Conor Staunton inspires Kilmallock to victory over Na Piarsaigh in Limerick senior hurling league final

KILMALLOCK are the 2025 County Senior Hurling League champions after they beat Na Piarsaigh by 0-18 to 0-15 at Claughaun on Saturday evening. 

The south Limerick side were full value for their victory with centre forward Conor Staunton top scoring with eight points. Ronan Lynch replied with seven for Na Piarsaigh but it was Kilmallock that prevailed.

Kilmallock had a gale in their favour in the opening 30 minutes and got the scoring underway with Pierce Connery hitting the target.

Lynch replied for Na Piarsaigh but Kilmallock soon took control with Graeme Mulcahy, Connery and Staunton all on target.

Keith Dempsey halted the charge with a free for the Caherdavin side but Connery and a Staunton ’65 saw Kilmallock open up a 0-6 to 0-2 lead with 11 minutes played.

Mark Hogan reduced the deficit for Na Piarsaigh after good work by John O’Keeffe only for Connery’s fourth of the game to restore the four-point margin.

Staunton made that a five-point lead with a free with Gordon Brown soon replying for Na Piarsaigh.

Conor Hanley Clarke and Oisin O’Reilly pointed for Kilmallock in the run up to half time but a Lynch free cut the gap to five (0-10 to 0-5) at the short whistle.

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Na Piarsaigh would have been hoping for a sharp start to the second half but it was the ever clinical Staunton that drew first blood.

Lynch and O’Reilly traded blows in the aftermath and two further strikes from the Na Piarsaigh centre back cut Kilmallock’s advantage to three.

Staunton’s seventh point of the game had Kilmallock four clear but three on the bounce from Dempsey, Adrian Breen and Dempsey again ensured a grandstand finish.

 However, Na Piarsaigh were unable to get parity and points from Staunton and O’Reilly sealed the win for ‘The Balbec’.

Scorers:

Kilmallock: Conor Staunton 0-8 (0-5 frees, 0-1 65), Pierce Connery 0-4, Oisin O’Reilly 0-3, Graeme Mulcahy 0-2, Conor Hanley-Clarke (0-1, 0-1 free)

Na Piarsaigh: Ronan Lynch (0-7, 0-7 frees), Keith Dempsey (0-4, 0-3 frees), Mark Hogan, Gordon Brown, Dylan Lynch and Adrian Breen 0-1 each.

Kilmallock: Conor Hanley-Clarke; Dylan O’Brien, Liam English, Dan Joy; Robbie Egan, Aaron Costello; Aidan Enright; Stephen Quirke, Gearoid Enright; Sean Carroll, Conor Staunton, Graeme Mulcahy; Pierce Connery, Oisin O’Reilly, Shane Dowling.

Subs: David Woulfe for Carroll (44), Paudie O’Brien for Dowling (49), Cian Barrett for Mulcahy (58).

Na Piarsaigh: Pa O’Neill; Alan Dempsey, Sean Long, Padraic Heaney; Adam Fitzsimons, Ronan Lynch, Tommy Grimes; James Finn, John O’Keeffe; JJ Carey, Keith Dempsey, Gordon Brown; Mark Hogan, Kevin Daly, Dylan Lynch.

Subs: Adrian Breen for Daly (39), Emmet McEvoy for Heaney (39), Marcus Hogan for Brown (59).

 Referee: Eamonn Stapleton (Doon).