Kevin O’Sullivan (0-6),  Gavin Forde (0-3), Kevin O’Connor (0-2), Eddie Allen (0-2), Michael O’Leary (0-1)

David Quinlan
Michael O’Leary		Brendan Stack		Paudie Allen
Matthew Fitzpatrick		Kevin O'Connor		Sean Doody
	Kevin O'Sullivan		Mark Murphy
Jonathan Flaherty		Colin O'Sullivan		Gavin Forde
Eddie Allen		Robert Stack		Kieran Lehane
Subs:

The early stages failed to provide a score before Newmarket took the lead in the ninth minute when Vinny Molloy and Nicky Barrett linked up before a high looping ball goalwards by the latter ended with Luke McCarthy guiding the ball into the net from close range. Millstreet were back on terms four minutes later when they scored their first goal. Amazingly, by the nineteenth minute Millstreet added two more goals to leave the score unusually at 3-0 to 1-0. Millsteet kicked numerous wides and eventually the first point of the game came when they found the target after twenty minutes. Nicky Barrett kicked a fine point for Newmarket two minutes later but two further Millstreet points stretched their lead, 3-3 to 1-1 at half time.

Millstreet pointed within two minutes of the restart and Gavin Forde responded with a point for Newmarket before Shane Murphy landed a point from a free. Ten minutes into the half and Newmarket further reduced the arrears when Michael Kenneally burst forward on a rampaging solo run before offloading to Shane Murphy who crashed the ball emphatically to the roof of the Millstreet net. Millstreet recovered and stretched their advantage by scoring the next five points. The impressive Kevin O’Sullivan was rewarded for his efforts on pointing as the game entered the final ten minutes, and when Mark Murphy was upended close to goal moments later, Kevin O’Sullivan dispatched the resultant penalty superbly to the bottom corner of the net for a third Newmarket goal. Millstreet did have the final say as they pointed in injury time to claim a six point victory.

The Newmarket team and scorers…

Kevin O’Sullivan (1-1), Shane Murphy (1-1), Luke McCarthy (1-0), Gavin Forde (0-1), Nicky Barrett (0-1).

Shane McAuliffe
Brendan Stack		Michael Kenneally		Michael O’Leary
Sean Doody		Robert Stack		Conor Cronin
	Kevin O'Sullivan		Mark Murphy
Gavin Forde		Shane Murphy		Nicky Barrett
Vinny Molloy		Luke McCarthy		Eddie Allen
Subs: John McSweeney, Jerry McCarthy.

Dromtariffe hit the front early with two points in four minutes. Newmarket had their first point in the tenth minutes thanks to the excellent Kevin O’Sullivan and despite their erratic efforts at this stage; it was Kevin O’Sullivan who ended an eleven minute scoreless period dominated by Newmarket with his second and equalizing point. When Dromtariffe found themselves in an advanced position at the other end, they proved far more clinical as they reeled of three points in succession towards the end of the half to lead at the turnover by 0-5 to 0-2 and Newmarket were grateful to custodian David Quinlan for producing an outstanding save to keep their goal intact towards the closing moments of the opening period.

Newmarket cut the deficit as Shane Murphy slotted over a free in the fifth minute of the half. The Newmarket rearguard led by full back Michael Kenneally held firm at the back as Dromtariffe added two points to lead by the end of the third quarter by 0-7 to 0-3. As the game entered the final ten minutes, Newmarket suffered for their inaccuracy as Dromtariffe sealed the issue by adding four points in succession. A gallant Newmarket effort did produce the last score of the game as Shane Murphy added his second point of the game.

The Newmarket team and scorers…

Kevin O’Sullivan (0-2), Shane Murphy (0-2).

David Quinlan
Michael O’Leary		Michael Kenneally		Brendan Stack
Conor Cronin		Kevin O'Connor		Matthew Fitzpatrick
	Kevin O'Sullivan		Mark Murphy
Sean Doody		Shane Murphy		Gavin Forde
Eddie Allen		Luke McCarthy		Kieran Lehane
Subs: Vinny Molloy, Patick Kelly, Nicky Barrett, Gerry McCarthy.

