Superior Kiltale outscored Blackhall Gaels at Pairc Tailteann on Saturday evening to complete their Ted Murtagh SHC Group B campaign with a 100% win record

Kiltale .................. 1-23
Blackhall Gaels ...... 0-8

A four-point salvo in the opening eight minutes set Kiltale on their way to their fifth win. Their margin of victory would have been wider but for game Blackhall side and goalkeeper Emmet Dalton in particular.

The Blackhall netminder did well to keep out Ronan Ryan's early effort. As Kiltale chalked up the points Dalton prevented Fergus McCabe from raising a 20th minute green flag.

Another notable intervention came within a minute of the restart when Kiltale's topscorer Mark O'Sullivan was denied.

The Kiltale number 15 had to be content with six points from play while the winners served notice of their potential with the calibre of replacements introduced during the second-half.

Of the two losing sides on Saturday's double-header at Pairc Tailteann, Blackhall Gaels performed better. What that says of the respective winners on a dry sometimes overcast evening remains to be seen.

To their credit Blackhall Gaels offered more resistance to Kiltale than Rathmolyon did to Kildalkey in the curtain raiser.

A brace of Mark O'Sullivan points coupled with scores from Stephen Donoghue and Anthony Forde left it 0-4 to 0-0 to Kiltale after eight minutes.

Blackhall 'keeper Emmet Dalton saved well from Ronan Ryan before Dermot Carty opened the scoring for James Battersby's men.

The sides exchanged points with Fergal McCabe and Carty registering for the respective sides before Kiltale kicked-on in the second quarter.

O'Sullivan's third point of the half was followed by a Ronan Ryan goal to leave eight points between the sides, 1-7 to 0-2, after 18 minutes.

The scoring rate slackened in the lead-in to half time which was reached with the board reading 1-11 to 0-3.

A Shane Whitty point from under the stand side was the highlight of Blackhall Gaels' octet of points.

Dermot Carty and Colm Whitty were the 'Gaels other marksmen. By the end eight players were on the Kiltale scoresheet with sub Padraig Kelly contributing two points.

Kiltale - Shane McGann; Anthony Donnelly, David Donoghue, Ciaran Ennis; Padraig Donoghue, Stephen Donoghue (0-3), Eamon Ryan; Anthony Forde (0-3), Shane Lenehan (0-1); Jack Regan (0-3, 1f), John Donoghue, Ronan Ryan (1-0); Fergal McCabe (0-3), Kevin Ryan (0-2), Mark O'Sullivan (0-6). Subs - Padraig Kelly (0-2) for J Donoghue (ht), Chris Reilly for K Ryan (ht), Cathal Sheridan for D Donoghue (42), James Kelly for Forde (42), Ross Ryan for Lenehan (56).

Blackhall Gaels - Emmet Dalton; Hugh Smith, David McGowan, Conor Delany; Fergus Ryan, Tom Delany, Colm Whitty (0-1); Shane Whitty (0-4), Stephen Morris; Niall Mangan, Tommy Coyle, Phillip Carey; Nigel O'Hora, Kevin Coyle, Dermot Carty (0-3,1f). Subs - Patrick Smith for Carey (24), Stephen Crawford for Ryan (38), Fergal Ryan for O'Hora (44), Daniel Whelan for Coyle (55), Padraig Keane for Mangan (55).

Referee - Nick Fitzgerald (Kildalkey)

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