Keel were victorious in the Premier Junior Club Football Championship final.
At Austin Stack Park in Tralee they overcame Churchill by 14 points to 12.
In a low scoring encounter Keel led by 3 points to 2 after the opening quarter. It was 4 all with 5 minutes remaining in the half thanks to a Joe Linehan two pointer for Churchill. Team-mate Darragh O’ Sullivan put his sides 2 clear with a two pointer of his own. The lead then became 8 points to 4. That was the score at half-time.
In the 7th minute of the second half Churchill were ahead by 10 points to 4 while Keel had registered 9 wides. At the 3/4 stage it was double scores at Churchill 0-12 Keel 0-6. Keel’s wide count had by now risen to 12. A 47th minute black card for Keel’s Donal Ashe made their task all the more difficult. A Keel two pointer, by Brian Mangan, made it a 4 point game with 10 minutes remaining. An Aaron Murphy two pointer then halved that gap. The tide was turning in Keel’s favour, their cause helped by a second yellow for Joe Linehan of Churchill.
Keel made it 12 to 11 in the 53rd minute. Keel went in front 13 points to 12 with a Cian Flynn two pointer after 55 minutes. Liam Evans doubled that advantage with 3 minutes to go and they won by 2.
