Eight into Four doesn’t go!
By Shane Brophy
A sign the County Championships are getting serious is when FBD Semple Stadium is opens its doors for the first time as the Field of Legends gets set to host the four senior hurling championship quarter finals Saturday and Sunday.
In one of the best weekends of the year for the club game, outside of the opening round of the championship, the four marquee quarter finals are among no fewer than sixteen quarter finals taking place in top four grades, including premier intermediate, intermediate and junior.
Following last weekends two preliminary quarter finals, which included the elimination of two-time defending champions Loughmore/Castleiney, the draw for next weekends quarter finals was always going to throw up mouth-watering ties.
Moycarkey/Borris and Kiladangan will get the quarter finals underway on Saturday afternoon, in a repeat of the same stage two years ago when the Mid side upset the defending champions at the time, so Dan Hackett’s charges won’t lack for motivation this time around against arguably the form team so far.
The second Saturday quarter final is a traditional one as Thurles Sarsfields and Borris-Ileigh square up once more, however, you have to go as far back to 1950 for the last time the maroons got the better of the blues in championship hurling.
Sunday’s quarter finals get underway with Nenagh Eire Og looking to take the momentum of their preliminary quarter final win over Clonoulty/Rossmore, when they take on another West side, Cashel King Cormacs. However, they might have to do it without talisman and captain Jake Morris who limped out of last Sunday's win with an ankle injury and would have to be rated as a major doubt to be ready in the space of the week.
The best of the quarter finals is arguably left until last with newly installed championship favourites Holycross/Ballycahill looking to build on their marquee win over Loughmore when they face Mid rivals JK Brackens who have had their number at divisional level in recent years.
With the elimination of Clonoulty/Rossmore and Silvermines in the preliminary quarter finals of their respective grades last Sunday, the way is now clear for the relegation semi-finals at senior and intermediate level.
In senior, it is remarkably similar to twelve months ago with Clonoulty/Rossmore and CJ Kickhams Mullinahone meeting for the second year in a row in a relegation semi-final, while Roscrea, also in the same predicament in 2025, facing Upperchurch/Drombane who take Lorrha’s place at this stage.
The premier intermediate relegation semi-finals are no less intriguing with Ballina and Templederry Kenyons squaring off in Nenagh on Saturday afternoon while just under 24 hours later in Dundrum, North champions Silvermines face off against Carrick Swan who can’t buy a result at the moment after reaching the last two county finals.
Lorrha are the last remaining club from the North division in the race for the Seamus O Riain Cup as they come up against Eire Og Annacarty/Donohill on Sunday, who ended Moneygall’s quest for glory in impressive fashion last weekend.
Thurles Sarsfields and Boherlahan-Dualla were also preliminary quarter final winners and have been drawn against Golden Kilfeacle and Killenaule respectively, with Moyne-Templetuohy providing the opposition for South champions St Mary’s in the remaining quarter final.
In the intermediate grade, Newport made their exit last Sunday in unlucky fashion when defeated in a penalty shootout by Skeheenarinky in the sole preliminary quarter final. The South champions will now provide the opposition for Borrisokane in one of the four quarter finals next weekend where North and West champions Portroe and Arravale Rovers respectively, collide in arguably the most eye-catching tie, with Ballingarry v Clonakenny and Kilsheelan/Kilcash v Cappawhite rounding off the action.