A Stephens Shamrocks, final again

THE Kilkenny senior hurling league final, which will be played two weeks after the All-Ireland final, will be contested by champions Ballyhale Shamrocks and old city foes James Stephens.

The pair headed their respective groups with eight points each after five rounds of competition and so will continue their recent domination of the competition.

New James Stephens manager Niall Rigney watched the city side enjoy a 1-17 to 0-13 win over Carrickshock, the team that dumped them out of last year’s championship. At the break a 31st minute point from Jack McGrath gave the winners the advantage (0-8 to 0-7).

Things changed quickly when Stephens slipped up a gear. A brace of early points from David Walton before county panellists Matt Ruth turned a poor puck-out into a goal chance for David McCormack, which was taken with aplomb.

Carrickshock, without injury county duo Michael Rice and John Dalton, were going backwards.

Stephens retained control to the finish with David Walton, Eoin Larkin and Matt Ruth shooting most of their points.

The Shield final, which is contested by the runners-up in each group, will be between St Martin’s (Muckalee) and Kilkenny and Leinster club champions, O’Loughlin-Gaels.

Henry Shefflin was the main man when Shamrocks put Clara away on a 4-12 to 1-16 scoreline.

Shamrocks fell behind, after enjoying a 2-8 to 0-7 half-time lead, in the final ten minutes before Shefflin came in and turned on its head.

He helped himself to 1-2 and made a second goal for Conor Walsh to upend Clara.

Former Kilkenny star, Martin Comerford, who stepped off the inter-county stage a few months ago, was the star of the show when O’Loughlin’s Gaels put Dicksboro to the sword.

Comerford shot 2-1 during the opening half as O’Loughlin’s won by 3-16 to 0-10 after leading by 2-11 to 0-7 at the break.

Martin’s scored a hard-earned 1-19 to 1-17 win over Graigue-Ballycallan, who now face a battle against relegation to the intermediate grade.

The surprise result of the weekend was Fenians (Johnstown) battling 1-14 to 0-12 win over Dunnamaggin.

Inspired by county star JJ Delaney at centre-back the Fenians put together the performance of the season.

Even without PJ Delaney, who is out for the season after undergoing surgery to repair a long standing hip injury, they were superb.

Inspired by county star, JJ Delaney at centre-back, who had two superb wing men in Conor Tobin and John Henderson, the Fenians put together the performance of the season.

Kevin Reid and Kevin The remaining game provided Erin’s Own (Castlecomer) with a harder than expected 1-11 to 1-10 win over Tommy Walsh’s Tullaroan.

The result leaves Tullaroan facing a battle against relegation that will also involve Graigue-Ballycallan, Dicksboro and Clara when the club action resumes after the All-Ireland.

In Kilkenny the league and championship are inextricably linked, with league finishing places making up the draw for the championship.

However, the two bottom finishers in each of the two groups at the end of the league face relegation semi-finals when the championship commences.

The losers of those semis will battle it out in a relegation final, with the defeated side dropping back to the intermediate division. The other eight teams are safe against the drop, irrespective of the result in their opening championship engagement.