Kildare hurlers progress to semi-finals of the Christy Ring Cup thanks to win over Mayo

Kildare 2-14

Mayo 1-15

Kildare secured their place in the semi-finals of the Christy Ring Cup as they held on for a narrow two-point win over Mayo in the second round of the competition on Saturday afternoon.

Having already defeated Roscommon, and with Mayo losing to Wicklow last weekend, a victory for Joe Quaid's side meant that the Lilywhites would make it into the final four of the competition alongside Wicklow, who themselves beat Roscommon on Saturday.

It was never a sure thing in Ballina however, as Mayo, led my football star Keith Higgins from full-forward, raced into an early 0-6 to no score lead as they played with the backing of a strong wind.

Kildare rallied back though, and by the break they trailed by just 0-10 to 0-8. The Lilywhites opened the second half well and eventually hit the front when Shane Ryan found the back of the net five minutes after the restart, and his clubmate, Jack Sheridan, made the game safe late on with a second goal.

Mayo got a goal back towards the end, but Kildare held on to get the win and advance to the semi-finals with a game to spare. They play Wicklow in the final game of the group stage in two weeks time, while they will meet either Down, Derry or London in the semi-final.

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