Offaly Senior Hurling Championship 2013

[kingscounty]

Good win for Birr last night to, 7 or 8 points to spare over Clareen.

That was a good win for Birr, wht asort of game was it?

Dont know to be honest i just got the result on offaly website, townman might be the man to let us know how the game went if he was at it.

[Plain of the Herbs]

Reported on Twitter that Killurin beat Rahan 0-15 to 0-10 in Intermediate hurling. Can anyone confirm this? I find this mildly incredible.

[Toxicity234]

belmount 4-12 kinnitty 2-14

Only made the Second half of the Belmont vs Kinnitty. Its was Bel 1-7 to Kinnitty 1-6. It was a tough competitive stuff. Colm Coughlan for Kinnitty played well got some great scores and Kinnitty looking were good with 10 mins to go and 3 pints up. James Rigney was bossing the game at centre back for them. Colin Egan was at full forward for most of the second half and saw almost no ball, but anything he did get he did damage with.
and where Belmont won the game. Belmont moved there Centre Back to Centre Forward for the last 10 mins and stopped Rigney hurling and winning the breaking ball and once belmont start winning the ball in the half forwards. they being dropping it in the square and Colin Egan won it.
The penalty was a bit harsh on the Kinnitty full back he look to be standing his ground but the next two goals were just good play for belmont. (playing to there strength.) and good finishing for Egan.
Its was a good second half to watch.
James Rigney and Colm Coughlan were excellent for Kinnitty. anything good Kinnitty did Coughlan was at the centre of it.
for Belmont there centre back was excellent. It said on the program it was Demo Egan but someone who knows the Belmont team better than me better confirm that.

[Toxicity234]

ht. kk 1-8 drum 9 .
ft . kk 5-14 drum 12.
Kilcormac/Killoughey.
1. Conor Slevin, 2. Chris Guinan, 3. Ger Healion. 4. James Geraghty. 5. Kevin Coyne. 6. Peter Healion. 7. Brian Leonard. 8. Killian Leonard. 9. Damian Kilmartin. 10. Ciaran Slevin. 11. Conor Mahon. 12. Peter Geraghty. 13. James Gorman. 14. Dan Currams. 15. Thomas Geraghty.

Drumcullen: line out all over the place i have done my best to name the team but it open to correction. 1. Damien Spain. 17. Andrew Mchugh, 3. Dermot Gath. 4 Danny Maher. 13. Niall O'Leary. 6. Harry Ryan. 7. John Brophy. 8. John Cashin. 2. Stephen Ryan. 10. Conor Gath. 30. ????????????. 14 Shane Molloy. 15. Alan Maher. 5 Padraig Guinan. 12 Ray Gath. that open to a lot of correction.

I have to admit that i was surprise at some of the hurling Drumcullen played. Some of it was really good. Now don't get me wrong Kilcormac Killoughey were miles the better team but Drumcullen working of the short puck out, covering in defence in the first half and working of the ball out of defence was as good was i have seen then play ever. There was aggression but it was control aggression as well. there defence didn't give away any frees for using the timber.
In the second half Drumcullen half back line got dragged out into midfield and the Kilcormac Killoughey full forward line went to to town in the space left behind.
Drumcullen need to learn a few thing to make them a soild outfit. 1, half back protect there full back. 2, Bombing in the ball on top of Ger Healion is never a good idea. use your space in the corner.
Cashin and Padraig Guinan are two fine hurlers and played well yesterday.

Kilcormac Killoughey will be happy with the win. they played to there normal game plan. they defend well. use the ball well but missed some easy score. they are the team to beat. 20 wides is something they have to work on.
The Healions and Leonard and Kilmartin were outstanding again.



Coolderry 2-19, Shirone 0-13.
Coolderry: 1. Stephen Corcoran, 2. Barry Larkin, 3 Trevor Corcoran. 4. Alan Corcoran. 5. Brendan O’Meara. 9. Kevin Brady. 7. David King. 8. Keivn Teehan. 18. Andrew Hall. 10. Declan Parlon. 11. Barry Teehan. 12. Martin Corcoran. 13. Barry Carroll. 14. Kevin Connolly. 15. Damien Murray.
Shirone. 1. Conor Cleary, 2 Daniel Hoctor, Michael Cleary, 4. Coonan, 5. Shane Mckelvey, 6. Mark Morkan. 7. Derek Morkan. 8. John Bevans. 9. Donal Morkan. 10. Declan Cleary. 11. Sean Cleary. 12 Conor Doughan. 13. Michael Cordial. 14. Darren O’Meara, 15. Jason Sampson.

