Lyng gets minutes into many as home side win
BY NIALL SHERRY, SPORTS EDITOR
SPORTSEDITOR@KILKENNYOBSERVER.IE
Leinster SHC Round 4
Chadwicks Wexford Park
Wexford 2-19
Kilkenny 1-15
With a provincial final berth already secured, Wexford took full advantage of a below par Kilkenny to record a fine win over Derek Lyng’s men. While the Noresiders gave minutes to a number of fringe players, Keith Rossiter’s side had the ace in the pack in the guise of Lee Chin, who showed just what a fine hurler he is, and just how important he is to his county. The Faythe Harriers man finished the game with 1-12 to his name, a mixture of place ball accuracy from distance, some fine points from open play and a cracking goal.
For the Cats, Cian Kenny, Killian Doyle and Adrian Mullen showed well, but in truth, it looked like there were a few more gears to go, had there have been something riding on this game.
The home side got the first score of the game came from Wexford talisman, Lee Chin, a lovely effort from play but Billy Drennan levelled matters from the restart having found himself in the starting XV for the clash. The talented Joseph O’Connor then pointed having initially lost the ball but again, Kilkenny responded with a first placed ball of the afternoon following a foul in late inclusion, Cian Kenny. Home side hero, Lee Chin was then awarded the freedom of Chadwicks Wexford Park and the result was always going to be a point. Village clubman Cian Kenny who had looked very lively in the early stages the took a pass from Mackessy and split the posts for a cracking score. A surging run forward saw Mikie Dwyer strike a rasper of a shot which Eoin Murphy did well to deflect over for just one point.
Referee Sean Stack then played a good advantage when Damien Reck was halted but got the ball to roaming full back Simon Donohoe who popped his shot over to push his side into a 2-point lead. Before play resumed, the Dublin whistler noted the name of Fionan Mackessy for the earlier challenge on centre-back Reck. Lee Chin then popped over another free, but Cian Kenny registered a score for the Cats having taken a nice pass from David Blanchfield with sixteen minutes played.
The next sixteen minutes turned into the ‘Lee Chin show’. The Faythe Harriers man was everywhere, not just the TV but every blade of grass in Wexford Park. Chin fired over three placed balls on the bounce, making it five for the legendary stickman. Not content with that, Chin then struck two more points, one from play that Padraic Moylan did well to deflect over the bar to prevent a certain goal. Keith Rossiter’s side was then dealt a blow when the influential Damien Reck left the field with a nasty looking hamstring injury. Derek Lyng’s charges then nearly struck a for a major when Fionan Mackessy powered through but struck his shot into the side netting, much to the relief of the home faithful.
This wind assisted purple patch for the Yellowbellies continued with Shelmailer’s Conor Hearne pointing after the home side had turned over the men in black and amber. The Wexford lead was now eight points, and the Cats were struggling to build any attacking momentum, with the wind a big factor, along with some bad wides. Thomastown’s Luke Connellan then broke a 21-minute scoring drought for the Marble City men to reduce the deficit to seven, just ahead of the short whistle.
With the wind at their backs, Kilkenny needed a fast start to the second period and TJ got the scoreboard moving after the interval thanks to a free from TJ. The Noresiders needed to build on this, but the next score was a big one for the Slaneysiders. Conor Foley sent in a searching diagonal ball which Rory O’Connor collected nicely before turning and firing past Eoin Murphy in the Cats goal to extend the home sides lead to nine points. Killian Doyle was operating in the engine room and the Emeralds man rifled over a fine point. Lee Chin then added to his growing tally with another pair of frees and this was the cue for Derek Lyng to make the first change to his side with Stephen Donnelly replacing fellow Thomastown man, Peter McDonald.
Luke Connellan then notched his second point of the day before Stephen Donnelly added to the Thomastown scorers to reduce the Wexford lead to eight points with 12 minutes played in the second half. A change in the forward line for the Cats saw Tullaroan’s Gearoid Dunne come into the game in place of O’Loughlin’s Eoin Wall. Adrian Mullen the got on the end of a nice move from his ‘6’ position to fire over a cracking score. Lee Chin and Rory O’Connor tagged on points for the hosts while TJ sent over a ‘65 but once again, Wexford hit back with a decent score from sub-Conor McDonald. Richie Reid then entered the fray in place of Zac Bay Hammond but the next cheer from the home supporters wasn’t far away. Conor McDonald gave a lovely pass to Lee Chin who struck a fierce effort to the top corner of the Kilkenny net, to secure the result.
TJ Reid and Lee Chin exchanged points ahead of a double change for the visitors, with Niall Shortall and Shane Staunton replacing Billy Drennan and Adrian Mullen. Kilkenny’s best performer on the day, Cian Kenny hit his third point of the game before TJ Reid did strike a major for the Cats with 70 minutes on the clock. Brother Richie added another point while Fionan Mackessy struck over a long-range effort to close the gap a little, but it was fitting that the best player on the pitch registered the last score, Lee Chin driving over a lovely point to leave the final score in Chadwicks Wexford Park, Wexford 2-19, Kilkenny 1-15.
Scorers for Wexford: L Chin (1-13, 0-7 frees); R O’Connor (1-1); S Donohoe, C Hearne, C McDonald, J O’Connor and M Dwyer (0-1 apiece).
Scorers for Kilkenny: T Reid (1-4, 0-1 frees, 0-2, ‘65s); C Kenny (0-4); F Mackesy (0-3); K Doyle, S Donnelly, L Connellan and B Drennan (0-1 apiece),
WEXFORD: M Fanning; C Molloy, S Donohoe, C Foley; E Ryan, D Reck, D Carley; C Hearne, C Byrne-Dunbar; J O’Connor, L Chin, R O’Connor; K Foley, M Dwyer, C Byrne.
Subs: N Murphy for Reck (inj. 30); C McDonald for Dwyer (49); D Codd for J O’Connor (64), C McGuckin for Molloy (68).
KILKENNY: E Murphy; P Connellan, P Moylan, T Walsh; D Blanchfield, A Mullen, Z B Hammond; K Doyle, P McDonald; L Connellan, C Kenny, F Mackesy; B Drennan, T Reid, O Wall.
Subs: S Donnelly for McDonald (43), G Dunne for Wall (47), R Reid for Hammond (54), N Shortall for Drennan (60), S Staunton for Mullen (69).
Referee: S Stack (Dublin)
