Canning scoring spree not enough to halt Turloughmore

Joe Canning hit 0-13 for Portumna, but it was not enough to stop the three-times All-Ireland club champions crashing out of the Galway SHC at the quarter-final stage to Turloughmore.

Inspired by Galway captain Fergal Moore, Turloughmore, who reached their first semi-final since 2004 with a 0-17 to 0-15 win, face either Mullagh or Loughrea in the last four after those sides ended level at Ballinasloe yesterday (1-13 to 0-16).

It looked like Portumna and Turloughmore might have to do it again themselves as they were deadlocked at 0-15 each, but points from Gary Burke and Darren O’Shaughnessy secured victory.

In the other semi-final, St Thomas’s face Gort after Conor Cooney’s 1-6 haul gave St Thomas’s a 2-20 to 0-10 win over Castlegar. Cooney’s goal helped St Thomas’s to a 1-10 to 0-7 lead at half-time, while Ger Farragher shone with 0-7. When Anthony Kelly fired to the net for the Peterswell-Kilcreest men early in the second-half the result was never in doubt.

Holders Gort were made sweat for their spot in the semi-final, but two goals from Galway senior Richie Cummins in the first-half proved crucial in a 3-13 to 2-14 win over Padraig Pearses.

Gort had Andy Coen sent off five minutes before the break, but survived Pearses’ onslaught.

Cummins’ brace gave Gort a 2-6 to 0-9 lead at the break and when Gerard O’Donoghue found the net for the third time for them midway through the second-half it looked game over.

But Galway’s substitute goalkeeper Fergal Flannery cracked a 20m free to the net five minutes from time to pull Pearses within four points. And he almost repeated the dose a minute from the end, but his goal-bound effort was turned over the bar.