Kilmallock ease past Ahane for second championship win

LIMERICK CHAMPIONSHIP: Condon Hanley/Clarke, Kilmallock, under pressure from Stephen Power and Conor Heffernan, Ahane in the County Senior Hurling Championship, Group 1 R3 in Rathkeale. Picture: Brendan Gleeson

Limerick SHC: Kilmallock 4-17 Ahane 1-18

Kilmallock earned their second Limerick Senior Hurling Championship win of 2024 after seeing off Ahane on a 4-17 to 1-18 scoreline at Mick Neville Park.

A goal in each half from Oisin O’Reilly, as well as further three-pointers from Phelim O’Reilly and Shane O’Brien saw Peter Quelly’s side to a comfortable victory.

Despite the emphatic margin, the newly installed Waterford manager will feel his side should have won by more but Ahane keeper Cathal Ryan was in imperious form. He made three stunning second half saves to keep the ‘Balbec’ at bay.

Former Clare senior footballer Gary Brennan got the Ahane goal but it proved to be scant consolation.

It took just 14 seconds for Kilmallock to open their goalscoring account as hesitancy in their defence left the door open for Phelim O’Reilly to flick the ball past Ryan.

There were still three points between the sides when Kilmallock struck for their second on eight minutes.

O’Brien was the finisher on this occasion after he broke onto Barry Hennessy’s long delivery and placed a shot into the left hand corner of the net.

Ahane had a golden chance for a goal less than 60 seconds later after an excellent team move but Jack Butler was denied by a smart Hennessy stop.

It proved a costly miss as Kilmallock were soon in for their third. Oisin O’Reilly sprinted away after taking in Gavin O’Mahony’s pass and made the score 3-4 to 0-3 with 12 on the clock.

However, Ahane were quick with the response after Brennan finished off a superb team move to cut the deficit to seven points.

Ahane improved from there with Ciarán Barry and Stephen Power cancelling two Micheál Houlihan frees in the aftermath of Brennan’s green flag.

Tom Morrissey and Cathal O’Mara, either side of another Houlihan effort, then brought the margin to six in the run up to the break.

Kilmallock flexed their muscles again with three from Houlihan and one from Robbie Hanley that saw them 3-10 to 1-8 at the short whistle.

Morrissey got the opening score of the second half with a free but Kilmallock should have dampened any hope of a comeback only for O’Mahony to be brilliantly denied by Ryan.

O’Brien was next to have a crack but, again, Ryan was up to the task with a sensational save from the Limerick starlet’s low shot.

Ronan Fox then got another for Ahane, who were nearly in for a goal themselves but O’Mara’s kicked effort sailed just over the bar.

Ryan made another stop from O’Mahony and that gave Ahane hope but that was dashed on 46 minutes when Oisin O’Reilly finally found a way past the Ahane netminder for the goal that sealed an eight-point victory.

Scorers for Kilmallock: M Houlihan 0-9 (8f), O O’Reilly 2-2, S O’Brien 1-1, P O’Reilly 1-0, K O’Donnell 0-2, P Connery, R Hanley and C Staunton 0-1 each.

Scorers for Ahane: T Morrissey 0-9 (6f, 1 ’65), G Brennan 1-0, W Brennan, C O’Mara and R Fox 0-2 each, J Butler, C Barry and S Power 0-1 each.

KILMALLOCK: B Hennessy; L English, D Joy, K Hayes; A Costello, K O’Donnell, P O’Loughlin; M Houlihan, R Hanley; G O’Mahony, G Mulcahy, O O’Reilly; P Connery, S O’Brien, P O’Reilly.

Subs: C Hanley-Clarke for Mulcahy (17, inj), C Staunton for O’Mahony (53), B Burke for Hayes (56), D Woulfe for P O’Reilly (59), P O’Brien for Connery (59).

AHANE: C Ryan, E O’Leary, D Morrissey, G Rowsome; P Harnett, C Barry, D Minihan; S Power, C Heffernan; G Brennan, R Fox, T Morrissey; C O’Mara, W Brennan, J Butler Subs: M Donnellan for Brennan (52), M Hickey for Harnett (56).

Referee: J O’Halloran (Bruree).