Gaultier’s Billy O’Keeffe gets the better of Kilrossanty’s Paul Keating.
Kilrossanty led by just a point at half-time, scoring four of the seven points registered on a sunny Friday evening come the break at the superbly appointed Saint Molleran’s grounds.
Thirty minutes later, having demolished a wasteful Gaultier by 2-9 to 0-3 in a one-sided second half, one wondered if the side captained by Tommy Prendergast might be worth an outside bet on the Conway Cup.
For Gaultier, four rounds into a Championship where their points tally hasn’t, by and large, matched their game time attitude, kicking 15 wides came back to haunt them come Alan Kissane’s full-time whistle.
Kilrossanty’s Paul Whyte, who finished the night with 1-4, opened the scoring after two minutes, and he turned supplier for the impressive Joey Veale three minutes later.
With the breeze in their favour, Gaultier proved far too wasteful in the opening exchanges, registering five wides alone in the opening eight minutes. Two more were to follow for the men in white over the next five.
The Barony men finally got off the mark thanks to Conor O’Riordan in the 14th minute after fine link play by Sean Whitty, Ian Power and JJ Hutchinson, with JJ adding a second five minutes later after good interplay from Whitty and O’Riordan. And they went ahead from their next attack through Hutchinson, following an inventive flicked pass by the towering Ian Power.
But back came Kilrossanty as both Veale and Whyte (a free) found their marks respectively inside the 23rd minute to ensure they went in ahead at the break, with Gaultier left to rue a series of missed scoring opportunities.
With the first half breeze all but abated, and the sun dipping towards the horizon, JJ Hutchinson restored parity a minute after the restart, but their challenge was blunted by Sean Whitty’s 36th minute dismissal following a second yellow card offence.
Tommy Prendergast sent Kilrossanty ahead three minutes later, and when Paul Whyte slotted the ball home after David Whitty had blocked Joey Veale’s initial effort, one sensed Gaultier’s challenge, even with 19 minutes remaining, was effectively over.
Wing back Paul Keating (following a Veale pass) struck a fine point on the three quarter mark before Veale palmed home into the net in the 48th minute following a fine sweeping move involving Willy Brazil, Eoin Cummins and the impressive Whyte. Game over.
Hutchinson ended Gaultier’s 20-minute wait for a point via a free, which Whyte immediately cancelled out via another dead ball from the next Kilrossanty attack, with the victors proving particularly ruthless in the closing eight minutes.
Pa Cunningham (twice), David Power (twice), Paul Whyte and Joey Veale all scored well crafted points, to which Gaultier could muster only one reply, via a Hutchinson free in additional time.
