Kildysart’s Provincial campaign for 2023 has come to an end after suffering defeat at the hands of Cork Champions, Kanturk at Cusack Park in the Munster Intermediate Club Football Quarter-Final.
Kildysart were first off the mark in Cusack Park with County star Emmet McMahon pointing within two minutes in an opening period where defences were most certainly on top as thirteen minutes had elapsed before Aidan Walsh replied with the equalizer and the maiden score of the contest for the visitors.
The Cork champions however would not look back from this juncture and despite kicking nine first half wides which did little to reflect their dominance on the scoreboard, a goal from Alan Walsh on twenty minutes propelled Kanturk into a 1-04 to 0-2 advantage at the interval.
The visitors picked up where they had left off on the restart with corner-forward Grantus Bucinkskas wasting no time in rattling the back of Conor Cusack’s net. Emmet McMahon and Mikey Donnellan then did their bit to reduce the arrears for Kildysart, pointing in quick succession in the forty-second and forty-third minutes.
The Cork Champions however simply proved too strong for the estuary outfit and despite an unexpected break in play as a search and rescue helicopter hovered above the County grounds leading to a brief postponement of the action, nothing would disrupt the Kanturk Momentum.
In a momentous day for Kanturk’s Walsh family which saw seven of the family comprise the starting fifteen, it was fitting that Ian Walsh raised the final green flag of the tie bringing his personal tally to 1-03.
Gallantly Kildysart fought on to the final whistle as with the last kick of the contest, Mikey Donnellan got his second point of the day as it finished Kanturk 3-11 to Kildysart 0-06.
