Kilmacthomas, Ballinameela and An Rinn advance to Munster Club Championships

Another exciting weekend of hurling and football in the Déise County has come to an end. Five different clubs have collected some silverware, three of which now go on to represent the county in the Munster Club Championship while other clubs have moved to with sixty minutes of possibly collecting some silverware in the next week or two.

Kilmacthomas are county junior football champions for 2012 after they beat Tallow in the first of three finals played at Walsh Park on Saturday afternoon beating Tallow.

Early goals from Anthony Power and Eoin Walsh sent the mid county side nicely along their way.

A Michael Curley goal for Tallow four minutes from the break brought the Bride-siders to within a point of Kilmacthomas who went in leading 2-4 to 1-5 at the break after kicking a late point.

Scores in the second half were hard fought. Kilmacthomas added six to their half time tally while Tallow added just two.

Kilmacthomas will now move up to the Intermediate ranks in 2013 adding to what is already a tough Eastern Championship to come out of.

The middle game at Walsh Park was the first of two between Ballinameela and De La Salle. The first meeting of the two sides was the County Junior Football ‘Intermediate Attached’ Final which proved to be a closely fought battle.

De La Salle had the better of the exchanges in the first half and went in at the break leading 0-5 to 0-3.

A goal from Kieran Egan mid way through the second half helped extend the city sides lead to 1-9 to 0-4 but the Western Champions finished the stronger of the two sides. The added a Benny Fitzgerald goal in the closing five minutes of the game but they had left themselves with too much to do and after sixty minutes had to settle for second best going under 1-10 to 1-8.

The Intermediate County Final between the same two sides saw De La Salle have a flying start hitting a very early goal. However by the time the break came around, Ballinameela had reeled in De La Salle and lead 0-8 to 1-3.

The second half saw the two sides continue to battle hard against each other and after sixty minutes it was Ballinameela who moved back up to the Senior ranks twelve months after dropping down to the Intermediate grade, winning the game on a 0-12 to 1-8 scoreline.

In the Senior Football Championship, the Nire proved too strong for Clashmore at Fraher Field, and in the process proved that goals do win games.

First half goals from Shane Ryan from a Penalty and Jamie Barron help set up a 2-6 to 0-7 lead at the break for The Nire.

A third Nire goal from Thomas O’Gorman twenty three seconds after the restart killed off any chance that Clashmore had. The Nire eventually ran out 3-13 to 0-15 winners and will now meet Stradbally in the County Final in two weeks time.

Dungarvan won a classic Minor ‘A’ Final at Fraher Field on Sunday afternoon. Both sides had a number of outstanding players on show in this game.

Dungarvan with the wind at their backs in the first half proved to be slightly the better of the two sides, with Cathal Curran having an impressive thirty minutes from placed balls. Goals from Adam Flynn and Stephen Bennett however kept them in the game and went in only trailing 0-15 to 2-6.

Cathal Curran hit a goal for Dungarvan on forty-six minutes to give his side a 1-17 to 2-10 lead but it was cancelled out within seconds after Adam Flynn hit his second of the game.

Aaron Donnelly hit a second Dungarvan goal sixty seconds from the hour mark to give his side a 2-19 to 3-13 lead but in added time Stephen Bennett hit his second of the game to level matters on sixty two minutes.

Dungarvan however proved to be the hungrier of the two sides and in the two remaining minutes, they made up somewhat for the disappointment of loosing the senior final a week previously after Patrick Curran with the help of the upright and team captain Ryan Donnelly added points to secure a 2-21 to 4-13 victory.

The Intermediate Hurling final proved to be a very disappointing affair. On the day Portlaw proved no match for an An Rinn side that had obviously done a lot of work under the guidance of Peter Power in recent weeks.

A goal from Man of the Match – Liam Ó Lionáin on six minutes set the ball rolling as far as An Rinn were concerned.

Portlaw had a goal disallowed on thirteen minutes, the referee and umpires seemingly indicating that the ball was thrown or hand passed to the An Rinn net.

Within seconds An Rinn won a penalty after Liam Ó Lionáin was fouled but Donie Breathnach saw his effort saved and cleared by former reserve Waterford senior hurling net minder Noel Kelly.

An Rinn went in leading 1-8 to 0-3 and despite finishing the game with thirteen men after Ciaran Ó Manachain was sent off midway through the second half on a straight red card and loosing Eoin Breathnach late in the game with an injury having used their quota of subs, An Rinn proved too strong for Portlaw and will now go on to play the Cork or Limerick Champions in a Munster Semi Final in the coming weeks.