It’s semi-final weekend in Kilkenny on both the hurling and camogie front and we’ve got four live games for you on air, online and in the KCLR app this Saturday and Sunday.
Our live match coverage begins on Saturday with a double-header of hurling action from the JJ Kavanagh & Sons Kilkenny Junior Hurling Championship.
Tullogher Rosbercon will be hoping to build on recent performances when they face Dicksboro’s junior outfit at 1.30pm. They put 3-13 past Graignamanagh in the first round before seeing off Emeralds 3-22 to 2-15 on the quarter-finals to book their spot in the semis. Dicksboro will be looking to go one better than last year when they lost out to Windgap in a cracker at UPMC Nowlan Park and cement their own place in the semi-finals. Coverage of that game comes courtesy of Bounce Land Inflatable Hire.
We’ll know the lineup for the finals by 5pm in the wake of the second game of the day as Windgap take on St. Lachtains of Freshford. It’s another semi-final appearance for Windgap who put in a good showing against Piltown last Saturday. However, when both sides met in the league final at the end of September, it was St. Lachtains who came out the better with six points to spare (it finished 2-16 to 0-16) so there’s plenty at stake for both sides this Saturday. That game is being brought to you with thanks to Pat Foley Transport with throw-in at 3.30pm.
First out on Sunday, it’s the St. Canice’s Credit Union Kilkenny senior hurling championship semi-final clash between Bennettsbridge and O’Loughlin Gaels. Will 2018 finalists Bennettsbridge continue their fine form and claim a third consecutive championship victory or will Brian Hogan lead his O’Loughlin’s side to the decider in his first year in charge? We’ll find out from 1.15pm with thanks to Eugene Foley Construction.
That game is followed by a repeat of last year’s county final with Ballyhale Shamrocks going in as favourites against James Stephens. It will be the fifth time in as many years both sides have met at some point in the championship while they also served up a nail-biter in the league, Shamrocks channelling their Lazarus-like abilities to rescue a point in a thrilling 5-17 to 2-26 encounter in Callan just over a month ago, showing once more that you can never write off the men from Ballyhale.
Kilkenny Camogie Championships
On the camogie front there are semi-finals to take in locally in the Michael Lyng Motors Hyundai Kilkenny senior championship, the Shaws Department Store intermediate championship and the Kilkenny River Court Hotel junior C league/championship.
The latter starts on Friday night with an 8pm throw-in at Ballyragget where Erin’s Own take on James Stephens in the league semi-final. A quarter of an hour later we’ll see Piltown with home advantage against Young Irelands in the first round of the Junior C knockouts.
On Saturday, the relegation semi-finals at intermediate grade see Carrickshock take on Mullinavat in Tullogher at 11.30am while at 12pm it’s Danesfort and St. Martins meeting in the first round of the Junior C championship. The big ones on Saturday though head to Thomastown with Windgap and Barrow Rangers contesting the first of the senior county semi-finals of the day, that one throwing in at 12.40pm, followed by the meeting of Dicksboro and Piltown at 3.30pm. The winners will progress to the senior finals next weekend.
On Sunday, first out are St. Martins and Thomastown in the first senior relegation semi-final with Danesfort hosting that games from 11am. The other relegation semi-final sees Conahy take on Young Irelands. At the same time in Windgap, Dicksboro and Piltown’s junior sides meet in the quarter-finals of the Premier Junior Championship. That competition also sees Rower Inistioge take on Tullogher (11am).
The big draws on Sunday will be the intermediate championship semi-finals with Rower Inistioge meeting Danesfort in Páirc Na Ratha at 1.45pm before Mooncoin face O’Loughlin Gaels, that game now fixed for Danesfort at 4pm.
Sunday’s camogie action concludes with the Junior C league semi-final between Conahy and St. Brigid’s from 6.3opm. We’ll keep you up-to-date with the big games of the weekend on Scoreline, 2-6pm this Saturday and Sunday.
