Offaly SHC: Four-in-a-row chasing St Rynagh's out

Shinrone upset four-in-a-row chasing St Rynagh’s in yesterday’s quarter-final tie at St. Brendan’s Park in Birr, setting up a semi-final meeting with Belmont

Pic: Brendan Moran / SPORTSFILE

Since 2010, when Tullamore last contested an Offaly senior hurling championship final, the big decider in the Faithful County has always featured two clubs from the leading quartet of St. Rynagh’s, Kilcormac-Killoughey, Birr and Coolderry.

That won’t be the case in 2022, after Shinrone upset four-in-a-row chasing St Rynagh’s in Sunday’s quarter-final tie at St Brendan’s Park in Birr, setting up a semi-final meeting with Belmont. The other semi-final clash with be between Kilcormac-Killoughey and Birr, following the latter’s 3-17 to 0-11 win over Ballinamere in a quarter-final contest on Saturday.

Shinrone have been incredibly consistent round-robin hurlers over the past decade, reaching the knockout stages of the senior championship every year bar one in that time. However they lost their previous eight knockout games before Sunday, and since they came this clash with St Rynagh’s on the back of a heavy defeat to Belmont, most neutral observers expected that run of defeats to continue.

The champions had been in mixed form in 2022 themselves, but with a number of key players back in the team, they were well-fancied to improve at the business end of the season. A goal after 14 minutes from Paul Quirke put them three points clear and while Jason Sampson responded in kind five minutes later, three points on the spin before half-time gave the Banagher club a 1-9 to 1-6 interval lead, suggesting the script was being followed.

Shinrone’s defensive work in the second half was outstanding however, with towering full forward Ciarán Cleary proved to be a hugely valuable long ball target at the other end of St Brendan’s Park. Ciarán, Adrian and Seán Cleary were all on the mark, as was lively sub Killian Ryan, as they scored six of the next seven points in a low-scoring encounter.

Three Luke O’Connor frees in the last seven minutes kept things tense, but a superb Adrian Cleary point in the fifth minute of stoppage time left Shinrone 1-15 to 1-13 to the good at the final whistle, and just 60 minutes away from reaching just their second ever county final, and their first since 1960.

It was much more straightforward for Birr on Saturday evening in O’Connor Park, as they put a disappointing Ballinamere side to the sword. Luke Nolan’s goal after 25 minutes helped Birr to a 1-9 to 0-6 interval lead and they kept going in the same vein after half-time, completely shutting down the Ballinamere attack. 

County players Brian Duignan, Ross Ravenhill and John Murphy could only manage 0-5 from play between them over the hour, as a Barry Harding-led Birr back line took a firm hold, leading the team to a comfortable win that was crowned by late goals from Lochlann Quinn and Seán Ryan.

In the relegation decider, veteran Joe Bergin was the star man for Seir Kieran, who recorded a comfortable 4-18 to 0-13 win over last year’s Senior “B” champions, Clodiagh Gaels.

Bergin shot 1-9, 1-4 from play, while James Mulrooney, Kevin Dunne and Éanna Murphy also raised green flags in a one-sided game at Rath.

Clodiagh Gaels will be replaced in the top tier by either Tullamore or Clara, after the town teams recorded narrow semi-final victories over the weekend against the second sides from Kilcormac-Killoughey and Birr respectively.