Naas won the Dowling cup for the first time when their second team defeated Rheban by six points. Naas started strongly and scored six points without reply in the first twelve minutes. Naas dominated the first half and with the aid of seasoned veterans Kevin Curtis (0 – 3) and Padraig Cribben (0 – 2) led 0 – 9 to 0 – 1 at half-time.
Rheban tried hard in the second half and finished strongly with three points in the last five minutes. However Naas were too strong and ran out winners by six points
In the third minute Kevin Curtis and Padraig Cribben combined for the latter to put over the bar for Naas. Two Kevin Curtis points followed before Cribben again pointed in the tenth minute. In the twelfth minute Stephen Lawler pointed for Rheban but Naas replied with a Niall Begley point. Two further Curtis and one from Ian Kinlon finished the first half scoring. Naas led at the break by 0 – 9 to 0 – 1.
At the start of the second half Lawler and Curtis traded points before two Dean McHolmes points for Naas put them ten points clear. A 22nd. minute point for Rheban by Kealan McConville reduced the arrears to nine. Three late points from Stephen Lawler (2 frees) and one from Nathan Owens left six between them at the final whistle.
The Naas captain Kevin Curtis was presented with the Dowling cup after the game by Tom Dowling after whose grandfather the cup is named.
Naas: Luke Mullins, Conor Gormley, Mike Commons, Stephen Ryan, Ross Hazzard, Kevin Martin, Vinny Lannigan, Neal Higgins, Padraig Cribben(0 – 2), Aiden Begley(0 – 1), Paul McDermott, Kevin Curtis(0 – 6), Dean McHolmes(0 – 2),Karel N’tumba, Ian Kinlon(0 – 1). Subs: David Shaw for Ross Hazzard, Matthew Drewett for Karel N’tumba, Odhran Loughran for Vinny Lannigan, Barry Loughran for Stephen Ryan, Darragh Merriman for Dean McHolmes, Eoghan Healy for Paul McDermott.
Rheban: Christy Byrne, John Kelly, Eoin Foley, Kevin O’Shaughnessy, Ian Carty, Eamonn Kelly, Christopher Gorman, Jason Shaw, Kealan McConville(0 – 1), Brendan Shaw, John Morrissey, Stephen Lawler(0 – 4), Nathan Owens(0 – 1), Barry Fay, Conor Germaine.
