Kilcormac-Killoughey make powerful statement as Ballinamere and Kinnitty get big results in Offaly SHC

THE odds will be shortening on Kilcormac-Killoughey retaining the Molloy Environmental Systems Senior Hurling Championship after they played some fantastic hurling in a ruthless demolition of St Rynagh's in a group 2 fixture on Friday evening.

With two wins under their belt in group 2, Kilcormac-Killoughey are moving with impressive intent but Friday's display was a serious statement. 2-15 to 0-5 up at half time, Kilcormac-Killoughey pulled away for a 4-26 to 0-15 win.

With the top team in each group qualifying for the semi-finals,K-K are hot favourites to book that slot from their side of the draw. Friday's performance came against one of their main contenders for the Robbins Cup and they were so hungry and sharp.

It was a serious blow to the confidence of St Rynagh's, a side with serious designs on winning the title. It was always unlikely that they would get their intensity levels up to where they needed to pull off a surprise here and knockout hurling is the place to do that but the scale of their defeat, the gulf between the teams was still a real shock.

The gap is almost certainly not as big as it looked on Friday evening and you would expect St Rynagh's to be a lot more competitive if they meet again. No matter what way you look at it, however, there was still a sizeable gulf between the sides and St Rynagh's were caught for pace in a few positions. Certainly if you take Friday's result at any sort of face value – and while we shouldn't read too much into it, you can't discount it either -, it is difficult to see how the Banagher club can bridge that gap.

In the other group 2 game, Coolderry got going with a 1-27 to 2-13 win over Seir Kieran. After losing to St Rynagh's in the first round, Coolderry had to win this one and they performed well.

It means that group 2 is shaping up as expected so far with Kilcormac-Killoughey top on 4 points and St Rynagh's and Coolderry on 2. They have all played two games while Seir Kieran and Tullamore are pointless from one.

Group 1 is a lot more uncertain in terms of qualification. Ballinamere and Kinnitty have three points from two games, Birr and Shinrone one from one and Belmont are pointless after two.

The big news in this group is the form of Kinnitty. They shocked Belmont in the first round and brought that form into round 2 when a stunning Paddy Delaney goal deep into injury time gave them a deserved draw, 1-15 each with the 2022 champions, Shinrone.

After drawing with Birr in the first round, Ballinamere got a badly needed win when they defeated Belmont, 1-22 to 0-19 on Sunday evening. Ballinamere made hard work of it, hitting fourteen wides in the second half but Dan Ravenhill slotted over seven sensational points in that half as they finished strongly for a win. It would have been a disaster for Ballinamere if they hadn't won a game where they were clearly the better team but a brave Belmont made them fight all the way.

This group is a real battlefield and you couldn't predict the three qualifiers yet. Kinnitty's great form has thrown it all up in the air. They were expected to be the whipping boys but are now joint top after playing two of their hardest matches. At the very least, it should secure their senior status next year, though this isn't certain yet – while they are now setting the bar a lot higher than that and look to be turning a major corner, this remains Kinnitty's big priority for the year.

Belmont find themselves on very tricky ground. They looked very good when winning the Division 1 Hurling League just before the start of the championship but they haven't got going yet. Belmont have been knocking on the door for a big breakthrough for a few years. They regressed a bit last year but their form in beating Birr in the league final indicated they were back as contenders. Now their early championship form has shrouded everything in doubt and Belmont's meeting with Birr in round 3 will dictate so much for their year. They have been without the injured David Nally to date and really need to get him back into action.

Shinrone blew hot and cold in their draw with Kinnitty but showed enough to suggest that they are in the group of contenders just behind Kilcormac-Killoughey.

Round 3 takes place on the weekend of August 16-18 and fixtures are:

Group 1: Ballinamere v Shinrone; Birr v Belmont.

Group 2: Kilcormac-Killoughey v Seir Kieran; St Rynagh's v Tullamore.