A game of men vs boys. The men won. Coolderry have 2-02 scored within the 6 mins and they was no way back for Shirone. Kevin Brady at centre back hurler well but it was the coolderry full forward line what will have people wondering if they are the team to beat KK. Kevin Connolly pace is unbelievable. And Coolderry still have Cathal Parlon and Eoin Ryan to going that forward line.
Shirone have some nice hurlers but they young and just couldn’t match Coolderry power and pace. This Shirone will come good in the end, they have to many good hurlers not to. Personally I think they need to move Mark Morkan back into the half forward line.

[KillougheyGoBragh]

Very tense game I following on twitter and some contacts who are at the game in St Brendans Park.
The number of wides KK posted is worrying, 20 I think!
Delighted for the win and thats the most important stat at the moment.
Good game in prospect between Shinrone and Coolderry....

F/time coolderry 2-19 shinrone 0-13

[Killeighman]

That is correct that killurin beat shamrocks. Dwayne Dunne scored 13 of the points i believe

[Plain of the Herbs]

The only match I was at over the weekend was the Belmont v Kinnitty one. Belmont lined out with a half-forward line of Colin Egan, David Kelly and David Kenny while Damien Egan was centre half-back. T’was decent enough hurling too. Belmont were the better team in the first half – they were first out to the ball (and if they were second to the ball they generally still managed to get a hurl to it) and their combination play was better.

David Cox got a goal after about 20 minutes to give them a 1-4 to 0-4 lead. As half-time approached, a long free from Colm Coughlan went all the way to the net to level it, 1-6 each. David Kenny, by then at full-forward and appearing injured, pointed to give Belmont a 1-7 to 1-6 half-time lead. Kinnitty went to the dressing-room at half-time, Belmont opted for the shade of the trees behind the Cuba Avenue end – it was probably cooler there than inside.

Kinnitty, in snazzy new jerseys of green with a single white hoop, had the better of the third quarter. James Rigney cleaned up at centre half-back, Shane Kinsella doing very well at midfield, Aodan Kealey too, where they pressurised Belmont under their own puckout, where the Brosnasiders were tryong to pick low balls to Mark Egan. Kinnitty took the lead when Joe Kenny flicked the ball past his own goalkeeper. Kenny hurled well throughout but got caught initially when he tried to misplace a pass out of defence. They were level five minutes later when Leon Fox came up from wing-back to goal a penalty at a time when Belmont really needed a goal. Belmont did better once Kinnitty began to puck out with more increasing regularity, where Kinnity just didn't have the ball winners.

Still Kinnitty regained the initiative and were leading by two points when Colin Egan fielded at square’s edge, turned to his left and buried a goal. The Belmont cheering had barely died when another bomb was dropping in Colin’s right hand. Same turn, same shot, same result, and Belmont led 4-11 to 2-13 with less than five minutes remaining.

Kinnitty then moved James Rigney to full-back which deprived them of energy in attack when they needed it most. Colin Egan fired over the insurance point from distance, Kinnitty reduced the gap to three, and Belmont held on for a 4-12 to 2-14 win, one which will likely see them reach the quarter-finals at Kinnitty’s expense.

[Plain of the Herbs]

Centre half-back was Damien Egan, right enough.

belmount 4-12 kinnitty 2-14
for Belmont there centre back was excellent. It said on the program it was Demo Egan but someone who knows the Belmont team better than me better confirm that.

