Naas have 10 points to spare as they ease to Intermediate Championship title at Celbridge's expense

Naas                 1-19 Celbridge        1-9 Intermediate Hurling Championship final Naas eased to the Intermediate Championship title on Sunday as they had 10 points to spare over a Celbridge side who stayed committed to the end but ultimately lacked the quality to truly lay a hand on their opponents. The victors dominated almost every sector of the field, and after carrying a four-point advantage into the break they opened up in the second half to power towards victory in a real display of class and composure. Naas started in confident fashion as Robbie Byrne and Michael Gainey stroked over points either side of a fine long range effort from influential midfielder Kevin Whelan, helping the County Town side surge into a three-point lead after six minutes. Celbidge, who were facing into a stiff breeze, finally got off the mark in the seventh minute courtesy of a tidy score from wing-forward Padraig Fitzgerald, but Naas had all the momentum in the opening passages and they were making their chances count. Conor Dowling nudged over the first of his four first half points from a free, before Peter Moran knocked over another and Dowling split the posts from out on the wing to send his side into a 0-6 to 0-1 lead after 11 minutes. From there on until the half-time whistle it was more evenly balanced as Celbridge began to settle, and they struck two points in succession for the first time in the game when Danny Glennon and Conor Ryan found the target. Naas responded with a couple of scores from Dowling and Matthew Moran, though Glennon kept the Celbridge scoreboard ticking over with two of his own from frees at the opposite end. The north Kildare men needed to close the gap coming into the break if they were to give themselves a fighting chance in the second half against the wind, but Dowling slotted over another free and Peter Moran added his second before the turnaround, though Ciarán O'Shaughnessy got one back two minutes before the interval to leave the scores at 0-10 to 0-6. Naas immediately pushed five ahead upon the restart as Matthew Moran pointed almost straight from the throw-in. Celbridge could have wrestled their way back into the game when O'Shaughnessy had a goal chance, but his powerful effort was tipped over by Naas stopper Jeff Keane. Substitute James Burke then floated over an eye-catching effort for the leaders, and though Glennon responded with a free for Celbridge, they failed to score for another 14 minutes as Naas inflicted the damage that would ultimately prove terminal to the Celbridge cause. Niall Stafford bagged the game-clinching goal on 37 minutes when he batted home from close range after 'keeper Noel McMahon parried Robbie Byrne's shot back into his path. They pulled further away in the minutes after as Whelan fired over his second and Dowling added two further frees, before Fitzgerald finally ended the Celbridge barren spell with a point. They narrowed the gap late on with a goal from Cillian Byrne to put some gloss on their own tally, but Naas were well in control as Kevin Aherne, Burke and Stafford(2) all raised white flags on the run in. Scorers for Naas: C Dowling 0-6(5f), N Stafford 1-2, P Moran, K Whelan, J Burke, P Moran and M Moran 0-2 each, K Aherne, R Byrne and M Gainey 0-1 each. Scorers for Celbridge: D Glennon 0-4(3f), C Byrne, P Fitzgerald and C O'Shaughnessy 0-2 each, C Ryan 0-1. Naas J Keane; T Hennessy, C Gormley, R Hogan(A Murphy 42mins); R Goodfellow, D Greene, E Nolan; K Whelan, M Moran; K Aherne(J McKeon 54mins), N Stafford, C Dowling; M Gainey(J Burke 27mins), P Moran, R Byrne. Celbridge N McMahon; K Furlong(P Hogan 38mins), D Kenny, R Clarke; M O'Donovan, D Kirwan, C Ryan; A O'Riain(U Browne 45mins), D Ó'Corcoráin; P Moore, S Reade(P Beirne 47mins), P Fitzgerald; C O'Shaughnessy, C Byrne, D Glennon.