Kildare 1-17 Limerick 0-9: Kildare won a third successive Division One B tie in convincing fashion at the expense of an uninspiring Limerick, who went for most of the game without scoring from play, at Newbridge yesterday.
Having taken full points from games against Down and Laois, Kildare went into this game hotly fancied and so it proved as they led from start to finish and, despite a poor start to their campaign, they are still in with a chance of qualifying for the closing stages. Limerick by contrast are in relegation trouble with just one win since the league season began.
James Kavanagh got Kildare on the road to the win with an early point from play and Derek McCormack added another in the sixth minute.
Limerick were held scoreless until the ninth minute when centre forward Muiris Gavin sent over the first of his four successful frees.
Kildare led by 1-2 at that stage, however, thanks to a goal by Kavanagh just a minute earlier and they continued to pull clear with a score from play and then a free from Tadhg Fennin.
Derek McCormack underlined Kildare's superiority with an injury-time point to give Kildare a 1-5 to 0-3 half-time lead.
Gavin rounded off his personal tally with the first score after the restart but this was cancelled out by Eamonn Callaghan after Kildare has hit a series of wides.
Damien Reidy and Stephen Kelly were brought on by Limerick and, although the Munster men improved to some extent in the second half, it was never going to be enough to dislodge the home side.
Midfielder Michael Foley hit two frees before Limerick scored again in the 52nd. Limerick's first score from play came a few minutes later but Callaghan and Foley had added points and Kildare were out of sight.
Limerick's best chance of a goal came when substitute Johnny Murphy found himself with just Enda Murphy to beat but the Kildare goalkeeper made a good save.
Conor Fitzgerald rounded off Limerick's scoring with a point in additional time but there was still enough time left for scores from Ronan Sweeney and Fennin to improve the scoring average for the winners.
KILDARE: E Murphy; A Rainbow, D Hendy, A McLoughlin; M Wright, G Ryan, K Ennis; K Brennan, M Foley (0-3); E Callaghan (0-4), D McCormack (0-2), R Sweeney (0-1); T Fennin (0-5, three frees), R Glavin, J Kavanagh (1-2). Subs: S McKenzie-Smith for Kavanagh (66 mins), P Mullarkey for Brennan (72 mins).
LIMERICK: S Kiely; M O'Riordan, D Sheehy, J McCarthy; P Browne, S Lavin, C Mullane; J Quane, J Donovan; M Crowley, M Gavin (0-4, all frees), S Buckley; C Fitzgerald (0-2), J Galvin (0-1), M Reidy (0-1). Subs: T Stack for O'Riordan (13 mins), S Kelly for Crowley (40 mins), D Reidy for Lavin (40 mins), E Keating (0-1) for Gavin (48 mins), J Murphy for Donovan (58 mins), A Lane for Stack (71 mins).
YELLOW CARDS: None.
Referee: H Beirne (Roscommon).
