harvest 2016 Ireland Tour at Nowlan Park on Monday 25 July 2016. Kilkenny selected a large but strong squad for this 7pm throw-in with the best player picked from their club sides. There was the usual frantic start to these games but the Scots attacked from the throw-in and they took the lead with just a minute played. John Gillies won possession at the back and played the ball down the Scot’s left. Iain Robinson gathered possession before crossing into the danger area. Fraser Watt had a shot saved but Lewis Montgomery latched onto the ball and slipped it to Daniel MacVicar who scored. It took a last gasp Irish challenge to stop Lewis MacLennan scoring a second. Scotland captain Danny Kelly put a 65 yard attempt wide with Kilkenny’s Ross Connolly sending the ball the wrong side of the post in his side’s first attack. A brilliant point-blank save from Scotland keeper Cameron Sutherland denied James Bergin and kept his side in front. Kilkenny were now more in the game but Scotland defended well and the next score came at the other end with Iain Richardson sending the ball between the posts to add another two points with 24 minutes played. Iain Robinson sent another free over the bar from in front of the goal a minute later to give Scotland a nine point advantage. Kilkenny’s Pauric Mullen went close before Cameron Sutherland again had to be at his best to save from Ciaran Hogan. With just seconds of the first half remaining, Iain Robinson was first onto a loose ball and he scored to make it Kilkenny (0-0) 0-10 (2-4) Scotland at the sound of referee Sean Kelly’s half time whistle. The referee incidentally was the man in the middle at last year’s senior Shinty / Hurling meeting between Ireland and Scotland at Croke Park. Bill Delahunty notched Kilkenny’s first point early in the second half with a ball over the bar from wide on the right. The hosts were now pressing the Scots back but defenders Andrew Morrison, Calum Grant and John Gillies were in no mood to give anything away. However the pressure paid off when Evan Shefflin, nephew of Kilkenny hurling legend Henry Shefflin, justified the decision to switch him from defence and he cut through the visiting defence and he gave the keeper no chance with his side’s first goal. Scotland’s lead was now cut to six points and Cameron Sutherland saved from Ethan Phelan before his defence scrambled the ball away. Sutherland then saved in the air with his caman from a Ross Connolly shot from distance; a stop which earned gasps of admiration from the home bench. Scotland seemed to have weathered the storm and good play from Daniel MacVicar and Robbie Brindle forced a free which Iain Robinson put over the bar to add two more points to the Scotland tally. A brilliant save from Kilkenny keeper Gavin Grant kept out a Sandy Elrick shot which has heading for the goalie’s top right corner of the net. However Daniel MacVicar shot goalwards from the rebound and Robbie Brindle forced the ball over the line to make it Kilkenny (1-2) 5-15 (3-6) Scotland. Gavin Grant again saved from Sandy Elrick, this time under his bar. Kilkenny’s Pauric Mullen needed treatment and had to leave the field after taking a hit below the knee following an Innes Blackhall challenge. Kilkenny’s Evan Shefflin sent another ball over the bar before the same player crashed a shot into the side-netting. With 5 minutes reaming, Kilkenny’s Bill Delahunty scored his side’s second goal with a low shot which flew off the surface into the net. Kilkenny took encouragement and when Ross Connolly sent a high ball into the goal area, Daithi Barron looked sure to score but for a vital intervention from John Gillies and the chance was gone. Bill Delahunty put a shot wide following a free in the game’s last chance and the referee’s final whistle signalled a hard-earned 15-9 win for Scotland in a match played in such good spirits that the referee didn’t have to speak to a single player. Kilkenny U17 from; Chris Grant; Niall Carroll, Evan Shefflin; Patrick Hearne, John Dowd, Michael Carey; Darragh Walsh, Sean Boyd, James Bergin; Ross Connolly, Ted Drea, Ethan Phelan; Daithi Barron, Oisin Phelan; subs Adam Tallis, Ciarain Brennan, Ciaran Hogan, Robert Butler, Niall Brennan, Jack Cullen, Bill Delahunty, Pauric Mullen Scotland U17 from: Cameron Sutherland (Ballachulish); Andrew Morrison (Beauly), Calum Grant (Kingussie); Jonnie MacAskill, (Kinlochshiel), John Gillies (Skye Camanachd), Ross MacMillan (Oban Camanachd); Iain Richardson (Newtonmore), Danny Kelly (Lovat) (captain), Innes Blackhall (Kilmallie); James Falconer (Kingussie), Lewis Montgomery (Inveraray); Fraser Watt (Inveraray), Iain Robinson (Newtonmore); Daniel MacVicar (Oban Camanachd); subs Scott MacKenzie (Lovat), Sandy Elrick (Beauly), Robbie Brindle (Beauly) Match Referee – Sean Kelly |