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N.Y. GAA Quick-striking Kerry too strong for Clare

February 16, 2011

By Staff Reporter

By Jack Flynn

Kerry 1-13, Clare 0-6

Kerry used a lightning quick score from Kevin Shalvey as inspiration for a smashing 30 minutes of play, then held on in the second half to defeat Clare, 1-13 to 0-6, in a Senior Football Div. II game at Gaelic Park on Sunday.

“We played pretty good, but we could do a lot better,” said Kerry’s Kieran Cull, who contributed three points to the rout.

If there actually is room for improvement on Kerry’s part, any other side in Senior Football Div. II that harbors championship aspirations may need a miracle. The victory kept Kerry as the only undefeated team on the league table, and they have already qualified for the post season.

The route was on from the opening moments of the match. Before the fans still in attendance could settle back into their seats, Shalvey pierced the Clare defense and scored a fine goal past keeper Martin O’Connor to give Kerry the early advantage.

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Clare responded with a point from Paul Devlin, but it was the last score they would tally for quite a while. Kerry ran off a string of 10 straight points, leaving the Gaelic Park faithful with no alternative but to watch the clock and wait for the inevitable.

Mike Carmody did the most damage for Kerry during the run, scoring three points and wreaking havoc both offensively and defensively. Gerry McGelliget also had three points for Kerry and Cull added two points of his own during the run.

Devlin’s second point of the match finally broke Kerry’s streak, and Clare were on the board once again. A third Devlin point just before the horn provided the halftime score, 1-10 to 0-3 in favor of Kerry.

The scoring was dramatically reduced in the second half, as both sides seemed content to play out the remaining minutes. Clare did improve on their first-half play, but were so far in the hole already that it hardly made a difference.

A Dermot Boylan point in the latter stages of the second half pulled Clare as close as they would come, as Kerry’s lead was trimmed to 1-11 to 0-6. A goal try off the foot of Kerry’s Aunis O’Leary was thwarted by the crossbar soon after, but Cull and Colm Wilson each put balls over the bar to provide the final margin of victory.

Kerry scorers: Shalvey 1-1; Carmody 0-4; Cull and McGellit 0-3; Wilson 0-2.

Clare: Devlin 0-4; Boylan 0-2.

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