Ruthless Kilmallock make short work for Adare

Three first-half goals put the Balbec in control. 

CLINICAL: Micheal Houlihan of Kilmallock.

Kilmallock 3-25 

Adare 0-17 

Kilmallock impressed in a comprehensive 3-25 to 0-17 Limerick SHC win over Adare in Ballyagran.

The game was long over by the time referee Mike Sexton blew for half time with the Balbec 14 points in front.

Two first-half Oisín O’Reilly goals and one from Killian Hayes, as well as four points each for Graeme Mulcahy and Shane O’Brien did all the damage in a game that saw Kilmallock score 3-23 from play.

The win puts Kilmallock on four points after three rounds of the Championship, while Adare sit bottom of the table with just one point to their name.

Kilmallock were six clear by the time the first goal went in on 11 minutes. O’Reilly broke through the Adare defence and when his shot was saved, Hayes was on hand to find the net from close range.

O’Brien and Mulcahy were doing the damage before O’Reilly got in on the act himself. Conor Hanley Clarke brilliantly won a Barry Hennessy puck out and then offloaded to O’Reilly.

His low shot bounced into the net despite the best efforts of Adare netminder PJ Hall. The same man got a second moments late to help his side to a 3-15 to 0-17 half time advantage.

The second half was a procession for Fintan O’Connor’s side and the win edges them closer to a quarter-final berth. For Adare, the prospect of relegation to Group 2 looms large.

Scorers – Kilmallock: O O’Reilly 2-4, G Mulcahy 0-7, S O’Brien 0-5, K Hayes 1-1, M Houlihan and, C Hanley Clarke (2f) 0-2 each, R Hanley, R Egan, K O’Donnell and D Woulfe 0-1 each.

Scorers – Adare: W Griffin 0-10 (8f), C McCarthy 0-2, D Hannon, S Heffernan, J Gahan, J Sweeney and C Sparling 0-1 each.

Kilmallock: B Hennessy; M O’Loughlin, Ph O’Loughlin, D Joy; P O’Brien, G O’Mahony Pa O’Loughlin; R Hanley, A Costello; M Houlihan, P O’Reilly, O O’Reilly; S O’Brien, G Mulcahy, K Hayes.

Subs: C Hanley Clarke for Houlihan (17 mins, inj), K O’Donnell for PH O’Loughlin (42 mins), R Egan for O’Brien (46 mins), D Woulfe for O O’Reilly (46 mins).

Adare: PJ Hall; M Connolly, R Connolly, D Connolly; J McSweeney, D Hannon, J McSweeney; J Sweeney, F Costello; D O’Mahony, J Fitzgibbon, S Heffernan; C McCarthy, W Griffin, B O’Connor.

Subs: C Sparling for O’Connor (51 mins), S Hogan for McCarthy (51 mins).

Referee: M Sexton (Bruree)