It was a busy and complicated weekend on the hurling scene in Kilkenny, with championship first-round fixtures, games with relegation implications, and league and shield finals.
Paradoxically it was the two encounters offering silverware that were the least important on the schedule.
Sounds odd? Yes. But Saturday’s double bill at Nowlan Park, comprising the league and shield deciders, featured four teams — the city trio of Dicksboro, James Stephens and O’Loughlin Gaels, plus Bennettsbridge — who had already qualified for the championship quarter-finals.
This was an opportunity to get something into the trophy cabinet to show for their efforts for the season.
James Stephens, beaten county finalists last year, squeezed out their crosstown rivals O’Loughlins by the minimum margin in the league final, 1-17 to 1-16. The winners always looked to have a little in hand and although Sammy Johnston’s goal early in the second half put O’Loughlins two points ahead, a similar score at the other end from Luke Scanlon handed the initiative back to the men in green and red.
The shield final, contested by the two teams who finished second in the respective groups, resulted in a 2-24 to 2-17 victory for Dicksboro over Bennettsbridge.
County champions Dicksboro led by 0-13 to 0-7 at the break and entering the closing 10 minutes had stretched their advantage to 13 points before late goals by Sean Morrissey and Jason Cleere (penalty) took the bad look off the scoreline from the ‘Bridge’s point of view.
An injury-time free from Conor Fogarty secured a draw for Erin’s Own (Castlecomer) against Carrickshock in the first of the weekend’s four first-round championship clashes. Two minutes earlier Michael Rice had put Carrickshock 1-18 to 2-14 in front with a point from the left wing.
Mullinavat secured their quarter-final ticket with a 2-14 to 0-16 success against Rower Inistioge. Goals by John Walsh and Oisin Knox ensured the winners were level at the interval. For their part, Rower Inistioge were left to rue a string of bad wides.
Despite managing only three scores in the second half Clara saw off Danesfort by 3-10 to 1-14. Danesfort fought back from nine points down to draw level five minutes from the end but were floored at the death when James Nolan, who’d already scored two goals, drew the defence and provided the assist for Chris Bolger to seal it for Clara.
The most important statement of the weekend was reserved till last in the shape of Ballyhale Shamrocks’ emphatic victory, 3-22 to 1-12, over St Patrick’s of Ballyragget yesterday evening.
The winners hit the ground running and led by nine points at the midway stage following Colin Fennelly’s kicked goal. Eoin Cody and TJ Reid, the latter after a neat dummy, hit the net in the second half. Reid finished with a tally of 1-11.
They haven’t gone away. Just in case you’d been wondering.
Ballyhale Shamrocks v Dicksboro; Bennettsbridge v Mullinavat; Clara v O’Loughlins; James Stephens v Carrickshock or Erin’s Own.