Two-thousand-and-six was definitely a year to remember for Killanny's juvenile section as the club scooped county titles at U12, U13 and U14 levels. The Cill Eanna boys were outstanding all year and the triple success represented just rewards for their admirable commitment, dedication, application and guile - not to mention wonderful discipline and no little skill. With the club's production line operating in overdrive, Killanny have every reason to be feeling hopeful about the prospect of a bright future. In '06, the south county club enjoyed phenomenal success in juvenile competitions, culling all-county titles in three different grades - U12, U13 and U14. This is a worthy haul by any standards and demonstrates just how hard the club is working in the quest to safeguard and preserve its future. As three hard-earned trophies winter in the Pairc Eanna clubhouse, the club's well-drilled youngsters can look back on their season's contribution with a great deal of personal satisfaction. They showed that they can mix it with the best of them and - even though they weren't operating in the highest echelons - Killanny's young players are developing a welcome winning habit which should serve the club well in coming years. Having accounted for Blackhill at the semi-final stage, Killanny captured the U12 Division Four league crown when defeating nearby Corduff in the final at Donaghmoyne on Saturday July 29. Victory over Killeevan in the league stage of the competition confirmed a comfortable top-of-the-table finish and earned Killanny home venue for their semi-final clash. Once Blackhill were negotiated, the lads produced a stirring performance to see off Corduff by 1-10 to 2-1 in the decider. Afterwards, inspirational captain Michael Vernon gleefully accepted the Cup from Martin Brady. Despite the mid-summer setting, the final took place in very wet conditions. Killanny made a nervy start and their character was tested when the conceded two goals inside the opening quarter. Despite the early scare, they still took a one-point cushion into the break, 1-5 to 2-1. The second half performance was outstanding as the winners held their opponents scoreless and tagged on five more points of their own. The team captain led by example in the middle of the park. He was instrumental in all Killanny's best work and also managed to stifle Corduff dangerman Padraig Keenan. Understandably, there were scenes of tremendous jubilation as Killanny were presented with the Magill Cup for the first time since 1994. A special word of congratulations should go to team mentors Paul Grimes, Michael Crawley and Barney Vernon. Team and scorers: Declan McGrew, Niall Grimes, Shane Grimes, Conor Vernon, Jonathon Merrin, Michael Vernon (0-1), Cillian Leegan (0-2), Kevin Crawley (0-3), Cian Kindlon (0-2), Andrew McMahon (1-0), Ryan Duffy (0-2). Subs: Barry Collins, Aidan McMahon, Jeffrey Merrin, Andrew Boylan, Andrew Kieran, Adam Kieran, Cathal Bryan, Dermot Leegan, Seamus McConnon, Patrick Murray. Meanwhile, the U14s were already through to the latter stages of the Division Four league. They too had finished top of their group, which guaranteed them home advantage for their semi-final against Eire Og on Saturday August 1. This crop was managed by Lornie Duffy, John McMahon, Pat McMahon and Kevin Quinn. They claimed the Farney Cup with a superb defeat of Currin in the decider, after which team captain Gavin Traynor received the trophy from Pauric Sherry. Jack McCarron did well for the losers, firing 1-6, but Killanny had more than their fair share of heroes on the day. Captain Traynor and Stephen McMahon were totally unstoppable, bagging a match-winning return of 3-10 between them. The Duffy twins Tiernan and Ronan were equally outstanding under pressure, while goalkeeper Cillian Leegan pulled off a couple of wonderful saves on the rare occasions when Currin managed to get past the superb back line where Tommy Kiernan, Andrew Merrin and Michael Vernon were faultless. As well as the aforementioned scorers supreme, Sean McDonald, Kevin McMahon and Kevin Crawley also excelled up front as Killanny grabbed their second piece of juvenile silverware of the year. The club's U16s had also reached the knockout stage of their competition but fell to an unfortunate semi-final defeat to Clontibret in a game they dominated territorially. That wasn't to be the end of the phenomenal silverware haul, however, as the club's gutsy U13s delivered a series of stunning displays to capture the all-county U13 Division Two league title. Under the watchful eye of Paul Grimes and Barney Vernon, this group qualified for the knockout stage with an excellent double scores victory over Emmet Sarsfields, 2-10 to 1-5. That secured a semi-final berth, where Rockcorry were duly despatched to set up a county final clash with a fancied Ballybay outfit. The final in early November was a thriller and Killanny displayed unbelievable character and spirit to recover an unpromising situation and prevail by 3-10 to 2-9. The winners could hardly have made a worse start and they stared defeat in the face after trailing by 1-4 to 0-1 at the end of the first quarter. But the players refused to accept this fate and battled back for a famous and spectacular triumph. Killanny dominated the second quarter to turn the game on its head. Ronan Duffy placed Cian Kindlon and the latter fired the goal his team needed badly. Killanny also added four points on the trot to take a 1-6 to 1-4 interval lead. The second half was incredibly exciting as the match ebbed and flowed from one end to the other - but the winners outscored Ballybay by 2-4 to 1-5 in that period to lead by four points at the long whistle. As a special treat, the club ferried members of all its juvenile teams to Croke Park for the second leg of the International Rules series. While some of the antics witnessed at HQ that day were disgraceful, it must be said that by complete contrast Killanny's juveniles were a credit to themselves, their families, their parish and their club in 2006. Tweet

Most Read Stories