Kiskeam took the lead in the fifth minute when despite a superb save from Newmarket goalkeeper David Quinlan, the follow up ended in the back of the net. The lead increased on an eighth minute point but Newmarket got themselves right back into the contest when midfielder Mark Murphy found himself closing in on goal before clipping a finish to the roof of the Kiskeam net. Newmarket gained confidence from this score and Sean Doody had the sides level thanks to a point in the thirteenth minute. The greasy and darkening conditions threatened to spoil the contest but both sides toil and endeavour ensured a very even and close encounter unfolded. Kiskeam took the lead again on adding two points but Newmarket replied with well taken points from Eddie Allen and Kevin O’Sullivan. The half concluded with Luke McCarthy splitting the posts from a free to give Newmarket a slender half time advantage, 1-4 to 1-3.

Kiskeam erased the deficit within a minute to deadlock the sides for a third time. As the conditions continued to deteriorate, Conor Cronin lit up the proceedings by surging forward on a fine solo run before executing a wonderful finish for a superb point. Kiskeam tied proceedings once more before Sean Doody added a terrific point from a difficult angle for Newmarket. With the game entering the final ten minutes, Kiskeam once more equalized before nudging in front with eight minutes remaining. Newmarket stepped up to the mark and forced an equalizer thanks to the impressive Kevin O’Connor, the sixth time during the hour that the sides were level. The momentum was now with Newmarket and after a period of pressure, Eddie Allen kept his composure to take a neat point and edge Newmarket ahead once more. This time they managed to add to their advantage with the influential Kevin O’Sullivan slotting over a further point to ensure victory for the home side.
The Newmarket team and scorers…

Mark Murphy (1-0), Sean Doody (0-2), Kevin O’Sullivan (0-2), Eddie Allen (0-2), Conor Cronin (0-1), Kevin O’Connor (0-1), Luke McCarthy (0-1).

David Quinlan
Brendan Stack		Michael Kenneally		Michael O’Leary
Conor Cronin		Kevin O'Connor		Matthew Fitzpatrick
	Kevin O'Sullivan		Mark Murphy
Nicky Barrett		Colin O'Sullivan		Sean Doody
Kieran Lehane		Luke McCarthy		Eddie Allen
Subs: Ian Flanagan, Vinny Molloy, Patrick Kelly.

The game began brightly for Newmarket with John Scanlon scoring a fine point in the second minute as Newmarket had to contend with playing into a swirling breeze. As Castlemagner began to dominate, they were also guilty of kicking a succession of wides.

Newmarket were economical in possession in the early stages with Michael Kenneally adding a well taken second point in the seventh minute. Castlemagner opened their account with an eleventh minute point but as the conditions deteriorated considerably throughout the contest they had numerous wides all through the game. Castlemagner eventually took the lead when a speculative effort from an acute angle nestled into the top corner of the Newmarket net in the twenty first minute. Two points quickly followed as they gained a four point advantage. Newmarket cut the deficit late in the half with Shane Murphy slotting over a free to leave the scoreline reading 1-3 to 0-3 at half time.

Shane Murphy was again on target early into the second half but Castlemagner replied with a point two minutes later. The second half followed a similar pattern to the first as Castlemagner enjoyed the superior of the possession and despite two further points by the end of the third quarter; they were again guilty of wayward shooting as they built up a lead of 1-6 to 0-4. Newmarket to their credit kept plugging away and were driven on by the efforts of Pa O’Brien and John McSweeney in defence. Shane Murphy added two further points to his tally as Newmarket came to within a goal of their opponents but eventually time ran out and the visitors claimed an opening day victory.

The Newmarket team and scorers…
Shane Murphy (0-4), Michael Kenneally (0-1), John Scanlon (0-1)

David Quinlan
Michael O’Leary		John McSweeney		Pa O’Brien
Sean Doody		Brendan Stack		David Enright
	Robert Stack		Conor Cronin
Gavin Forde		Shane Murphy		Michael Kenneally
John Scanlon		Liam O’Callaghan		Bryan O’Connell
Subs: Patrick Kelly, Andy Twomey, Nicky Barrett, Con McAuliffe, Donnacha Drumm

Newmarket proved clinical from frees in the opening quarter, Shane Murphy slotted over two points within five minutes before Kevin O’Connor landed a huge effort from near the sideline in the fourteenth minute. A fourth point followed courtesy of the accuracy of Shane Murphy again, as Newmarket enjoyed the better of the possession. Things got even better for Newmarket when debutant substitute, T.J. Brosnan raced through the Ballydesmond defence before confidently clipping the ball over the bar. A free flowing Newmarket were solid in defence with David Guiney, John Scanlon and Kevin O’Sullivan launching several attacks for the home side. Nicky Flanagan and Shane Murphy further increased the advantage before Anthony Crowley surged forward to kick an excellent eighth point for Newmarket in the twenty third minute.

