By Jason Keelan
Three goals in the opening nine minutes for Castletown-Finea-Coole-Whitehall saw them build a lead which they never let go of as they cemented their spot in the final-four of the junior championship with victory over Coralstown-Kinnegad on a sunny Sunday afternoon last. In front of a healthy crowd, the second double-header of the weekend in the competition ended with a rip-roaring affair which could not have offered more in the opening period to get everyone interested. Despite a stellar effort from Pascal Kelleghan’s side, they simply could not contend with the running power offered by the victorious side.
It was a case of blink and miss it as Michael Tynan saw his troops burst out of the traps with a stunning goal just after the sixty-second mark. A clever flick from Ryan Plunkett set Darragh McCormack on his way and even with many yards to cover, he outpaced the red jerseys to finish calmly to the corner. Jack Cole, the standout player for Kinnegad on the day, responded with a free but no sooner had his side regrouped when the ball was in their net again. A deft pass from Conor Gaffney set up Mark Cunningham who rifled home. It seemed almost a bad omen for Cole to score as his second free was matched, yet again, by a third CFCW goal. This time fantastic interplay between Ryan Moore, Cunningham, and John McCarthy saw the latter fire home. Were it not for two crucial interceptions from full-back Ronan Doyle, there may have been more goals. As it stood, CFCW led 3-0 to 0-2 after ten minutes.
