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Kilmallock captain Paudie O'Brien lifts the John Daly Cup. INPHO/Cathal Noonan

Kilmallock are crowned Limerick hurling champions

The South Limerick town are celebrating after the success of their senior side.

Kilmallock 1-15
Adare 0-15

Jake Mulcahy’s 46th minute goal was the crucial score in enabling Kilmallock to lift the Limerick SHC title for the second time in three years in yesterday’s decider against Adare in the Gaelic Grounds.

Mulcahy, a younger brother of Limerick senior Graeme Mulcahy and an All-Ireland Fresher hurling winner with UCC last March, pounced to raise the only green flag of the game and register a strike that propelled Kilmallock into a 1-11 to 0-11 lead.

That created a lead that they still held at the final whistle to hold off an Adare team for whom Declan Hannon was in inspirational form as he notched 0-11 in a man-of-the-match winning display.

Adare, underdogs entering this game, had began brightly with Hannon firing over four points to push them into a 0-5 to 0-3 lead by the 17th minute. But with Paudie O’Dwyer showing up well at centre-forward, Kilmallock mounted a revival and Robbie Egan landed the point that edged them in front by 0-6 to 0-5 by the 24th minute.

Adare kept powering on though with Hannon helping them manufacture an 0-8 to 0-6 interval lead and when county senior Wayne McNamara raised a white flag in the 40th minute, they were 0-11 to 0-8 clear.

However the match then entered a defining phase as Kilmallock hit a purple patch when they fired 1-4 without reply, including that important Mulcahy goal.

Despite Adare’s strong efforts in the finale, they could never cut the gap to closer than two points and Kilmallock’s Kieran Kennelly crowned their victory with a late point.

Kilmallock manager Tony Considine. Pic: INPHO/Cathal Noonan

The triumph adds to Kilmallock’s 2010 success at this level, which was their first in 16 years, and ensures former Clare manager Tony Considine has won his third Limerick SHC title after previously succeeding with Garryspillane in 2005. On this occasion he got the better of another ex-Banner boss with Ger ‘Sparrow’ O’Loughlin presiding over the fortunes of Adare.

Kilmallock will now go forward to represent Limerick in the Munster Club SHC with a quarter-final date looming on October 28th against the winners of next Sunday’s Tipperary county final between Thurles Sarsfields and Drom-Inch.

Two years ago Kilmallock were felled by Thurles Sarsfields in the provincial semi-final by 2-10 to 0-11 having previously defeated Clare champions Crusheen in the opening round.

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