Offaly SHC quarter-final pairings confirmed

Kilcormac/Killoughey's Adam Screeney with Shinrone's Michael Cleary ©INPHO/Tom O'Hanlon

The line-up for the Offaly SHC quarter-finals has been confirmed following the conclusion of the group phase last weekend.

Belmont will play Birr and Shinrone will meet St Rynagh’s on the weekend after next. The two quarter-final winners will join Kilcormac/Killoughey and Ballinamere in the semi-finals, with a draw taking place to determine who plays who. The SHC relegation final will be contested by Lusmagh and Kinnitty.

Four-in-a-row chasing Kilcormac/Killoughey topped Group 1 and advanced directly to the semi-finals after powering to an emphatic 2-24 to 0-14 victory over an already-qualified Birr in Banagher last Saturday. K/K’s first round conquerors Coolderry bowed out on the head-to-head rule, despite easing to a 3-21 to 1-14 win over Kinnitty in Rath. K/K and St Rynagh’s – who had completed their programme of group matches before last weekend – both finished on six points, followed by Birr and Coolderry on four points and Kinnitty on none.

The attention switched to Group 2 on Sunday and the big winners here were Shinrone. Trailing at half-time, the 2022 champions stormed back in the second half to defeat Lusmagh 3-21 to 0-14 in Birr. This result, coupled with Ballinamere’s 0-23 to 1-18 victory over Belmont in Banagher, saw Shinrone join Ballinamere and Belmont in the knockout stages at the expense of Tullamore, who weren’t in action last weekend.

Ballinamere topped the group with a maximum of eight points.  Belmont, Shinrone and Tullamore all finished on four points, but the latter’s inferior scoring difference saw them narrowly miss out for the second year in-a-row, while last year’s senior ‘B’ champions Lusmagh propped up the table with zero points.