Lisdowney 1-18; Mullinavat 1-15.
John Power at UPMC Nowlan Park
Lisdowney ended their 2026 campaign in the best possible fashion when they recorded a hard-earned three-point victory over Mullinavat in the final of the Junior F Championship at UPMC Nowlan Park on Sunday evening last.
It was a significant success for the North Kilkenny club, who had been waiting since their Junior D triumph in 2023 to taste county final success at these grades. For a rural parish, the achievement of bringing another county title home will be warmly welcomed, particularly given the commitment and effort that goes into maintaining teams at adult level.
For Mullinavat, however, there was the familiar disappointment of another Junior F county final defeat. The Southerners now have the unwanted distinction of having lost five successive county finals at this grade. Their sequence began with defeat to Conahy Shamrocks in 2022, followed by losses to Windgap in 2023, Young Irelands in 2024 and Tullogher-Rosbercon in 2025. Lisdowney have now been added to that unhappy list.
And there was a further talking point before the evening was over, with another scoreboard malfunction causing considerable confusion around Nowlan Park. With the game entering its closing ten minutes, a three-point addition to Mullinavat’s total, following advice given to the referee, changed the scoreboard from what had been displayed as 1-17 to 1-12 to 1-17 to 1-15.
Suddenly, nobody seemed entirely certain what the actual score was. Players, management and spectators alike were left trying to work out the implications of the alteration, while the scoreboard continued to tell a different story from what many had understood to be the position.
Thankfully, the issue did not ultimately decide the destination of the silverware. The referee’s match report remains the official record of the final score, and that recorded Lisdowney as 1-18 to 1-15 winners. Whatever about the scoreboard, there was little doubt that Lisdowney were the better team over the course of the contest and fully deserved their victory.
They made the brighter opening, with Eoin Delahunty and excellent free-taker Peter O’Sullivan putting them two points ahead. Stephen Law opened the Mullinavat account from a free after three minutes and the early exchanges were evenly contested. O’Sullivan added another free before Jack Power replied for Mullinavat. Ray Fitzpatrick and Stephen Law then traded points, leaving just a point between the teams after 11 minutes, with Lisdowney leading 0-4 to 0-3.
Paddy Bowden extended the Lisdowney advantage, but Mullinavat hit back in spectacular fashion in the 12th minute when Stephen Law found the net with a well-taken goal. The Vegas men were now in front, but Lisdowney refused to panic. O’Sullivan was proving particularly effective from dead balls and responded with two points, the first a magnificent effort from around 100 metres and the second from a free. Billy Delahunty and Jack Power kept Mullinavat in front with points by the 22nd minute, but Lisdowney were building momentum.
Billy Grogan and Stephen Law exchanged scores before Lisdowney struck for the game’s second goal. Paddy Bowden was the man to apply the finishing touch in the 26th minute, putting Lisdowney ahead by 1-8 to 1-6. Jack Power replied with an excellent point for Mullinavat, but the closing stages of the half belonged firmly to Lisdowney. Ray Fitzpatrick added a point before Peter O’Sullivan demonstrated his remarkable accuracy by converting three further frees. At half-time, Lisdowney were in a strong position, leading 1-12 to 1-7.
The North Kilkenny side continued where they left off after the restart, with O’Sullivan converting another free before Fitzpatrick added a point from play. Mullinavat, though, were not finished and produced a determined response. Between the 44th and 46th minutes, Cormac McEvoy, Jack Power and Stephen Law from a free all found the target. That burst reduced the deficit to four points and gave the Mullinavat supporters renewed hope.
Lisdowney responded immediately, stretching their advantage back to seven points through scores from Robert McEvoy, Jamie Bergin and another O’Sullivan free. Then came the scoreboard confusion. Mullinavat continued to fight and Stephen Law added three points, two from frees and one from play. With the disputed scoreboard adjustment taken into account, the gap suddenly appeared to have narrowed to just two points.
The uncertainty was palpable. Both teams were understandably unsure how best to approach the closing stages as players and supporters tried to establish the correct scoreline. Amid all the confusion, Lisdowney kept their composure. Eddie Hickey eventually added the final score of the evening for the winners, and when the final whistle sounded the referee’s official tally showed Lisdowney victorious by 1-18 to 1-15.
For Lisdowney, it was a memorable county final victory and another welcome addition to the club’s roll of honour.
For Mullinavat, there was once again only disappointment to show for their efforts. There is a particularly poignant aspect to their run of five successive final defeats, with several of their players having now experienced every one of those losses.
They will undoubtedly wonder what might have been, but credit must also go to a group that has continued to come back and compete at the highest level of the grade despite repeated disappointment.
On this occasion, however, the honours belonged to Lisdowney, whose greater consistency and composure over the hour earned them a deserved county title.
SCORERS
LISDOWNEY: Peter O’Sullivan (0-9, O-7 frees), Paddy Bowden (1-1), Ray Fitzpatrick (0-3), Eoin Delahunty, Billy Grogan, Robert McEvoy, Jamie Bergin, Eddie Hickey (0-1)
MULLINAVAT: Stephen Law (1-7, 0-5 frees) Jack Power (0-4), Billy Delahunty, Cormac McEvoy (0-1 each), AN Other (0-2).
TEAMS
LISDOWNEY: Niall Grogan, Jimmy Lennon, Brian Campion (Captain), Paddy Kennedy, Peter O’Sullivan, Eddie Connery, Anthony O’Hara, Conor O’Gorman, Charlie Kennedy, Jamie Bergin, Ray Fitzpatrick, Billy Grogan, James Leahy, Eoin Delahunty, Paddy Bowden Substitutes: Eddie Hickey for James Leahy, for Conor O’Gorman, Sean Stapleton for Billy Grogan, Jimmy Delaney for Peter O’Sullivan, Padraig Bergin for Eoin Delahunty.
MULLINAVAT: Declan Duggan (Captain), Jamie Walshe, James Dalton, Jamie Dempsey, Louis Madigan, Daniel Walsh, Killian Dungan, Luke Byrne Doyle, John Reade, Jack Whelton, Pat Mulhearn, Billy Delahunty, Jack Power, Cormac McEvoy, Stephen Law Substitutes: Michael Johnston for Daniel Walsh, Jamie Dungan for Billy Delahunty, Darragh Tynan for Cormac McEvoy, Billy Delahunty for Pat Mulhearne.
Referee: Gay Rafter (Threecastles).
