AIB Munster IHC Final

CASTLELYONS 3-16 COROFIN 0-19

Heavy fog descended on the TUS Gaelic Grounds this evening and it threatened to derail what looked for 34 minutes to be a procession towards AIB Munster club glory for Castlelyons.

Three goals from Anthony Spillane put the Rebel County club well in the driving seat, leading by 3-11 to 0-9, but four minutes into the second half referee Conor Doyle deemed that the declining visibility merited a temporary stop to see if the fog would lift. Ten minutes of a delay was followed by a further 12 minutes before the Tipperary referee deemed it safe to continue play, and the Clare champions were a greatly improved force after the restart.

Michael Kelly and Diarmaid Cahill got the first two points after the resumption and Corofin outscored Castlelyons by 0-8 to 0-5 from then on, but they badly needed a goal and struggled to create the chances they needed, coming closest late on when Gearóid Kelly was denied by a fine save from Jack Barry in the Castlelyons goal.

Spillane, who returned from Dubai to play this game, didn’t waste any time justifying the cost of the flight. He had two goals on the board in two minutes, added a third by the midway point in the first half, and played a key role as Castlelyons built up a 13-point lead, before Corofin gradually started to work their way back into the tie. 

AIB Ulster Club IHC Final

SETANTA 1-16 ÉIRE ÓG CARRICKMORE 2-11

Former Tyrone hurler Gerry Gilmore fired 11 points for Setanta this afternoon at Owenbeg, as the Donegal club edged out their Red Hand county opposition in a thoroughly enjoyable tie.

The action was incredibly tight and tense for the first 20 minutes, but Gilmore’s freetaking accuracy really came to the fore before the interval, when he hit six points in a row to make it 0-11 to 0-5 at the break.

A red card for Carrickmore midfielder Rúairí Slane further hinted at a one-sided final, but Dean Rafferty drew them level from a penalty while Aidan Kelly came off the bench to score 1-5. His goal came too late however as it was in reply to Seán Ward’s strike in the 58th minute, which gave Setanta just enough cushion to hold on.

AIB Leinster Club IFC Final

ALLENWOOD 4-12 SCOIL UÍ CHONAILL 3-5

The ongoing heroics of Johnny Doyle have led the nation to watch the fortunes of Allenwood with interest this Autumn, but the former Kildare star had to cede the limelight to a player 25 years his junior at Parnell Park today.

Eoin Bagnall’s 1-5 caught the eye as the West Kildare club, his goal coming as a riposte to Colm Geraghty’s opening goal in the first half. A topsy-turvy opening 30 minutes ended with Allenwood shading matters by 3-5 to 2-4, but the second half was much more one-sided. Billy Maher added his name to the goalscorer’s list in the second half as Allenwood outscored the Clontarf club by 1-7 to 1-1 in the second half, becoming the first club since Two Mile House to win this title for the Short Grass County.

AIB Munster Club JHC Final

ST. CATHERINE’S 2-14 FEENAGH-KILMEEDY 1-15

Cork clubs continue to maintain their firm grip on the AIB Munster JHC as St. Catherine’s made it 16 winners from the Rebel County in the 22 renewals of the championship – but unlike the most recent six finals featuring a Cork club, all of which were decided by five points or more, this one went right down to the wire.

Eoin Condon for the first of his two first-half green flags to put the Ballynoe village side into the lead early on, but their Limerick opponents struck back in kind through Rúairí O’Connor, who took advantage of an excellent pass from John O’Gorman.

Teenager Seán O’Donoghue top scored for St. Catherine’s with 0-9, including four from play, and his points as well as a second goal from Condon, nudged St. Catherine’s in front by half time, 2-8 to 1-8.

Diarmuid Coleman and David Boyce were on target early in the second half as Feenagh-Kilmeedy drew level at 2-9 to 1-12, but they couldn’t quite get their noses in front, with O’Donoghue lighting up the contest with some wonderful points.

AIB Connacht Club JFC Final

LAHARDANE MACHALES 3-10 OWENMORE GAELS 1-12

Foggy conditions and incredibly poor visibility didn’t stop Lahardane MacHales and Owenmore Gaels from playing out a hugely entertaining contest in Castlebar earlier today, with the Mayo club picking up provincial honours, largely on the back of a dominant showing from Kyran Jordan at midfield, and a much better conversion rate when it came to goal chances.

Jordan and his midfield partner Shane Finnerty were on target with second quarter goal chances that game MacHales a 2-4 to 0-7 interval lead, which they doubled when Adrian Leonard, Mark Noone and Darragh Walsh kicked the first three points of the second half.

Joe Queenan made two excellent saves as Owenmore couldn’t get the goal they needed, and when they started to look dangerous, Matthew Maughan found the target with a third goal for the Mayo club, rendering Dillon Walsh’s tremendous late strike irrelevant.