Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship Quarter Finals round-up
Loughmore/Castleiney 2-24 Roscrea 2-23
LOUGHMORE/CASTLEINEY HAD delve into their well of experience to get the better of Roscrea by a point in the first of the Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship quarter-finals at FBD Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The 2021 champions played second fiddle for much of the first half as they were 1-17 to 2-9 adrift at the break, Shane Fletcher getting Roscrea off to a flying start with a fourth-minute goal. Loughmore hit back with a goal three minutes later from John McGrath, but Roscrea were in full flow with Darragh Tynan and Dan Ryan adding good scores.
A Philip O’Connell goal against the run of play in the 17th minute nudged Loughmore back in front but from there to half time, it as all Roscrea as they went in five points in front.
However, Loughmore upped the intensity in the second half and were level by the 47th minute, holding Roscrea to just two points. Loughmore only took their first lead in the 52nd minute and pushed on to lead by four when Roscrea made a late scoring burst, which fell just short.
Kiladangan 2-22 Holycross/Ballycahill 3-17
2020 champions Kiladangan survived a massive scare after overcoming Holycross/Ballycahill by two points in the second of the quarter-finals in Thurles.
The North Tipp side were raging hot favourites and started well with Billy Seymour to the fore but Holycross, appearing in their first quarter-final since 2004, settled and with Darragh Woods landing three outstanding points, were level on 23 minutes. The first half ended in a welter of excitement, with Bryan McLoughney goaling to open a six-point lead but goals from a Cathal Barrett penalty and David Fogarty had the sides level at half time, 2-9 to 1-12.
A Billy Seymour goal, part of a 1-10 haul, put Kiladangan back in front but it was immediately cancelled out by Jimmy Lahart as Holycross grew in belief and went two points in front after 42 minutes. Kiladangan were wasteful with 16 wides and were still trailing going into the final minutes but two late points from Seymour and a long-range score from Alan Flynn saw them to a sixth semi-final in-a-row.