And then there were four!
Shane Brophy
Last weekends quarter finals in the County Senior Hurling Championship didn’t live up to expectations in terms of the closeness, but for the four clubs that are still in the race for the Dan Breen Cup, they won’t mind one bit.
Saturday’s first set of quarter finals went to form with victories for Holycross/Ballycahill and Loughmore/Castleiney, but more comfortably than were anticipated. Both were mirror images of each other with three first half goals setting them up for 3-11 to 0-11 half time leads, and victories over Cashel King Cormacs and Toomevara respectively.
The Mid rivals were drawn together in the first semi-final on Saturday, 11th October, at 4.10pm, the rather odd start time owing to live television coverage on RTE as the lure of the All-Ireland champion county with the McGrath’s and the nationally lauded Loughmore/Castleiney story taking on an up and coming Holycross/Ballycahill side.
Prior to the start of the campaign, not many would have had Drom & Inch or Nenagh Eire Og getting to the decider but one of them will be part of county final day when they meet in the second semi-final on Sunday, 12th October at 4.00pm.
Drom & Inch’s seven-goal quarter final performance, inspired by Seamus Callanan, saw them stun Mid rivals Moycarkey/Borris as their quest for a second county title remains, as it does for Nenagh Eire Og who avenged their North Championship defeat to Kilruane MacDonagh’s in July with a deserved six-point victory.
On the same Sunday in Templemore will see Lorrha and CJ Kickhams Mullinahone aim to be still in contention for the Dan Breen Cup in 2026 when they meet in the senior hurling relegation final.
Lorrha once again came up short in this years championship, with Roscrea mounting a strong final quarter surge to edge their relegation semi-final on Saturday in Cloughjordan while on Sunday, Mullinahone were nine-points shy of Clonoulty/Rossmore.
The West Tipp’s senior camogie team remain on course to retain the county title after a comfortably victory over Burgess/Duharra in the quarter finals. Disappointingly, three of the four game were one-sided, with Drom & Inch overcoming Silvermines, to set up a clash with Clonoulty while the second semi-final will be between Thurles Sarsfields, who easily overcame Moneygall, and Knockavilla-Donaskeigh Kickhams who caused the upset of the round with an extra time victory over Eire Og Annacarty/Donohill.
Next years senior championship won’t contain Shannon Rovers whose stay in the grade lasted just two years following the relegation final defeat to Cashel King Cormacs.
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