Minor Hurling League Div2 GrpB Rd 2: Killyon 3:07 Dunboyne 0:18.

Dunboyne Minor hurlers won on the road this evening by out-hurling a strong Killyon team. This result means that the lads top their group and guarantee a semi-final slot over the next couple of weeks. Another highly entertaining game with both sides having spells of dominance through-out the enthralling 60 minutes. The home side flashed over the opening score of the game before the first minute had elapsed, but Charlie Gallagher responded smartly with a well taken equaliser. Killyon nudged ahead again in the 8th minute before Rory Callanan restored parity. Between this and the 25th minute of the first half the Dunboyne men outscored the hosts by 5 points to 1. Gallagher was giving the centre back a torrid time of it and punished Killyon on the score board with 3 points during this timeframe, one a monster effort from 70 yards out on the right-hand touchline. Nyles Ledwidth and Joel Mangan also pointed during this phase of the game. Score on 25 minutes: Killon 0:03 (1f) Dunboyne 0:07, all from play. Against the run of play in the 27th minute Killyon got a fortunate goal in off the upright and followed this up with a long range point to tie the scores. But Managan had the last say of the half and struck over his first free of the evening leaving the score at half way with Dunboyne 1 point to the good: Killyon 1:04 (1f) Dunboyne 0:08 (1f)

He certainly knows how to score with the big ball but he is as equally adept at finding the range with the smallball, and young Gally proved this again scoring Dunboyne's first two scores of the second half. But Killyon were game and knocked over 2 points of their own to stay in touch, and actually went into the lead with a fine goal in the 6th minute. This jolted the Dunboyne lads into action and they began to dominate the exchanges at the back. Pierce Hayes and Cillian Cunningham were immense in the fullback line, coming out again and again with ball, and their ability to get ball in hand first time is great to see. The returning Eoghan McDonald ruled the skies during this period and put in a serious shift, while young Liam Kennedy showed a fluent skillset all through on the wing. This was indeed the launchpad to propel Dunboyne into the lead again over the next 20 minutes. Mangan pulled one back from play, after great work by Rory Callanan, before equalising from a placed ball and then repeating the measure to push Dunboyne ahead in the 17th minute. Evan Murphy slotted over a fine score in the 21st minute followed by another Mangan free in the 24th. At this stage Dunboyne enjoyed a 3 point lead, but not for the first time, as they were threatening to pull away, Killyon managed to raise another green flag, a thunderbolt that gave Daniel Kearns in the goal no chance. Draw game on 25 minutes. Mangan with another free and one from play for Killyon ensure the teams remained lock-step heading into injury time. But Dunboyne managed to raise the level again and finished the game off with another brace of points (1f) from Joel Mangan, at which point the referee blew the final whistle on a score line of Killyon 3:07 Dunboyne 0:18, a 2 point win for the away side.

Team: Daniel Kearns; Pierce Hayes; Cillian Cunningham; Kevin Tighe; James McCarthy; Eoghan McDonald; Liam Kennedy; Joel Mangan (0:09, 6f); Rory Callanan (0:01); Evan Murphy (0:01); Charlie Gallagher (0:06); Nyles Ledwidth (0:01); Charlie Leonard; Ethan O'Sullivan; Stephen Tighe; Substitutions: Rory Lynch; James Cassells;