Doon power to Limerick SHC quarter-final with big win over Ahane

DOON are into the Whitebox Limerick Senior Hurling Championship quarter-finals after a 2-29 to 1-14 win over Ahane in their final Group 1 game at Mick Neville Park in Rathkeale.

The result sees Ahane finish bottom of the table and ensures that they will ply their trade in Group 2 in 2027.

Limerick star Adam English fired over 14 points, while Gareth Thomas and Dean Coleman slotted second half goals on the way to an 18-point win.

Ahane weren’t helped by the sending off of Padraig Harnett soon after they had levelled the game via a Ciaran Barry goal. He received his marching orders after a challenge with Barry Murphy.

Dean Coleman had Doon in front inside 40 seconds but John O’Connor soon had Ahane back on level terms.

Adam English and O’Connor then traded blows before Doon took the game by the hand with strikes from English, Chris Thomas and Pat Ryan. That had them 0-5 to 0-2 ahead after 10 minutes.

Ahane struck back through Tom Morrissey and Cathal O’Mara to reduce the advantage to one but Darragh Coughlan and English restored Doon’s three-point lead just after the quarter hour mark.

Eamonn Richardson and Jack Cosgrove had their own little battle by sharing the next four scores but O’Mara’s second of the evening had it two-points heading to the 25 minute mark.

Cian O’Donovan fired over from distance for Doon to make it a three-point game in their favour but the games was squared moments later with Ahane’s goal.

Barry ran onto a deft Cosgrove flick and buried a low finish into the corner of Tomas Lynch’s goal to leave the score at 0-10 to 1-7.

Then came the sending off. Harnett was given his marching orders with a challenge that looked more unfortunate than deliberate on Barry Murphy and Doon took firm hold on the game from then on.

English fired over four points in the remainder of the half with Darragh O’Donovan also on the scoreboard to give them a 0-15 to 1-7 lead at the break.

Ahane made a fine start to the second half with three points on the bounce to reduce the deficit to two but Doon soon made the extra man tell.

The extra space was a gift with O’Donovan and Coleman combining to provide Gareth Thomas with the time to flick a close range finish to the net with his first touch after coming on at half time.

Doon followed up that goal with another five points before landing a second goal. Donal Coughlan and English were the creators this time for Coleman to blast a shot to the net from close range.

There were cameos thereafter from Sean McDonnell, two points, and Darragh Coughlan with one as Doon romped home to third place in the table and a spot in the quarter-finals.

SCORERS - DOON: Adam English 0-14 (8f, 1 ‘65), Dean Coleman and Gareth Thomas 1-2 each, Donal Coughlan, Eamonn Richardson and Sean McDonnell 0-2 each, Pat Ryan, Chris Thomas, Cian O’Donovan, Darragh O’Donovan and Darragh Coughlan 0-1 each; AHANE: Ciaran Barry 1-1 (1f), Tom Morrissey 0-4 (2f) and John O’Connor 0-3, Jack Cosgrove and Cathal O’Mara 0-2 each, Gavin Rowsome and Ronan Fox 0-1 each.

DOON: Tomas Lynch; Eamonn Richardson, Tommy Hayes, Cian O’Donovan; Aidan O’Connell, Barry Murphy, Richie English; Darragh O’Donovan, Adam English; Jack Ryan, Chris Thomas, Eddie Stokes; Dean Coleman, Donal Coughlan, Pat Ryan; Subs: Gareth Thomas for O’Connell (h-t), Kevin Maher for Stokes (47 mins), Darragh Coughlan for Murphy (51 mins), Sean McDonnell for Coleman (52 mins).

AHANE: Cathal Ryan; Gavin Rowsome, Padraig Harnett, Evan O’Leary; Dan Minihan, Dan Morrissey, Ciaran Barry; Conor Ryan, Conor Heffernan; Donal Dawson, John O’Connor, Mark Donnellan; Jack Cosgrove, Tom Morrissey, Cathal O’Mara; Subs: James Rennison for Dawson (h-t), Conor Bickford for Ryan (46 mins), Ronan Fox for Donnellan (51 mins), Peter O’Grady for Rowsome (57 mins).

Referee: Kieran Guina (Feohanagh-Castlemahon).