Important wins send Lusmagh, Carrig-Riverstown and Clara towards Offaly SHC “B” semi-finals

LUSMAGH, Carrig-Riverstown and Clara all recorded hugely important wins as the Molloy Precast and Environmental Systems Senior “B” Hurling Championship took a definite shape when round 2 took place at the weekend.

Their wins sent the three clear at the top of the table with four points each and they are in pole position to claim three of the four semi-finals on offer.

Clodiagh Gaels, Coolderry and the champions of the last two years, Kilcormac-Killoughey are all pointless from two games and with very little more margin for error. With three rounds left to go, no team is definitely through yet and at least one of Clodiagh Gaels, Kilcormac-Killoughey and Coolderry will make it.

Four points could very well put one or both of them through but they are all on icy ground and an intriguing championship has emerged.

The three table toppers will be thrilled to have maximum points from two rounds and to be where they are but the big talking point has been the early struggles of Kilcormac-Killoughey and Clodiagh Gaels.

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Kilcormac-Killoughey have done a fantastic double of senior and senior “B” for the past two seasons and were favourites for the lower grade at the start of the season. However, the absence of star players from their first team has changed the goalposts as they lost key senior B players, Mark Mulrooney and twins Thomas and Peter Geraghty.

This has made them way more vulnerable this year, though with players ready to return for their senior side, they may not lose any more. After losing to Lusmagh in the first round, they shipped a second defeat on Saturday evening as Carrig-Rivertown got away for a 2-18 to 1-15 win. C-R led by a point at half time but Mark O'Brien's second goal secured the win for Carrig-Riverstown who have started very well.

Clodiagh Gaels have been K-K's main challengers in the last two years but also find themselves in bother after back to back defeats. Beaten by Carrig-Riverstown in the first round, they looked set for an against the odds win over Clara in injury time in Clara on Friday evening. Their star forward Liam Langton was sent off after just sixteen minutes and they did terrifically well to be two points up deep in injury time. However, a sensational goal from a free by 2024 All-Ireland U20 hurling winner Conor Doyle in the 65^th minute gave Clara a dramatic 1-16 to 0-18 win.

It was a devastating defeat for Clodiagh Gaels and Clara knew they had got out of jail but it sets them up very nicely.

Lusmagh have also made an excellent start to the championship and are motoring very well. A great first round win over Kilcormac-Killoughey set them up and they continued their impressive start with a 3-21 to 1-18 win over last year's intermediate champions Coolderry, who were reduced to fourteen men before half time, in Lusmagh on Thursday evening. The presence of an All-Ireland U20 hurler winner, Ruari Kelly, and Eimhin Kelly, who played senior for the county in recent years, was a great help to them but as a unit, they are displaying great appetite and work rate.

Coolderry have now lost to Clara and Lusmagh. It is not a surprise that their second team should find the going tough in the higher grade and they are the rank outsiders. No team is out of the championship yet, however, and there is one certain thing: no one will or should write off Kilcormac-Killoughey and Clodiagh Gaels. If they survive and get into the semi-finals, either of them could very well win it and both remain strong contenders.

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Their meeting in the next round is a crunch one and while a team could qualify with four points, the losers will be in real peril. Carrig-Riverstown meet Coolderry next in Shinrone and will be expected to clinch a semi-final place here while the meeting of Clara and Lusmagh will be very interesting and will tell observers a lot about both teams.