[Plain of the Herbs]

Round 3 Fixtures are on the County Board Site now. They are:
Thursday 25th July
Shinrone v Kinnitty at Birr at 8pm

Friday 26th July
Brosna Gaels v Drumcullen at Kilcormac at 8pm
Lusmagh v Belmont in Banagher at 8pm

Sunday 28th July
Birr v Tullamore in Banagher at 12 noon
Cooldery v St Rynagh’s at Birr at 6pm
Kilcormac v Clareen at 7.30pm

The following IHC matches are all fixed for 8pm on Friday 26th July
Shinrone v Kilcormac at Crinkill
Clara v Killurin at Ballinamere
Shamrocks v Birr at Moystown
Coolderry v Carrig & Riverstown at Birr

[joe bloggs]

Round 3 Fixtures are on the County Board Site now. They are:
Thursday 25th July
Shinrone v Kinnitty at Birr at 8pm

Friday 26th July
Brosna Gaels v Drumcullen at Kilcormac at 8pm
Lusmagh v Belmont in Banagher at 8pm

Sunday 28th July
Birr v Tullamore in Banagher at 12 noon
Cooldery v St Rynagh’s at Birr at 6pm
Kilcormac v Clareen at 7.30pm

The following IHC matches are all fixed for 8pm on Friday 26th July
Shinrone v Kilcormac at Crinkill
Clara v Killurin at Ballinamere
Shamrocks v Birr at Moystown
Coolderry v Carrig & Riverstown at Birr

If you get a dark evening they will need luminous balls for the 8.00 throw ins

[Plain of the Herbs]

Hands up if your club hasn't hosted a match in the SHC this year. That's quite alot of you.

Thing is, if next weekend's Round 3 fixtures go ahead at the appointed venues, the 18 matches in Rounds 1, 2 and 3 will have been sited as follows -
Birr = 9,
Banagher = 4,
KIlcormac, Rath, Shinrone, Clara & Moystown = 1 each.

No matches for Lusmagh, Kinnitty, Clareen or Carrig. Which doesn't seem fair. Hurling clubs pride themselves on hosting fixtures, on the voluntary effort involved. A chance for the community to come together, put the bibs on and show off the facilities, as it were.

While I wasn't in Birr last Sunday evening, it has come to my attention that our esteemed local paper noted (I'm paraphrasing) that there were some bare patches on the Birr playing surface and suggested that the venue might have been stood down last weekend. Yet there is a double header fixed for Birr on Sunday evening.

Also, is there any reason why there are no matches fixed for Saturday evening? The first of Sunday evening's double header gets underway at 6pm, just 30 minutes after the end of the Galway v Clare All-Ireland quarter-final.

[joe bloggs]

That is a scandal. Not a single game so far in OCP, the home of hurling!

[Ahlethimoutwithit]

Aye POTH, and strangely enough another reporter on the matches there the previous or following day (not sure), stated that the pitch was in perfect condition! So take from that what you will!

[Lone Shark]

I was told after that double header that those lines corresponded with where the new drainage was installed under the field and that the grass just died there. I've no doubt it will spring back to life as soon as we get a few days of rain, but yeah, it seems very odd that we're shoehorning another double header in there on Sunday evening, a double header that could just as easily go to Kinnitty or Carrig. We may get plenty of rain between now and Sunday, we may not. If we don't, I'm guessing that SBP will remain rough. There were four instances in the first game where I counted dodgy bounces that caught players out - of course that can happen any time, but it's still not what we want if we can avoid it.


I will say this - I've shared a press box with Mary Dunne on a few Sunday evenings and it's only when you actually see the myriad of different things that she has to deal with that you realise that the job is incredibly difficult. There are a limited number of grounds, a limited number of referees, referees who don't like travelling too far, players playing senior, minor, football and hurling, clubs like K-K fielding four adult teams, development squads, minor board fixtures, grounds that don't make returns and clubs telling blatant lies all to get what they want. It's amazing how many stag parties and weddings turn into funerals and such like when communicated to the fixtures team.

That said, on the general principle that games should be shared out more, there can be no question. I often think that the junior clubs sometimes get a raw deal too when it comes to venues. Some of those grounds aren't great and they really don't deserve any games, but there are other fields out there which would be ideal for an SHC (or SFC) game and they never get considered. There are grounds in South Offaly I've never been too, and if it wasn't for playing a bit of junior, there would be plenty of grounds in the North that I wouldn't have seen either.

[joe bloggs]

LS I would second that about Mary Dunne. It is a mammoth task when you think about it coordinating all the fixtures in the county.