While the end result was not what Longwood would have preferred, there were many positive aspects to emerge from Saturday’s performance against Killyon in the opening round of the Brendan Davis Cup. Not least the fact that we had eight players Under 20 on the pitch for the second half, evidence of the great work being done by our juvenile hurling coaches.

The first experience of senior hurling for Brian Stagg, Thomas Dorran, Ben McLoughlin, Adam Peacock, Luke Brady, Fionn Hannon and Daniel Fahy, combined with a club debut for the impressive Kevin Heagney can only bode well for the future. It may take some time but there are definite grounds for optimism.

Longwood: Mark Kennedy, Adam Leacy, Ross Kerrigan, Cathal Campbell, Kevin Maguire, Sean Coloe (0-1), Brian Stagg, Bob Maguire, Ryan Moore (1-0), Thomas Dorran, Kevin Heagney (0-2), Gavin Griffith, Ben McLoughlin (0-1), Anthony Healy (0-5), Kieran Murtagh. Subs: Fionn Hannon for Campbell, Adam Peacock for Murtagh, Luke Brady for Kevin Maguire, Daniel Fahy for Dorran, Ross Healy for McLoughlin