Loughmore Castleiney maintain Tipp charge but beaten Nenagh survive too

Borris-Ileigh slip into the relegation mire having topped their group at half-time

Loughmore Castleiney's Tomas McGrath gets away from Nenagh Eire Og's Mason Cawley Pic: Diarmuid Brennan

Tipp SHC 

Borris-Ileigh will tell you all about the swings and round-abouts of the Tipperary senior hurling championship.

They were top of the table at half-time of their group stage clash with Drom-Inch on Saturday but ended up in fourth place, with a relegation battle to come.

John Connors’ side led their neighbours by six points at the interval thanks to two goals from Tipperary under-20 Paddy McCormack, with the margin of their advantage granting them top spot at that stage.

But a Seamus Callanan inspired Drom-Inch turned it around in the second half making full use of the strong Holycross breeze.

The former Tipperary captain was man-of-the-match in their two point victory, scoring 0-13 (0-9 frees) including two clutch dead balls at the death as they won out by 0-27 to 2-19.

Fellow stalwart Johnny Ryan also impressed for the mid-Tipperary outfit with three from play but the victory wasn’t enough to see them through to the knock-outs, having to make-do with a third place finish instead.

Borris-Ileigh had a better score difference than their opponents but the head-to-head rule called the shots to their detriment.

“It’s very hard on Borris-Ileigh to be where they are now,” Callanan said on Clubber after the game.

“They’re a very good team and they were good against Toome and in very hard luck against Kilruane. But the championship is so closely contested.” 

Toomevara and Kilruane MacDonaghs are heading for the quarter-finals from Group One, with the Greyhounds finishing in first after their 2-20 to 1-19 victory over the second place finishers in Nenagh on Saturday.

Kilruane looked to be in a strong position at half-time, trailing by a point having played against a strong wind. A rasper from Cian Darcy gave them a two point lead after 20 minutes but the impressive Kevin McCarthy kept Toome ticking with three fine points from play.

Second half goals from the brilliant Darragh McCarthy (penalty) and Adam Hall proved that the wind alone doesn’t win games with Ken Dunne’s side holding on for a deserved win.

Their young talisman Darragh McCarthy really came into his own in the second half, shooting a 1-12 tally for a finish.

Kiladangan had way too much for JK Brackens in their top of the table clash on Sunday, winning with 20 to spare.

The Flynn twins Paul and Alan were in top form for the reigning champs racking up 1-12 between them with Bryan McLoughney scoring their second goal in a 2-30 to 0-16 win.

Brackens advance in second place and they’ll take solace from the fact that they were without three injured starters, including leader and Tipperary senior Paddy Cadell.

A brilliant brace of Robert Doyle goals inspired Clonoulty Rossmore past Templederry Kenyons in the group’s other game in the Ragg, where Cathal Bourke also impressed for the men from the west. A goal from Padraig O’Leary kept the north men in the hunt but their spirited display was in vain in a 3-23 to 1-20 loss.

Goals from the Connolly brothers Ed and Ciaran made it a clean sweep for Loughmore Castleiney in group three, defeating Nenagh Éire Óg by 2-20 to 1-22. Johnny Kelly’s side finished in second place despite the loss, with Lorrha doing them a favour in the group’s other game, defeating Holycross Ballycahill in a high-scoring thriller in Templederry.

Group Two went pretty much to script with Thurles Sarsfields defeating Roscrea by 2-27 to 1-14, the goals coming from Paddy Creedon and Jack Lanigan.

Eddie Brennan’s Moycarkey Borris side got the better of Mullinahone in what was effectively a shoot-out for the second qualifying spot in the same group. Man-of-the-match Max Hackett scored both of their goals as they booked their place in the knock-outs with a 2-19 to 2-11 victory.

It all means that the relegation play-offs will be a mini-north championship with Borris-Ileigh braced for battle with Templederry Kenyons, Lorrha and Roscrea. The draws for all of the games will take place on Monday night with fixtures to be confirmed in due course.

A notable point from the Premier Intermediate grade in the county is that three of the sides who found themselves in the relegation play-offs last year are sailing close to the wind again.

Sean Treacys, Newport and Moyne-Templetuohy survived in 2023 but they’ve another dogfight to come after the final round of group games, with Silvermines joining them in the basement.

Thurles Sarsfields’ second team, St Mary’s of Clonmel, Éire Óg Annacarty and Carrick Swan are heading for the quarter finals as group winners with Gortnahoe Glengoole, Burgess and Boherlahan-Dualla and Upperchurch Drombane the second place finishers.

Having finished third in their group after drawing with Éire Óg Annacarty, west champs Cashel King Cormacs are through to a preliminary quarter final.

Tipperary SHC quarter-finalists:

Group winners (top seeds): Toomevara, Thurles Sars, Loughmore, Kiladangan 

Runners-up: Kilruane, Moycarkey, Nenagh Eire Og, JK Brackens 

Relegation: Borris-Ileigh, Roscrea, Lorrha, Templederry