Tipperary SHC: Moycarkey shock champions Loughmore on opening night

Moycarkey scored 1-3 just before half-time to take control of the game

Moycarkey Borris beat Loughmore-Castleiney 1-19 to 0-15 in Group 2 of the Tipperary SHC. Pic: Clubber TV

Moycarkey Borris defeated two-in-a-row Tipperary SHC champions Loughmore-Castleiney 1-19 to 0-15 in their opening game of Group 2 at Templetuohy. 

The winners scored 1-3 just before half-time - the goal coming from David Costigan - to take control of the match. Loughmore fought back and were within two points 10 minutes into the second half. That was when Moycarkey pushed on again. 

"It was a nice little win, a nice little start," Moycarkey manager Denis Kelly told Clubber TV. 

"We were disappointed to go out on penalties in the Mid championship against Brackens. We tweaked a few things and were in the long grass for a while waiting for Loughmore. They had run in the Mid.

"We had a good run into this, got a good bit of training, got lads back on the pitch. We're building with our panel all the time.

"Delighted with the win but as the saying goes, one swallow doesn't make a summer."

Costigan finished the game with 1-2.

"There was a serious buzz in there at half-time," he said about their 1-10 to 0-6 lead.

"When we got the ball in, we were getting a lot of joy off Kiwi on the breaks. The wind was a serious help in the first half but in the second half, we had a bit of trouble with the wind, and getting lads up the field but we worked it in the end."

Kelly added that there's "no doubt that Loughmore will come back stronger".

"They're still going to be favourites for the county title."