Under 13 Hurlers Shine on a Sunny Saturday

Our Under 13 hurlers had an action-packed week last week playing and winning two games from two, before the summer recess. Some of the boys also togged out to assist the Under 14s who also won their game.  By the end of the game on Saturday they were out on their feet, exhausted, smiling, top of the table. It was a great way to finish before the break, but their recent success has come as no surprise to some onlookers who have been following their progress, albeit a bit low key.

This group were pipped at the post by Kilmacud Crokes to take 2^nd place in Division 6 of the Under 12 leagues. This was the first year where underage players transition from Go Games to a more competitive environment so the experience of moving to competitive games was a learning experience for all involved.

At the beginning of this year, the boys set themselves some goals, one being to target a higher division and seek promotion to Division 5. Five grading games later and four hard fought wins, promotion beckoned. Kilmacud Crokes beat them again, this time up in Deer Park, but when the news came in that they would in fact be placed in Division 3 they realised they had already exceeded their expectations. This was a serious step up, but a challenge we knew the boys would raise to. Today heading into the summer break, the boys are joint top of the Division 3 table with 4 games played, and four games to go.

Division 3 is fast, physical, and the team that uses the ball well, plays with all their heart, will be competitive. There are no easy games with fine margins in all. Below is a summary of grading games to date in 2024:

• 24^th February V Erin Go Bragh. Kevins win 3-6 to 3-5 in a very close contest.
• 9^th March V Kilmacud Crokes. Kevins battled hard throughout against a very fine Crokes side, who are now competiting in Division 2, but lost out 6-7 to 1-5.
• 6^th April V Whitehall Colmcille. A few well taken goals and some goal line heroics Kevins over the line in this contest. Final score was 5-4 to 2-4.
• 20^th April V Castleknock. Kevins win 6-3 to 0-8, but the game was closer than the scoreline suggests as Kevins posted 9 scores to Castleknock 8.
• 27^th April V Ballyboden SE. This was tricky game on a poor surface. However, the team battled hard and were lucky to come away with the win.

League games played to date include:

• 8^th June V St Finian’s (Swords). This was an epic. Finian’s are the biggest team we have come up against, and we are not short in stature ourselves! Kevins displayed some fine defensive work and top-notch man marking neutralised the threat. Ruthlessness in front of goal made this the performance of the year so far. Final score 7-8 to 2-5.
• 13^th June V Erin Go Bragh. A tough game against dogged opposition, pulled away in the last 10 minutes. Final score 3-8 to 2-4.
• 4^th July V St Maurs. Every blade of grass was covered in this game and not an inch given, with huge performances from 1 to 17. Up their as one of the best team performances as the Rush side were unbeaten until Kevins arrived. Final score 3-7 to 2-8.
• 6^th July V Raheny. 5 goals and a point from the Connolly goal machine on a day where we were running on empty. Final score 6-2 to 3-9.

It is great to see the boys exceeding their targets, but none of this would have been possible in a small club like Kevin’s if some of the Under 11s and 12s weren’t available to help out from time to time, especially during the summer holiday period. Of course we couldn’t end the article without mentioning the mentors. This squad has been kept low key for some time and when you meet the lads in charge you will understand that low key is their natural disposition. Sheldon Norton, David Griffiths, James Ryan and Nigel Quane all come with good hurling pedigrees … A senior hurling championship winner from Laois, A former inter county hurler from Longford, an Englishman with Tipperary hurling running through his veins and a crafty Clare man, bring with them a good understanding of the underdog. Rumour has it one of the mentors is a HR manager… Sure it’s no wonder they’ve exceeded their targets!

Also a big thanks to Clive Cullen as founder of CC Solar & Electrical for sponsoring the team this year, as it gives the boys a huge morale boost!

Our next game is against fellow table toppers St Oliver Plunketts / Eoghan Ruadh and its due on 31^st August.

You can check out the league tables and upcoming fixtures here.