Bruff too good for Granagh-Ballingarry in Limerick premier intermediate hurling championship
Bruff make winning start to campaign with 1-18 to 0-14 success
BRUFF eased past Granagh-Ballingarry 1-18 to 0-14 to get their Lyons of Limerick County Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship campaign off to the best possible start at a sunny Ballyagran on Thursday night.
The South Limerick men lead from the first score marching into a four-point lead by the fifth minute and never surrendered their advantage.
Chris Browne and Tadgh Boddy provided the focal point of the Bruff attack hitting 0-8 between them with a 17th-minute Darragh Butler goal providing a crucial cushion in the contest.
Sean O’Connor was the talisman for Granagh-Ballingarry hitting seven points, but the west Limerick men could not close the scoring gap, getting closest in the third first minute of the second half when Eoin Horgan made it 1-9 to 0-9.
Bruff were forced to see out the game without four-time All-Star Sean Finn as the Intercounty corner back limped off with an injury. Granagh-Ballingarry surged in a bid to to close the gap, but a late four-point Bruff blitz saw them see the game out comfortably.
SCORERS: Bruff: Tadgh Boddy 0-5 (4f), Chris Browne 0-4, Darragh Butler 1-1, Paul O’Riordan 0-2, Sean Murnane 0-1, Kevin Bonnar 0-1, Sean Finn 0-1, Danny O’Leary 0-1, Paul Browne 0-1. Granagh-Ballingarry: Sean O’Connor 0-7 (5f), Denis O’Connor 0-1 (f), Darragh Casey 0-2, Luke Flynn 0-2, Eoin Horgan 0-1, Damien O’Donovan 0-1.
BRUFF: Eric Finn, Patrick Finn, Colin Madden, Owen Meaney, Kevin Bonnar, Sean Finn (Gavin Bracken 52), Sean Casey, Paul Browne, Sean Murnane (Josh Keating 47), David Browne, (Michael O’Riordan 52), Chris Browne, Paul O’Riordan, Darragh Butler (Bradley McNamara 55), Danny O’Leary, Tadgh Boddy.
GRANAGH-BALLINGARRY: Denis O’Connor, Eoghan Casey, John Kealy, Brian Sheehy, Ronan Mullane, Jack Cagney, Colm
Noonan (Damien O’Donovan 30), Josh Mulcaire-Quille, Darragh Casey, David Condron, Mike Russell, Sean O’Connor, Eoin Horgan, Luke Flynn, Eoin Lynch (Eoin Herlihy 40).
REFEREE: Donnacha O’Callaghan (Feohanagh-Castlemahon)