Lusmagh 2-15 Belmont 0-9

[Lone Shark]

This was the third year in succession that these teams had met in the group stages of the Offaly senior hurling championship and while there was very little to separate them in 2005, some two years later the scoreline is an fair reflection of the where both teams stand in the county’s pecking order. Lusmagh are a balanced, competent and competitive team, possibly lacking in star quality but nonetheless a side that will not be easily beaten if they continue to play with this level of ability and drive. They ran Coolderry very close in last year’s quarter final and it’s fair to say going at least one step further is certainly a possibility for James Heffernan’s charges this summer. Belmont on the other hand have some very talented players, but the lack of depth in the panel is a real issue and it’s hard to see how they can compensate for the lack of power in the team, particularly up front. The current difficulties being experienced by Ballyskenach means that relegation looks unlikely as of yet, but seeing as they now need to beat St. Rynagh’s to have any chance of a spot in the knockout stages, the odds of Belmont progressing from the group look to be massive.

The loss of county minor Colin Egan through injury was one of the reasons for a reshuffle of the Belmont team named on the programme, and one of their more unusual decisions was to play Offaly senior panellist David Kenny at full back marking Aidan Hanrahan. Kenny is a good all round hurler, but full back is a quite specialist position and Hanrahan wasted no time in exploiting his lack of experience there. The first ball that went in was well won by Kenny, but Hanrahan pounced on his split second delay in clearing the ball to block down, scoop up the loose ball and split the posts for the opening score. Hanrahan was also the source of Lusmagh’s second point and two Gary Kelly frees had followed before Belmont finally got off the mark through James Murphy. Previous games between these sides had been very tight, so a four point lead appeared quite substantial, but Belmont had the upper hand for the latter part of the first half and worked hard at eroding the Reds’ lead. Alan Egan got their second score before younger brother Mark began to find his range, hitting three in succession, albeit interrupted by another Kelly free. Austin Lynch interrupted a dry spell for Lusmagh with a point that briefly put them back in front, but Mark Egan and David Kenny scores, also from placed balls, left Belmont 0-7 to 0-6 in front at half time.

The scores were however only a part of the story of the half. Conditions in Carrig were moderate, but as the game wore on the breeze began to pick up and was set to favour Lusmagh in the second half. In addition Belmont had carved out several goal chances but had failed to convert – Mark Egan and Ciarán Kenny guilty of missing the two best chances to raise a green flag.

Just how useful the wind was to Lusmagh became clear very early in the second half as keeper Eoin Kelly began dropping puckouts right onto the Lusmagh full forward line. Paul Bermingham’s ability in the air came to the fore and the young corner forward twice won possession in the first five minutes and laid off to the incoming Aidan Hanrahan, who unlike Belmont in the first half made no mistake with either of his chances, finishing low and hard past Declan Murphy on both occasions. A one point Belmont lead at half time had turned into an eight point Lusmagh advantage five minutes into the second period, and with Belmont backs under pressure and the Egan brothers starved of the kind of quick low ball on which they thrive a comeback never looked likely.

Lusmagh didn’t look to do anything out of the ordinary in the second half, they merely sat back and denied Belmont space while David Moran and Fintan Kelly cleared countless amounts of ball without ever looking under pressure. The Lusmagh forwards worked hard and when the fouls came Gary Kelly was metronomic with the resultant frees, finishing with ten frees from eleven attempts, including one from his own 45m line.

Belmont kept plugging away but nothing was really going right for them – they missed a series of scorable chances and had no answer to the dominance Lusmagh were enjoying in several key areas of the field. The final score may not have been reflective of the honest endeavour that Belmont brought to this game, but in truth it was fair reflection of the respective abilities of both sides, a game that will have heightened Lusmagh’s expectations in advance of a clash with neighbours St. Rynagh’s. That clash that now looks set to determine the winner of Group 3 of the Offaly senior hurling championship, and if Lusmagh can put aside their traditional fear of playing their much bigger nerves, they have every chance of securing a very significant victory in what will be a huge match for the club.



Lusmagh – Eoin Kelly; Kevin Bermingham, John Kelly, Ciarán Bermingham; David Moran, Brian Bermingham, David Kelly; Fintan Kelly, Brian Troy; Austin Lynch (0-1), Declan Kelly (0-1), Gary Kelly (0-10, frees); Paul Bermingham, Aidan Hanrahan (2-3), Adrian Lynch.
Subs: None

Belmont – Declan Murphy; James Kelly, David Kenny (0-1, free), Thomas Coleman; Ronan Daly, John Egan, Liam Browne; Ciarán Claffey, James Murphy (0-1); Paul Egan, Jason Clancy, Ciarán Kenny (0-1); Mark Egan (0-5, 0-3 frees, 0-1 ’65), Alan Clancy, Alan Egan (0-1).
Subs: None

Referee: Carthage Buckley