*Mike Gough scored 2-4 for Smith O’Briens. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
SMITH O’BRIENS will line out in the Clare premier intermediate hurling championship for a successive season after relegating Sixmilebridge.
Smith O’Briens 2-14
Sixmilebridge 1-11
Venue: Clonlara
On Saturday morning, Smith O’Briens emerged victorious in the Clare PIHC relegation final when they sent Sixmilebridge down to the regular intermediate grade for next season.
A man of the match performance from Mike Gough paved the way for this merited victory.
Lining out at full forward Gough contributed 2-4 of his side’s tally as the Killaloe side avoided dropping back down to the grade from which they won promotion last year.
Understandably the ‘Bridge will be disappointed as they had reached the concluding stages of this championship on a number of occasions throughout the past decade including losing the 2023 final to Corofin.
On this occasion they met a Smith O’Briens side clearly determined that they didn’t want to drop down having won promotion in the dying stages when overcoming Inagh/Kilnamona.
Th winners played against the breeze in the first half but helped by an early goal from Gough they were five points ahead at the break when the score was 1-8 to 0-6.
The Killaloe side continued to hold the upperhand in the early stages of the second half and, in fact, extended their lead to nine points at one stage.
Helped by a goal from goalkeeper Derek Fahy who converted a free, the ‘Bridge stormed back and cut the winners lead to two points with five minutes.
Then Gough struck again and his second goal sealed victory for his side and their premier intermediate status for next year.
Scorers Smith O’Briens: Mike Gough (2-4); Jason Monaghan (0-4, 2 ‘65’s); David O’Shea, Cathal Stritch (0-2) each; David Gough (0-1);
Scorers Sixmilebridge: Derek Fahy (1-0, free); Caimin Morey (1 free), Stephen Gavin, Daniel Chaplin (0-3) each; Cillian Murphy, Fionn Hayes (0-1) each
Smith O’Briens:
James Power
Sean McMahon,
Dwane Sheedy,
Stephen Geraghty;
Micheál Ryan,
Conor Geraghty,
Cathal Stritch;
David Gough,
Eoin Heffron;
Keith Stritch,
Marc O’Halloran,
Jason Monaghan;
David O’Shea,
Mike Gough,
Brendan Minogue;
Subs:
Diarmuid Coleman for M. Ryan (40);
Adam Moloney for M. O’Halloran (55)
Sixmilebridge:
Derek Fahy;
John Deasy,
Adam Breen,
Colm Flynn;
Luke Keogh,
Brian Carey,
Jack O Halloran;
Mark Mullins,
Cillian Murphy;
Stephan Gavin,
Caimin Morey,
Fionn Hayes;
Dara Casey,
Dylan Keogh,
Ronan Touhy;
Subs:
Daniel Chaplin for Dara Casey
Seamus O Connell for Dylan Keogh
Kevin Lynch for Ronan Touhy
Referee: Brendan Hannon (O’Callaghans Mills)
