ANTRIM went down to a nine-point defeat to Kildare in the first round of the Leinster Minor Hurling Championship in Abbottstown on Saturday, 1-13 to 0-7.
The Lillywhites were already four points to the good midway through the first-half when Antrim’s task was made several times harder with the red-card dismissal of centre-forward Pádraig McKillop. Moments later, Killian Harrington increased the Kildare lead to five.
However, the young Saffrons demonstrated grit in the final 10 minutes of the first-half with points from Fintan McQuillan, Anthony McGarrigle and Aidan Scullion leaving just two in it at the break.
Kildare took a stranglehold on the game as the second-half progressed with Antrim tiring. Conn Kehoe added two points from frees, while centre-back Cian Boran and right half-forward Fionn Maher tagged on two from play before corner-forward Charlie Sherridan delivered the killer blow with a goal from play in the 56th minute.
Antrim pulled a point back through a McQuillan free on 58 minutes, but it was to prove their final score as Kildare cruised to victory.
Also on Saturday, Mark Cunningham’s late point in Kinnegad saw Westmeath secure a comeback victory over Carlow, while Offaly had minimal fuss against Laois as they handed the visitors a 2-18 to 0-12 defeat.