Kilmallock kingpins

KILMALLOCK are back as the kingpins of Limerick club hurling. Yesterday the south Limerick town claimed their first county senior hurling title since 1994 when a decade of underage success was finally transformed into senior silverware.


“I felt confident coming in that we would win it, but I knew we would have to work really hard to win it because they were going to put it up to us,” said manager Tony Considine after Kilmallock’s 1-16 to 1-12 win over Emmets in the Gaelic Grounds.
“There was a lot of pressure over the years and that was weighing them down on their shoulders. Now that weight is gone off their shoulders once they have won,” said the former Clare hurling manager.
“I thought we hurled well. I thought we were the better team. I know we got a lucky goal, but there is no such thing as a bad goal and once we got on a run I thought we would be okay,” explained Considine.
Kilmallock now progress to the Munster club championship. On October 31 they will be away to the Clare champions in the provincial quarter-final.
Elsewhere in Limerick GAA circles Claughaun lost their senior hurling status over the weekend.
The ten-time senior champions were defeated by Garryspillane in the relegation play-off. The demise of their senior hurlers comes just two weeks after their senior footballers were also relegated to the intermediate ranks after a play-off defeat to Newcastle West.
Across the city there was better news for Na Piarsaigh when they qualified for the minor hurling premier championship final.
It will be a repeat of this year’s under-21 decider when Kilmallock are their opponents. Jake Mulcahy, Kevin O’Donnell, Mark O’Loughlin and Owen Webb-O’Rourke will all be hoping to add minor medals to the senior ones they won yesterday.

JEROME O’CONNELL