Wicklow champions crash to Moorefield

Leinster Club SFC

KILDARE champions Moorefield qualified for the second round of the Leinster club football championship with this solid victory over the Wicklow champions at Aughrim yesterday.

St Patrick's led by 0-6 to 0-4 at the break and needed a good start to the second half against the wind if they were to prevail against the Kildare champions.

half in the third minute to set his team on the road to victory. He then added three more smashing points in the second period.

Murray moved out to wing-forward in the second half from where he scored four of those points.

Full-forward Paul Earls also scored five points for St Patrick's and was a little unlucky not to grab a goal at the end of the first quarter.

The Kildare men dominated the exchanges around the centre of the park, hovering up all the breaking ball, with Daryl Flynn and Ronan Sweeney being particularly impressive in support of sharp-shooter Murray.

In the first half, however, the Kildare side felt it more than prudent to put a new maker on Earls who was giving the run-around to Moorefield's Ger Naughton. Naughton, who was sent off on second yellow card before the end, swapped positions with his centre-back Kevin O'Neill.

Murray had the opening point for Moorefield after six minutes but they were not to get their noses in front again until the seventh minute of the second half when Murray landed his third point to put his team in front by 0-7 to 0-6.

In between the Kildare men were playing catch-up as Earls inspired St Patrick's with his play and score taking.

In the 11th minute of the second half he brought the teams level for the fifth time but then Moorefield pulled clear with points from Ross Sweeney, Murray, Michael .

SCORERS - Moorefield: P Murray 0-5, K Duane, R Glavin, D Flynn, M Tracey, R Sweeney, P Woulfe, D Whyte 0-1 each. St Patrick: P Earls 0-5, D Smullen 0-2, J Slattery 0-1.

MOOREFIELD - T Corley; P Flynn, G Naughton, I Lonergan; K Duane, K O'Neill, J Lonergan; R Glavin, D Flynn; M Tracey, R Sweeney, R Delaney; P Murray, J Phillips, P Woulfe. Subs: K Duane for Delaney, P Behan for Duane, D Whyte for Phillips.

ST PATRICK'S - R Hollingsworth; R Connolly, G Jameson, D Byrne; B Cornyn, A Jameson, W Farrell; M Donohue, G Duffy; R Murphy, D Smullen, J Slattery; D O'Sullivan, P Earls, S O'Brien. Subs: C Kavanagh for Murphy, J Quinn for Donohue, S Duffy for D O'Sullivan.