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Newcastle West produced a master class second half performance to claim this seasons elevens cup following an entertaining game played at league head quarters on Sunday evening against a Kilcornan side that had defied the odds to reach the cup final with some fantastic results along the way.

The game opened with both sides taking time to settle with the strong cross field wind making conditions very difficult. It was seven minutes before the opening opportunity fell to Newcastle West when they won a throw on the left wing which was well controlled by Dylan Whelan who passed in field to Shane Normolye but his shot from the edge of the area was wide of the target. They suffered the same fate seconds later when Cormac Kinahan combined with Whelan to set up Mikey Carroll but his effort was also wide. With their next opportunity though they did hit the target when Whelan presided over a dead ball but Kevin Walsh made a good save. Kilcornan had to wait until the twelfth minute before they conjured up their first meaningful attack following a fantastic run by Cathal Downes who played a good through ball behind the West defence but Caolan Rushe had stayed into an offside position to let Newcastle off the hook. Ciara Downes came to Kilcornan’s rescue minutes later when following excellent build up play Dylan Whelan saw him play a defence splitting pass into the path of Cormac Kinahan but Downes recovered to clear the danger. Kilcornan began to get a better grip on the game which saw them win a corner following good work between Mikey McCarthy and Caolan Rushe and with Downes delivering the ball with pace into the crowded goal mouth it fell nicely to the feet of Eric Costelloe but his effort lacked the required pace.

Newcastle West opened the scoring with eight minutes remaining in the opening half when Kilcoran conceded a rather corner which was delivered with pace by Dylan Whelan to Mikey Carroll who got a slight touch to deflect it into the path of Cormac Kinahan just outside the edge of the area and he a sweet strike into the corner of the net for what was a really well taken goal. Newcastle West almost doubled their lead with sixty seconds remaining in the first half when Dylan Whelan collected possession in the centre circle he set off on a mazy dribble and he let fly from twenty yards and his shot looked destined for the top corner only for Kevin Walsh to produce a top drawer save and divert the ball around the post for a corner.

The second half began with Newcastle West on the attack from the kick off with Johnny Keyes unlucky to see his shot take a deflection and Walsh gathered with ease but with five minutes gone in the second half Newcastle West doubled their lead when Mikey Carroll done very well to cut in from the side line along the end line and he had the awareness to pick out Cormac Kinahan who picked out Johnny Keyes at the back post and he finished clinically from close range with power. Going two goals down seemed to spur Kilcornan in to life and within the space of three minutes they were back in the game when Mikey McCarthy and Caolan Rushe combined well and as Rushe bore down on goal Darragh Enright got in a good tackle to put the ball behind for a corner which Liam O’ Sullivan delivered to the front post and in an attempt to clear Dylan Whelan headed off the post past his own keeper. Whelan might have given Kilcornan a life line with his og but he more than made up for his error and it took him all of two minutes when Cormac Kinahan won possession on the right wing he swung over an inviting cross which fell to Mikey Carroll but his shot was blocked with the rebound falling nicely to Dylan Whelan who crashed the ball to the net from close range.

Kilcornan in fairness didn’t drop their heads following this goal and they should have reduced the deficit soon after when Cathal Downes played a pass into the path of Seamus Hurley and he attacked the space at pace but his shot from just inside the edge of the area was well saved by Damien Keenan and the danger was cleared and his opposite number did well following a Newcastle West counter attack Whelan crossed to the in rushing Mikey Carroll but Walsh was off his line like a flash to avert the danger and Walsh was called into action again when he denied Cormac Kinahan on the twenty second minute and two minutes later Mikey Carroll set Kinahan free again and his shot looked to be dipping under the cross bar but Walsh again came to Kilcornan’s rescue. Newcastle West wrapped up the game with five minutes remaining when they won a corner on the right side Mikey Carroll was perfectly positioned to score from six yards at the second attempt after Walsh had denied him the first time but the rebound fell nicely for him and with the last kick of the game Newcastle West rounded off the scoring when following a throw on the left side Cormac Kinahan out paced the Kilcornan defence to slot home from close range to give Newcastle West the U11 Cup for 2011. Kinahan was awarded the player of the match for his energetic running for the entire sixty minutes which saw him score two of the goals and create two more. After the match John Philips presented Newcastle West captain Dylan Whelan with the U11 Cup.

Newcastle West: D Keenan, M Bourke, L Woulfe, T McCarthy, D Enright,  S Normoyle, D Whelan, N McAuliffe, J Keyes, M Carroll, C Kinahan. Sub J McCoy.

Kilcornan: K Walsh, D O’Brien, B Casey, Ciara Downes, J McSweeney, L O’ Sullivan, M McCarthy, S Hurley, Cathal Downes, E Costelloe, C Rushe. Subs: J Pomenoy, L Rushe, S O’Connell S Holland.