[score]
[team1]St Brendan’s Ardfert[/team1][score1]2-11[/score1]
[team2]Crotta O’Neill’s[/team2][score2]1-13[/score2]
[/score]
St Brendan’s Ardfert were pushed all the way by Crotta O’Neill’s before joining Lixnaw in the semi-finals of this year’s Kerry SHC, after a tense encounter played at the Austin Stack Park.
Crotta had a 65 to equalise at the death but their scorer in chief, Shane Nolan, failed to convert.
St Brendan’s will be wondering why they did not have the game secured long before after Cian Hussey scored two early goals, the second from the penalty spot after a foul on himself.
Nolan replied with a quality goal for Crotta with one their Kerry U20 All- Ireland winner Donal Hunt fired over two from play.
His second point in the 27th minute was the last score from play Crotta managed for the rest of this gripping contest.
John Egan converted two frees and Daithi Griffin was also in good form as St Brendan’s led 2-6 to 1-8 at half-time.
Frees from John Egan and points from Daithi Griffin and Tim Hannafin kept St Brendan’s in front as Nolan in a swirling wind missed late chances to force extratime.
Scorers for St Brendan’s Ardfert: C Hussey (2-1, 1-0 pen), J Egan (0-4, 3 frees, 0-1’65), D Griffin (0-3), T Hannafin (0-2), T Moloney (0-1).
Scorers for Crotta O’Neill’s: S Nolan (1-9, 8 frees, 1’65), D Hunt and J Conway (0-2 each)
ST BRENDAN’S:
D Delaney; K Woulff, S Leen, F Horgan; K Orpen, K Hannafin, D Dineen; P Kearney, D Griffin; C Hussey, J Egan, T Moloney; J Wallace, T Hannafin, S O’ Halloran
Subs: M Davis for K Orpen (34), C Healy for S O’Halloran (40), K Fitzgerald for S O’Halloran (54)
CROTTA O’NEILL’S:
A O’Sullivan; A O’Mahony, D Kennelly, S Weir; R McElligott, T O’Connor, B Keane; D Hunt, B Mahony; D O’Donoghue, T B McElligott, S Nolan; P Quille, J Conway, R Nolan
Subs: J McKenna for T B McElligott (h/t), Richard Nolan for D O’Donoghue (inj 51), J Sheehan for Raymond Nolan (59)
Referee: E Stapleton (Limerick)