Three Quarter Final Spots Secured In Senior Hurling Championship

Three of the eight clubs that will contest the quarter finals of this year’s county senior hurling championship are known already after the third round of games in this year’s competition were played in the weekend that has just past.

Three time champions De La Salle became the first club to reach the last eight of the competition when they rather easily accounted for an under strength Abbeyside at Walsh Park on Saturday evening.

The city side were always in control in this game and at the break they lead 2-12 to 0-8.

While Abbeyside were first to score through Sean Daly, the city side were quickly into their stride and hit points from Jake Dillon, Jack Fagan, Shane Ryan with a hat-trick of scores, John Mullane and Adam Farrell to give them a comfortable lead.

Shane Ryan hit the winners’ first goal on thirteen minutes and six minutes later former inter county favourite John Mullane finished to the net from close range when he was set up by Jake Dillon for a score that gave his side a 2-9 to 0-4 lead.

While it could be said that De La Salle eased up a little in the second half, the scores still came flooding along.

The winners had a chance of a third goal denied on 53 minutes when Stephen Enright did well to keep Jake Dillon’s effort out, but he was powerless to keep a Jack Fagan effort from entering his net two minutes from time, a score that helped the city side to a 3-20 to 0-14 victory.

Last year’s Intermediate Champions Lismore qualified for the last eight on Saturday evening at Fraher Field when they accounted for Portlaw.

Early in the game, Lismore who were missing Dan Shanahan for this game looked as if they were going to easily win this game as they went 1-8 to no score up inside eighteen minutes.

The Lismore goal came on nine minutes when Jack Prendergast found Peter O’Keeffe who made no mistake against Luke Power.

Portlaw’s first meaningful attack of the game resulted in a green flag on 19 minutes. Craig Fraher drew a good save from Seanie Barry but the sliotar fell kindly to Eoin Galvin who finished to the net.

The winners lead 1-9 to 1-3 at the break, and for much of the second half little if anything separated them form Portlaw on the night on the field of play, but in the end, Lismore’s greater experience told and they ran out 2-15 to 1-10 winners, their second goal coming nine minutes from time when Paudie Prendergast beat Luke Power.

The reigning champions and favourites to win the News and Star Cup again this year Ballygunner became the third team to qualify for the last eight, even with two games still to play in the group section of the competition.

Their game with Dungarvan, the last of the weekend to be played was the game of the weekend.

At one point in the second half it looked as if Ballygunner were going to have a very comfortable win in this one as they held a nine point lead, but credit must go to Dungarvan who fought back and made a game of it for the champions.

Early in the game it looked as if it was the champions would have to fight hard as they went three points down just minutes after the start as Patrick Curran with a brace and Ryan Donnelly landed early scores for the Old Boro.

For some reason the short puck out has come into the modern day game of hurling and many people (myself included) like to see it go wrong and be punished and when Darren Duggan opted to puck out short when his side was leading 0-7 to 0-6 with 17 minutes played, the sliotar went astray and Michael Mahony was able to intercept and he beat the Old Boro net minder to give his side the lead.

That goal proved to be crucial as it gave the champions who are seeking four in a row of titles this year a 1-8 to 0-10 lead at the break.

The Gunners second goal came 12 minutes after the restart. Shane O’Sullivan intercepted a poor John Curran clearance and he found Conor Power who finished to the net giving his side a 2-12 to 0-11 lead, and when Billy O’Keeffe and Conor Power followed up with point’s things were looking very good for the champions with 15 minutes to play.

But Dungarvan hit back with the next five scores, all from Patrick Curran in a seven minute spell, to leave his side 2-14 to 0-16 behind.

Important scores from Pauric Mahony helped Ballygunner to a 2-17 to 0-17 lead with time almost up, but Dungarvan refused to throw in the towel and appeared to be rewarded when Ryan Donnelly disposed David O’Sullivan and then shoot high into the roof of Stephen O’Keeffe’s net, but it proved to be a mere consolation score as it was the champions that got the final score of the game when Pauric Mahony raised his eight white flag of the evening.

In what was in all effect a relegation spot play-off between near neighbours Tallow and Ballyduff Upper on Friday evening, it was the Bride-siders that emerged victorious in a tight game winning 0-20 to 0-19.

Over the course of the game, the winners were the better of the two sides on the night and lead 0-12 to 0-11 at the break, but Ballyduff will be left cursing their look as with the final attack of the game inter county panel member Mikey Kearney struck the base of the Tallow post.

Ballyduff finished the game with thirteen players on the field as Oran Leamy and Denis McDonough were dismissed for tugging at the helmet of an opposing player. The sooner this practice which has crept into the game is eradicated the better as sooner rather than later, some player is going to be left seriously injured.

How the GAA will manage this is hard to know. One way might be to impose lengthy bans for those reported for committing this very dangerous act, and maybe appeals against sending off for such an offence could be banned as there is a risk that some youngster someday will do the same, and is willing to take a red card there and then in the knowledge that he can appeal the card up to three times, and maybe get off with it after one of the appeals.

It should be pointed out that the sending off’s in this game came late in the game and played no part in the final result.

Jamie Barron produced a brilliant performance for Fourmilewater when they played Roanmore at Fraher Field on Saturday evening.

The inter county player who is widely regarded as a certainty to win an All-Star this year and who is also in contention for hurler of the year often fell back deep into his own half of the field mopping up loose ball and sending out clever ball to players out the field and also popped up scoring two points for his side.

Fellow inter county player Conor Gleeson was also impressive for Fourmilewater hitting three points after he was switched from defence to attack where he scored three points while former inter county star Shane Walsh also impressed hitting three points.

At the break Fourmilewater lead 0-9 to 0-8 but they were by far the better side in the second half and with ten minutes to play they lead 0-17 to 0-9, but eight points in a row for the Ballymacarbry based outfit at the start of the second half proved decisive.

The sky blues scored the only goal of the game seven minutes from time after they won a 25 metre free from which Billy Nolan went for goal but was saved but Daniel Murphy was on hand to finish to the net at the second time of asking.

The meeting of Passage and Mount Sion proved to be the poorest game of the weekend.

At the break Passage lead 2-4 to 0-4.

Their first goal came on five minutes when Jamie Burke finished past Ian O’Regan after he was picked out by John Whitty.

Their second goal came in the dying moments of the first half when Stephen Lynch picked out Jamie Burke for his second major score of the game and third score overall in this game.

Mount Sion marginally shaded the second half when it came to scoring, outscoring their opponents five points to four, but in the end Jamie Burke’s first half brace of green flags was the difference between the sides in what was one of the worst senior hurling championship games played in the Déise County in a long number of years.