South Liberties' hurlers back to winning ways with victory over Glenroe in Limerick Premier IHC

SOUTH LIBERTIES got their first win of the Lyons of Limerick Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship with a 0-20 to 0-17 victory over Glenroe.

The round three tie was played in Doon this Thursday evening.

Relegated from the senior ranks last year, Liberties had lost their two opening round games ahead of this tie.

Yet it wasn't until they grasped the nettle eight minutes after the break and turned a deficit of four into a lead of three that they showed the form that led them to the county senior senior semi-final of 2022 and finally put almost three years of disappointing performances behind them.

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Although the transformation was inspired by the outstanding contribution of county star Barry Nash in the middle of the park, it was more than anything else a team performance that shared out the responsibilities of scoring across the lineup rather than exclusively relying on the finishing of Nash from play and of Ken Byrnes from placed balls. Once the efforts of others like four-point Brian Garry started finding the target, the whole side found the confidence to go for the score themselves whenever the opportunity presented itself rather than leaving it to their two main marksmen.

Liberties didn't waste any time getting down to business as Nash pointed off a scramble from the throw-in Ken Byrnes immediately followed up from a free but, once the Glenroe defence settled down from the blitzkrieg, two long deliveries found Darren Frewen escaping from his marker to score twice on the turn. Continuing to use the breeze at their backs, the Ballyhoura men took the lead when Frewen pointed on the turn from near the right sideline and, after Barry Cooney equalised, the score remained on level terms as Liam Dennehy and Brian Garry swapped points.

However, once Dennehy added another to put them back in front, the south Limerick side lengthened their stride and put the passes together for Oisín Browne, Frewen's free, Dennehy and goalie David McCarthy coming out beyond his '45' to convert a monster free to widen the gap to five. However, just as they looked as if they were being overwhelmed by the busy Glenroe presence in the middle third, the Knockea club tightened their lines for Byrnes to convert a free and a '65' just after Frewen had rattled the upright up at the other end and then follow up with a strike from play before Frewen's free was met by Shane Kilcoyne and McCarthy came up to send over another monster free to extend Glenroe's lead to 0-11 to 0-8 at the break.

The game also restarted with a bang as Ciarán Kelly pointed straight from the throw-in only to be met by John Hickey from the resulting puckout and Frewen's free then restoring the Ballyhoura men's advantage to three. Play then settled down as Glenroe soaked up their opponents' response but, when the increasing dominance of Nash around the middle was finally reflected on the scoreboard by a rapid-fire pair of points, Liberties finally got all cylinders firing as Eoghan Godfrey's enormous strike, Brian Garry, Cooney, Nash, Garry again and Nash again vaulted them into a lead of four.

However, despite being hit by seven scores on the trot, Glenroe weren't ready to throw in the towel and, with ten regulation minutes, they were steadied by a long Seán O'Donnell strike and, when Frewen and McCarthy followed up with frees before Frewen then equalised, the momentum had switched sides once again. But the response had stretched them to the limits. As Byrnes struck back with a free and Seán Fitzpatrick sent the resulting puckout back between the posts, Liberties could afford to pack back to frustrate Glenroe's injury-time search of the goal and then ease the pressure further when Garry picked off the game's final score.

SCORERS: SOUTH LIBERTIES: Barry Nash, Ken Byrnes (3 frees, 1 '65') 0-5 each, Brian Garry 0-4, Barry Cooney 0-2, Shane Kilcoyne, John Hickey, Eoghan McSweeney, Seán Fitzpatrick 0-1 each. GLENROE: Darren Frewen 0-8 ( 4 frees), David McCarthy (3 frees), Liam Dennehy 0-3 each, Oisín Browne, Ciarán Kelly, Seán O'Donnell 0-1 each.

SOUTH LIBERTIES: Ben Garry; Ben O'Donoghue, Eoin Quilty, Alex Keyes; Shane Kilcoyne, Eoghan Godfrey, Mike O'Brien; Barry Nash, John Hickey; Seán Holland, David Garry, Barry Cooney; Brian Garry, Shane O'Neill, Ken Byrnes. SUBS: Tony Carroll for Ben O'Donoghue (injured, half-time), Ben Compton for David Garry (58 minutes).

GLENROE: David McCarthy; Shane O'Donoghue, Patrick Holian, Darren Carroll; Seán O'Donnell, Stephen Walsh, Jordan Sheehy; Daniel Murphy, Brian O'Connell; Ciarán Kelly, Mark O'Connell, Liam Dennehy; Adam Frewen, Darren Frewen, Cillian Browne. SUBS: Cillian O'Brein for Mark O'Connell (half-time), Aaron Buckley for Adam Frewen (40 minutes), Daithí Dennehy for Darren Carroll (42 minutes).

REFEREE: Timmy McGrath (Oola).