COLLEGE'S GAA/Kilkenny CBS ... 1-18 St Mary's ... 1-5: An old hurling coach once reckoned "if most of your forwards score a couple of points from play, your free-taker does the business and you snap a goal along the way, then you should compile a winning tally".
He should have been in Dr Cullen Park, Carlow, yesterday, as Kilkenny CBS used that exact blueprint to see off, after early difficulty, the challenge of St Mary's in the Leinster Colleges SHC 'A' quarter-final.
Four CBS forwards scored a brace of points from play, their free-taker slipped over half-a-dozen and the same player, number 15 Eoin Guinan, also pocketed the 48th-minute goal that ended the game as a contest.
Guinan, son of inter-county referee John, finished the hour with a healthy 1-8 to his name as the James Street Boys, with 12 of the side who lost to city rivals St Kieran's in last year's final, set up a possible repeat in the semi-final, with the holders expected to beat Cistercian Roscrea in their quarter-final.
Enniscorthy, backed by the stiff wind, put it up to their more vaunted opponents in the opening half and having trailed 0-3 to 0-2 at the end of the first quarter.
The Wexford boys hit the front in the 28th minute with a cracking goal from left full forward Barry Murphy, who was put in the clear following an incisive Harry Goff run and pass.
A Mark Drennan point tied the sides at 0-6 to 1-3 at the break before Guinan, inside two minutes of the re-start, rifled over two lovely points from play for the Kilkenny boys.
While points from Bob Jacob (free) and Eoin Murphy kept Enniscorthy in contention and trailing just 0-12 to 1-4 entering the final quarter, Kilkenny would have been out of sight at that stage but from some remarkable goalkeeping by the outstanding net guardian David Murphy, who brought off a number of fine saves.
KILKENNY CBS: T Delaney; E Buggy, W Sainsbury, C Higgins; M Fitzpatrick, D Tyrell (0-1), J O'Shea; J Dunphy, D O'Mahoney (0-2); E O'Donoghue (0-1), D McCormack, B Beckett (0-2); J Dooley (0-2), M Drennan (0-2), E Guinan (1-8, 0-6f).
ST MARY'S: D Murphy; D Fitzgerald, G Flood, P McGee; T O'Connor, B Jacob (0-1, 1f), B Kenny; D Morrissey, H Goff (0-1); E Murphy (0-1), M Kelly, G Martin; N Kerwick (0-2, 2f), P Murphy, B Murphy (1-0). Subs: J Doyle for P Murphy, J Kehoe for McGee.
Referee: D O'Sullivan (Kilkenny).
