Having won the senior hurling championship in 2005, Killyon were looking to build on that success this year, but as club chairman Kit Mitchell explained that was always going to be hard, especially with the loss of some of their main players. Killyon surprised many by breaking the stranglehold that the likes of Kilmessan and Trim had on the senior championship over the past decade, while they were a popular choice as champions as many felt that it could only benefit the county. The club went into the 2006 campaign full of optimism; however Kit revealed that their preparations were dealt a blow from very early in the year. "Unfortunately, we were missing a few of last year's team through various situations. Mark Gannon has transferred to a club in Kildare, where he lives, while JJ Gilsenan and Johnny Mitchell went to Australia and Shane Mitchell was in America," said Kit. Another big loss to the club was the retirement of the long serving Mick Ryan, who had given great service to both club and county down through the years. "Mick decided to call it a day after last year's championship win and it was fitting that a man who has been so dedicated to the club ended his career with another championship medal. "All these players played a big part in the championship win and they were always going to be a big loss, especially for a club of our size, where we have small numbers to choose from." Killyon have one of the smallest catchment areas to choose from in the county, but still manage to produce top quality sides at all levels and the proof of that can be seen in the fact that they won the Minor 'B' hurling championship this year. "The club have always been able to produce good hurlers and that is mainly due to the excellent underage structure we have here. Men like Lar Tyrell, Martin Massey, Tossy Fulham and Tommy Raleigh have done a mountain of work with the underage teams down through the years. "The local school only has about 60 pupils, so we are relying on the few lads from Ballivor as well; luckily we keep managing to produce teams at underage level. "That has been a huge benefit for us as there is always a steady flow of youngsters breaking into the senior squad and this year was no different as Raymond Massey and David Raleigh were on the team, while three others were on the panel," revealed Kit. Once again, Sean Ryan was manager of the senior side and Kit stressed that despite the loss of so many players, Sean had the respect of the players. "The numbers at training were very good throughout the year and even though the lads knew it would be tough with the losses, Sean had them believing that they were still good enough to defend the title. He has been a great servant to the club down through the years." Working alongside Ryan as part of the management team were Kit, Derek Murray, Jim Mitchell and Camillus Burke. The draw for the championship saw the four semi-finalists from 2005, Killyon, Kilmessan, Kildalkey and Kiltale plus Clann na nGael and Navan O'Mahony's in the same division. The opening match of the campaign was a repeat of last year's county final as neighbours Killyon and Kildalkey met in Pairc Tailteann. However, the match did not go as planned for the defending champions as Kildalkey gained some degree of revenge by inflicting an opening round defeat on Killyon. Ryan's charges never really got into the match and their inability to take their scoring chances proved to be their downfall as Kildalkey won a low scoring affair by 4-5 to 3-3. "We had a very bad start to the championship, losing our first two matches to Kildalkey and O'Mahony's. However as the year went on, the lads seemed to hit form," he stressed. In their third outing against Kiltale, the defending champions finally began to find top gear as they recorded their first win of the campaign by winning on a scoreline of 1-10 to 0-11. "The Kiltale game was a tough match. They are an improving side and have a lot of young lads in the team. They should be a force to be reckoned with for a few years to come." Clann na nGael provided the opposition for Killyon and down through the year these sides have had many great battles, but Killyon were red hot favourites to triumph in this one and although that is exactly what they did, the three point win (1-13 to 1-10) was not as convincing as many would have expected. Killyon needed a win in their last group match to ensure a place in the knockout stages. However, they were faced with the task of defeating a Kilmessan side that had been unbeaten in the group stages so far. Kilmessan's ability to make their scores count especially from placed balls was the difference between the sides as the blue and whites ran out winners by 0-19 to 2-9. Nonetheless, Killyon still had a chance of reaching the semi-finals if Kiltale could manage a win against Kildalkey, but as Kit revealed, hurling can be a cruel sport sometimes. "Having played well in the lead up to the Kilmessan game we were confident that we could beat them, but we missed a lot from frees, while they put over everything and that was the difference on the day," lamented Kit. "The worst thing was that if Kiltale had beaten Kildalkey we would have went through. The fact that match ended in a draw was enough to send Kildalkey into the semi-final and we were out." Kit is confident that Killyon can bounce back next year and the return of some key players will help their cause. He also believes that if the right effort is put in by any club, the championship is there for the taking. "The hurling championship is very open in my opinion. With Rathmolyon winning it this year and us winning it last year, there are a good few teams capable of winning. "Kilmessan are always going to be strong, while Dunboyne should have won a few championships at this stage. They have had some great teams in recent years," he added. "Shane Mitchell and JJ Gilsenan are now home from their travels and they will be a big help to us this next year, so hopefully with a big effort, we can win the Keegan Cup again." Killyon's effort during 2006 did not go without picking up some silverware as the Minor 'B' title was annexed with a victory over Kilmessan in the decider. "Winning any championship has to be seen as a successful year for the club. There is a good group of hurlers coming through the ranks and they are the stars of the future." Killyon have seven senior hurling titles to their credit and if the determination of the likes of Kit Mitchell rubs off on the players, there is no question that they will be battling for major honours at senior level in 2007. Tweet

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