Lixnaw bridged a 15-year gap as they finally overcame the dogged resistance of their near neighbours Crotta O'Neills by a single point in the Kerry SHC replay at Austin Stack Park, Tralee, yesterday. Crotta held the early initiative and Mike Carleton gave them a dream start scoring a point inside a minute and firing home a goal from a 40-metre free after the sixth.

The game was hard fought and in the 26th minute, Crotta suffered a major blow when they lost Carlton with a dislocated collar bone. Sixteen-year-old Michael Conway left a goal between the sides when he pointed on the stroke of half-time.

After the break Crotta found it more and more difficult to handle Paul Galvin and three points from Conway, Pat O'Connell and Galvin had the sides level with 10 minutes remaining. Then, in a frantic finish, Cronin sent over a mighty point from the middle of the field to make the difference for Lixnaw.

Lixnaw: O Thornton; A Cronin C Lyons, M McCarthy; P Dowling, T McKenna (capt), T O'Mahony; E Fitzmaurice, P Cronin (0-2); M Con- way (0-3), P O'Connell (0-3), M Kelliher; E Galvin, J McCarthy, P Galvin (0-1). Subs: K Fitzmaurice for M Kelleher; F McCarthy for C Fitzmaurice; J Maher for D McCarthy.

Crotta O'Neills: T Red McElligott; J Quilter, K McKenna, T Blondie McElligott; A Keane, T Cronin, D Fitzmaurice; J O'Sullivan, P Cronin; M Carleton (1-2), D Mahony, J Edwards; S Toomey (0-2), T Stack, B Mahony (0-1). Subs: J Mahony for Carlton inj; F O'Sullivan for J O'Sullivan; P McGrath for T Stack.

Referee: R Williams (Dingle).