Ballydesmond responded with two well taken points from distance but Newmarket concluded a half of supremacy in the best possible fashion, with Ian Flanagan playing a sublime defence splitting pass into the path of the on rushing Kevin O’Connor who kept his composure and finished clinically to the back of the net which left the score, 1-8 to 0-2 in Newmarket’s favour at the turnover.

Newmarket however, were lethargic for long periods of the second half and failed to build on their first half display. The defence proved resolute as Ballydesmond slowly clipped away at the lead and they cut the deficit on scoring three points without reply in the third quarter. Newmarket eventually regained their composure on Shane Murphy finding the target and the influential Kevin O’Sullivan followed up with a well executed free, which restored an eight point lead with little over ten minutes remaining. Ballydesmond replied with a goal but Newmarket kept their composure for the remainder of the game as the sides exchanged points, Shane Murphy first on target for Newmarket. The contest concluded with Kevin O’Connor adding an insurance point for the home side as Newmarket claimed the points on offer.

The Newmarket team was…

David Quinlan
John Scanlon		Mark Murphy		David Guiney
Anthony Crowley (0-1)		Kevin O’Sullivan (0-1)		Sean Doody
	Robert Stack		Timothy Murphy
Nicky Flanagan (0-1)		Colin O’Sullivan		Kevin O’Connor (1-2)
Ian Flanagan		Shane Murphy (0-6)		Donnacha Fitzpatrick
SUBS: T.J. Brosnan (0-1), John McSweeney, Anthony Lynch, Michael O’Leary, Michael Kenneally

In a game played in perfect conditions, both sides took time in the initial stages to settle into a pattern. Newmarket took the lead in the fifth minute thanks to a fine point from Seanie Francis O’Connor. Newmarket increased their lead thanks to their lively corner forward Ian Flanagan who was prominent throughout, before a trademark Seanie Francis O’Connor finish gave Newmarket a three point advantage.

The full forward line was very prominent, won a lot of possession and looked potent in possession. The third member of the trio, Shane Murphy was next on the scoresheet and he added two quickfire points as Newmarket enjoyed a five point advantage at the end of the opening quarter. Newmarket also performed resolutely in defence and it was the nineteenth minute before Castlemagner registered their opening point. Newmarket failed to build on their early platform and became wasteful in attack with several efforts dropping short. Eventually, their impressive wing back Anthony Crowley surged forward and he clipped over a fine point. Castlemagner pointed in injury time which left the half time score 0-6 to 0-2 in Newmarket’s favour at the halfway mark.

Newmarket increased their advantage thanks once more to the endeavours of Ian Flanagan but Castlemagner quickly replied with a point. Both sides struggled to breach the respective defences for long spells and it took until the fifteenth minute of the half for the next point, when Nicky Flanagan converted a long distance free. Once more, Castlemagner struck immediately with a point but Newmarket continued to enjoy a four point lead. Midfielder, Timothy Murphy added a superb point for Newmarket well into the final ten minutes, but Castlemagner upped the tempo for the remainder of the game as they sought to salvage a result.

Newmarket defended excellently with John Scanlon and John McSweeney prominent while Kevin O’Sullivan launched many counter attacks from his half back position. Castlemagner searched for a goal and their perseverance eventually paid off when they found the net in the closing minutes. A tentative few minutes followed for Newmarket but they saw out the remaining moments to claim victory.

The Newmarket team was…

David Quinlan
John Scanlon		John McSweeney		Brendan Stack
Sean Doody		Kevin O’Sullivan		Anthony Crowley (0-1)
	Robert Stack		Timothy Murphy (0-1)
Nicky Flanagan (0-1)		Colin O’Sullivan		Michael Kenneally
Ian Flanagan (0-2)		Shane Murphy (0-2)		Seanie Francis O’Connor (0-2)
SUBS: Trevor Murphy, Shane Anthony Murphy, Donnacha Fitzpatrick, David Guiney