Intermediate Hurling Championship Round Up

By Shane Brophy

GROUP 1

Golden Kilfeacle completed an unblemished group stage with a comfortable 2-18 to 0-12 win over Ballybacon/Grange in Bansha on Saturday evening which condemned the South side to the relegation playoffs. Jack Leamy and Niall Heffernan were the goal-scorers for the West side.

Cappawhite were comfortable 3-16 to 0-15 winners over Clonoulty/Rossmore in Dundrum at the same time but late points from Sam Carmody and Conor Martin proved crucial to edge out their West rivals and Ballybacon to second place in the group on the three-way scoring tie-breaker.

GROUP 2

With Skeheenarinky handing a walkover to Ballingarry in their dead-runner match-up, the only game in group 2 was the winner-takes-all tie between Borrisokane and Kilsheelan/Kilcash and it was the Lower Ormond men who progressed to the knockout stage following a 1-21 to 1-18 victory in Templetuohy on Saturday evening.

The game got off to a blistering start with Kilsheelan goaling inside the first minute, but Oisin Larkin cancelled it out with a goal by the third minute. The South side made most of the running but points from Larkin, Mike Heenan and Brian Davis gave Borris a 1-10 to 1-8 half time lead.

Larkin was outstanding for Borris and five points from play helped his side into a six point lead going into the closing stage, but Kilsheelan didn’t die wondering and reeled off four points in a row before Larkin brought his tally to 1-10 with a free deep in added time.

GROUP 3

Shannon Rovers secured top spot in group three as Eamon Hough’s last gasp goal saw them beat Portroe 1-16 to 1-14 at a windswept McDonagh Park, Nenagh on Sunday.

Portroe settled very quickly and scored five unanswered points in the first seventeen minutes with AJ Willis, John Sheedy, and Adrian O’Halloran on target from play with Sheedy also converting two frees.

It took the Rovers eighteen minutes to register through Conal Moran but the big score of the half came after a well-worked move which saw Jack Maloney firing low into the corner of the Rovers net from close range.

Portroe would add further points through Sam Madden (2) and John Sheedy (2) for a 1-9 to 0-4 half time lead with Eamon Hough, Conal Moran (free) and Michael Tierney getting the Rovers’ remaining scores.

At the start of the second half, the Rovers notched three unanswered points through Hough and Moran (2 frees), and this proved to be the foundation of the comeback.

Portroe eased the pressure a little with points in the 37th & 39th minutes through John Sheedy (free) and Jack Moloney However, the momentum was with Shannon Rovers, and they grew in confidence as the half progressed with some great defending from Oisin McMahon, Emmet Moran and Conor Ryan while up front Austin Tiereny (2), John O’Meara (2), Shaun Balfry (1) got their names on the scoresheet.

Points from John Sheedy (free), Sam Madden and Adrian O’Halloran ensured Portroe still held a two point lead deep in add time when their defence was opened up and Eamon Hough broke onto the ball to blast home past goalie Darren Gleeson for the winning score.

However, the defeat wasn’t costly for Portroe as Drom & Inch failed to beat Arravale Rovers (1-15 to 0-16) by the amount required to dislodge them from second place in the group. The Mid champions do progress to the preliminary quarter final where they will be drawn to play one of Cappawhite, Borrisokane or Knockavilla Kickhams.

GROUP 4

There was another big win for Moneygall who recorded a 5-27 to 0-12 win over Upperchurch/Drombane at The Ragg on Friday evening.

However, the final scoreline hardly does justice to the efforts of the Mid side who entered this game short a number of first choice players and already guaranteed to be in a relegation battle.

Moneygall played with the confidence of a team already assured of topping the group but were made fight hard for their scores against a resolute Upperchurch/Drombane defence.

Joe Fogarty again top scored for Moneygall with 1-11 (0-8 frees) while Adam Hogan chipped in with 2-3 from play with the other goals coming from Paddy Fogarty (1-3) and Sean Kenneally (1-2). Cathal Greene also caught the eye in defence.

Upperchurch/Drombane’s leading performers were Matt Ryan, Sean Ryan, T.J. Butler (0-10, 9), Jim O’Dwyer (0-2) and Loughlin Ryan.

Knockavilla-Donaskeigh Kickhams also progressed from the group with a hard-earned 0-18 to 1-12 win over Carrick Davins in Cahir.