Mount Leinster Rangers 0-10 St Mullins 1-14
Defending champions St Mullin's went into today's Carlow SHC final against Mount Leinster Rangers as rank outsiders but revelled in the underdog tag to record a fully merited seven-point win over the 2013 Leinster Club champions.
It was only in the final 15 minutes that the holders drew away from their south county neighbours.
St Mullin's shaded the opening half to lead 0-06 to 0-05 at the interval as the teams went point-for-point during the opening 45 minutes.
But then the champions, brilliantly anchored at centre-back by team captain Paudie Kehoe, hit three unanswered points to go 0-11 to 0-08 ahead.
With centre-forward James Doyle and left-half forward Marty Kavanagh in outstanding form, their combination drove the final nail in the Rangers coffin on 51 minutes when Kavanagh provided the pass for man-of-the-match Doyle to drill an unstoppable shot past Frank Foley in the Rangers goal.
Overall, St Mullin's were tight and disciplined throughout. They out-fought and out-thought their opponents, winning all the key individual battles.
Rangers simply did not perform on the day. Their expected second-half rally never materialised as Mullin's took the game away from them with that late scoring burst.
Rangers could only muster 0-05 from play as St Mullin's deservedly retained the Willie O'Connor Cup, taking the title for a record 25th time.
St Mullins: K Kehoe; P Doyle, J Doran, G Bennett; D Whelan, P Kehoe, G Coady; J Kavanagh (0-1), M Walsh (0-2); P Fortune, J Doyle (1-03), M Kavanagh (0-07, 0-04 frees); J Walsh, J Murphy, S Murphy (0-01) each.
Sub: P Connors for J Walsh (45).
Mount Leinster Rangers: F Foley; M Doyle, G Doyle, E Coady; M Malone, R Coady, R Kelly; D Phelan, Diarmuid Byrne; Derek Byrne (0-01), E Byrne (0-01), D Murphy (0-05, all frees); P Nolan (0-01), J Coady (0-01), T Joyce.
Subs: B Nolan for Kelly (h-t); K McDonald for J Coady (39); J Murphy for Phelan (injured) (45); C Nolan (0-1) for E Coady (49); D Grennan for Joyce (59).
Referee: P O'Dywer (Palatine).
