Limerick hurling championships to take shape after weekend action

WITH little time to reflect on the opening round of matches, the Whitebox Senior Hurling Championship continues this weekend.

Members of John Kiely’s All-Ireland winning panel were straight back into the fray and showed no signs of slowing down with the likes of Cian Lynch, Tom Morrissey and Shane O’Brien producing moments of magic back in their club colours.

While Adare - the only team in the SHC without any current inter-county players - produced an awesome team display, scoring five goals in their win over Garryspillane.

After this weekend, there will be some respite for the club hurlers with the following two weekends seeing a shift in focus to the club football championships.

Before that, the hurling tables will begin to take shape after the second round of action.

In Group 1, all three games are slated for the TUS Gaelic Grounds.

On Thursday, Kilmallock, on a high after beating defending champions Na Piarsaigh, take on Doon at 7pm.

“I was delighted with the work-rate, I was delighted with the application - I thought it was a really good game,” said Kilmallock manager James Hickey after the one-point win.

“The biggest thing today was the performance, that’s all you want in the first round of the championship, they can be unpredictable.”

With four of the six teams in Group 1 progressing to the knockout stage, Na Piarsaigh won’t be hitting the panic button. That said, they will be keen to get off the mark this Saturday when they take on Monaleen (6pm).

That is the second part of a TUS Gaelic Grounds double-header with Ahane taking on Ballybrown in part one at 4pm.

After four fifth-place finishes in a row, Ahane are looking to break into that top four this time around. Doing so would earn then a county quarter-final spot for the first time since 2019.

“Coming into round 1, every team just wants to get two points on the board and we have done that,” said Tom Morrissey after the Castleconnell-Lisnagry men earned a 1-23 to 2-18 win on Saturday evening.

“We’re thrilled to get points on the board going into next week. It eases the pressure going into round 2 against Ballybrown on Saturday, it gives us some positivity and momentum,” the six-time All-Ireland winner added.

Morrissey hit 1-7 in the opening round win - the green flag raised an early contender for goal of the year.

“We got off to a bad start so I was half tempted alright just to tap it over and get the team settled but I said I’d go for it and it went in anyway,” Morrissey smiled as he recounted the wonder-strike. “It gave us a bit of a boost thankfully and gave us the start that we needed then.”

There is less margin for error in Group 2 with just the top two teams progressing to the quarter-finals. That means for the three sides who suffered defeat in round 1, the pressure is on to turn it around.

With the margins razor thin and every team capable of beating each other, score difference may play a role. With that in mind, a ruthless Adare powered to a 21-point victory over Garryspillane to set the early pace in the standings.

“It’s the first round, so it’s a case of job done,” said former Limerick hurler Wayne McNamara. “We have a lot of work put in so thankfully we got the result.”

McNamara and company will be looking to continue their fine form on Friday night when they take on Kildimo-Pallaskenry.

Kildimo-Pallaskenry were beaten by Mungret St Paul’s in their opening clash despite scoring four goals - and conceding none. Sean Finn Park is the venue for the 7pm throw-in.At the same time in Kilmallock, there is the huge clash between Newcastle West and Garryspillane.

The last two Premier Intermediate champions face off with both teams suffering round 1 losses.

Even this early in the season, the loser of this game will be in huge relegation trouble. With the head-to-head rule being the first tie-breaker separating teams who finish level in the table, there are more than just the two points on offer in this contest.

Elsewhere, Patrickswell and Mungret St Paul’s put their early unbeaten records on the line when they meet on Saturday at Claughaun (7pm throw in).

After a four-point win over Newcastle West, the ‘Well took the first step as they bid to return to the ‘A’ section of the championship after being demoted last season.

“Getting off to a winning start is great,” said Cian Lynch after the round 1 win. “We knew coming here tonight playing Newcastle West was going to be a tough battle and it was.

“They are a great side, they are up-and-coming so for us to get a result and be able to drive on is great.”

In the Lyons of Limerick Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship, Dromin-Athlacca and Murroe-Boher are the early pace-setters as that competition heads into its third round.

After being relegated from the senior ranks last year, the south Limerick side are looking to make an immediate return to the top level.

On the other side of the coin, Murroe-Boher won the Intermediate Hurling Championship last year are looking to keep the momentum going.

They face Bruff in Fedamore on Saturday at 7pm. The Stars, remarkably, have drawn both their games to date in the competition.

Dromin-Athlacca also face a side with two draws on the board - they take on Effin at the same time in Kilmallock.

Before those clashes, there are two games on Friday - Blackrock take on Glenroe in Knocklong and Croagh-Kilfinny meet Granagh-Ballingarry in Sean Finn Park.

Both games throw in at 7pm.

In the Nick Grene Sportsground Intermediate Hurling Championship, there were round 1 wins for Feohanagh, Feenagh-Kilmeedy and Pallasgreen in Group 1 while Knockaderry, Bruree and Knockainey got off the mark in Group 2.