Winners from Last Two Years to Clash in Round Two of Senior Football Championship

The three big sides are safely through to the second round winners section of this year’s County Senior Football Championship, after all three won their opening fixtures over the past weekend.

The Nire on Friday evening proved just too strong for a Clashmore/Kinsalebeg side that were finishing strong, winning on a 0-9 to 0-8 score line.

At the break the two sides were locked at 0-4 each on the score board after Clashmore had played with the aid of a strong win in the opening thirty minutes.

Shane Walsh on the night kicked five points for his side, while Brian O’Halloran was equally as impressive at the other end of the field kicking 0-4.

Two games were played on Saturday evening.

Kilrossanty made it to the round two winners section when they beat Gaultier at Kill.

The Comeragh Men raced into an early lead and were 1-1 to no score up after three minutes, the goal coming from Tommy Prendergast.

By the midway point in the opening half Kilrossanty were 1-4 to 0-2 in front and turned around leading 2-5 to 0-6, their second goal coming five minutes from the break through Joey Veale.

The Barony Men hit a goal on forty minutes when JJ Hutchinson slammed home a penalty to trail 2-6 to 1-7, but they could not get on top against what is a good Kilrossanty side who struck a third goal on fifty five minutes, a second for Joey Veale which helped them to a 3-8 to 1-11 victory.

At Lemybrien, Stradbally as expected overcame the challenge of Ardmore, having ten points to spare at the end of the hour.

At the break Stradbally turned around leading 0-9 to 0-5.

Ardmore were dealt a blow ten minutes into the second half when Seamus Prendergast was ordered off after he collected a second yellow card, at which time his side trailed 0-11 to 0-8.

Robert Ahearne hit the first goal of the game ten minutes from time giving his side a 1-16 to 0-8 lead, but the score was cancelled out a minute later when Sean Barron struck home a penalty.

Stradbally as they had for much of this game continued to prove to be the better of the two sides in the time that remained and they ran out winners 1-19 to 1-9.

Two games were played at Lemybrien on Sunday afternoon.

In the first it looked early on as if last year’s Intermediate Champions would cause the first shock of the championship as Portlaw raced into a 0-3 to no score lead by the end of the first quarter in which time they also kicked six wides.

By the break they were still in control as they lead 0-5 to 0-1, but had increased their wide tally to 10 and you wondered would this be a telling contribution at the end of the hour.

Jim Barron struck a goal for Ballinameela after thirty six minutes which levelled the scoring 0-5 to 1-2.

Paul Shanky was sent off on a straight red card late on in the game and with the extra man Ballinameela went in front with six minutes to play when Jim Curran pointed to give them a 1-4 to 0-6 cushion.

Tom Curran secured the win for Ballinameela late on when he rattled the Portlaw net, sending his side through to the winners section in round two on a 2-6 to 0-7 score line.

Ballinacourty were made work hard for their victory over Rathgormack in the second game played at Lemybrien on Sunday afternoon.

Mark Ferncombe hit the only goal of the first half after eighteen minutes which helped his side to a 1-4 to 0-2 lead at the break.

The second half was equally as close and a second goal from Mark Ferncombe on forty four minutes proved decisive as Ballinacourty ran out 2-8 to 0-11 winners.

In the final game of the weekend, a Fearghal O Cuirrin goal on seven minutes proved to be the difference between An Rinn and Brickeys at the break in Fraher Field as An Rinn lead 1-5 to 0-5, but the Bushy Park based club could have been closer but for the fact that Odhrán Ó hUallachain saved a Carthach Shalloe penalty a minute from the end of normal time.

An Rinn continued to be the better of the two sides in the second half at the end of which they held a 1-13 to 0-10 advantage on the score board.

After the game the draws for the second round followed for both the winners and losers sections of the competition.

In the winners section Ballinacourty will play An Rinn. In what must be the game of the round the champions of the last two years Stradbally and The Nire meet, while in the final game in the winners section, Ballinameela will play Kilrossanty. The winners of these three games will advance to the semi-final of the competition, while the winners will play round three.

In the losers section, Ardmore were paired with Portlaw, Brickeys will play Gaultier and Rathgormack will play Clashmore in what could be the game of the round in this section of the competition.

The winners of these games will advance to round three, while the losers will play off amongst each other to see which side will be relegated.

The three winners from round three would play off to find one team that would join the round two winners in the semi-finals of the competition which would be an open draw.