There were scenes as jubilation in O’Connor Park, Tullamore on Sunday afternoon as Kilcormac-Killoughey secured their second three-in-a-row with a dramatic win over Shinrone in a hugely entertaining Offaly hurling final.
The 1-24 to 2-14 final scoreline provides scant indication of the drama that unfolded in a topsy-turvy final between two sides who have become great rivals in recent years. It was their third final meeting in four years with Kilcormac-Killoughey getting the upper hand twice now, while Shinrone had a never to be forgotten win in 2022.
It was Kilcormac-Killoughey’s second three in a row, following on from their successes in 2012-2014, and they have a handful of elder statesmen who have featured in all of those wins.
The sides were level at 0-5 each after 13 minutes but Kilcormac-Killoughey played some scintillating hurling for the rest of the half as they grabbed a 0-17 to 0-7 half-time lead. The scores flowed from all over the field, with every line chipping in and in-form midfielders Damen Kilmartin and Colin Spain scoring five points between them.
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Shinrone embarked on a remarkable second-half fightback that looked to have put them on the brink of an extraordinary win. Goals from Eoin Bailey-O’Brien and Seán Cleary in the 35th and 49th minutes brought them right back into it and they almost had a third when Jason Sampson hit the crossbar with just a point between the teams. The gap was just a point, 2-13 to 0-20, with eight minutes left and Kilcormac-Killoughey were gasping for air.
But they pushed on again in four minutes of injury time, scoring the final 1-3 with man-of-the-match Charlie Mitchell clinching it with a fantastic 60th-minute goal.
In Ballycastle, St John’s won their first Antrim title since 1973 with a dramatic 2-16 to 1-18 win over Loughgeil Shamrocks.
St John’s made a decisive burst in the third quarter and an Oisín McManus goal helped them to a 2-11 to 0-12 lead after 41 minutes. A 43rd-minute goal from Shane McGrath got Loughgeil right back into it and it went right down to the wire from there.
There was also a thriller in Westmeath where an injury time pointed free by Niall O’Brien earned holders Castletown-Geoghegan a second chance in their senior hurling final against Lough Lene Gaels, the sides drawing 1-23 to 2-20.
Castletown-Geoghegan led by 0-16 to 0-11 at half-time but Lough Lene Gaels made their push for glory as early second-half goals from Tommy Doyle and David Williams gave them a 2-14 to 0-17 lead after 36 minutes. An O’Brien goal three minutes later gave Castletown-Geoghegan a 1-18 to 2-14 lead and it was nip and tuck from there to the final whistle.
Meath will also need to go again to find a hurling champion after a rip-roaring contest that finished in a draw, Ratoath 4-16 to Kiltale’s 3-19.
In Sligo, Andrew Kilcullen’s incredible haul of 2-15 helped Easkey to a 2-25 to 1-15 win over Naomh Eoin.
