Kildare end Mayo's dreams of Christy Ring Cup success

Kildare ended Mayo's dreams of Christy Ring Cup success this afternoon with a 2-29 to 0-19 final victory in Croke Park.

Mayo have improved immeasurably since an opening round defeat to the same opposition on the second Sunday in April but while they narrowed the gap on the scoreboard from that day, they still didn't come close to causing an upset against the clear favourites today.

First-half goals from Brian Byrne and Cathal Dowling served to augment the accuracy of Gerry Keegan and James Burke in front of goal as Kildare had the game as good as wrapped up at half-time with a 2-17 to 0-8 advantage.

Credit to Mayo, they came out fighting in the second half and matched their opponents stride for stride, Shane Boland's accuracy giving a respectable look to the scoreboard, with handsome contributions from Joe McManus, Keith Higgins and Kenny Feeney as well.

Kildare were favourites for a reason, however, and they rarely looked like coughing up the goals that Mayo needed to get back into the contest.

But after a disappointing league campaign, Mayo's marked improvement in the Christy Ring Cup offers a degree of hope for the years ahead.

*See Tuesday's print edition for a full match report and reaction