NA Piarsaigh showed all their experience in the end to defeat Patrickswell 1-17 to 0-23 this Friday evening at the TUS Gaelic Grounds.
Kevin Downes produced an excellent display for Na Piarsaigh where he chipped in with 0-4 from play.
Na Piarsaigh and Patrickswell faced off in a repeat of last year’s county final. The Caherdavin outfit are bidding to win three county titles in-a-row for the first in their history.
The injury to Peter Casey is a massive blow for Na Piarsaigh. Casey is currently sidelined with a long term ankle injury.
Ciaran Carey is back in charge of Patrickswell for the third time. The former Limerick hurler takes over from Tipperary native Eamonn Kelly. 2019 was the last time Patrickswell won a Limerick SHC title.
This game saw seven Limerick senior hurling panelists line out for their clubs.
It was Patrickswell who registered the first score after Patrick Kirby set up wing forward Jack Kelleher for a point from distance. On four minutes Jason Gillane played a spectacular pass to Jack Kelleher from a puckout and Kelleher found space to put Patrickswell 0-2 ahead.
The Well were begining to create opportunites but their shooting was letting them down where they registered five wides in the opening eight minutes.
Na Piarsaigh midfielder Wayne Kearns made a great run from deep to land their first score. Carey’s side pushed 0-4 to 0-1 ahead with Cian Lynch and Diarmaid Byrnes on target.
Former Limerick hurler David Dempsey made an excellent run out to left corner forward position and Dempsey made no mistake to narrow the gap to two points.
Soon after that a neat point from Evan Fitzgerald and a Aaron Gillane free put Patrickswell four points ahead. Shane O’Neill’s side didn’t panic and on 16 minutes there was one point between the sides when Ronan Lynch and Shane Dowling nailed frees along with Kevin Downes getting off the mark for first time on Friday evening.
Jack Kelleher and Diarmaid Byrnes were proving a handful and they pushed Patrickswell 0-8 to 0-5 ahead. Limerick senior hurlers Conor Boylan and Aaron Gillane swapped scores on 24 and 25 minutes.
After that, Ronan Lynch made it a two point game from a placed ball. Three further points from Aaron Gillane put the 20 time county champions 0-11 to 0-7 ahead.
The reigning county champions showed all their experience and had the game level at the break through Will Henn, Kevin Downes, Shane Dowling and Ronan Lynch. The sides were deadlocked 0-11 apiece at the interval.
Straight after the break Patrick Kirby found himself in space and he put Patrickswell back in front. Ronan Lynch and Will Henn had the reigning county champions in the lead on 33 minutes 0-13 to 0-12. Aaron Gillane levelled matters for third time through a placed ball.
David Dempsey sent over a spectacular effort from a difficult angle and Lynch proved accurate once again from the placed ball to have the eight time county champions leading 0-15 to 0-13.
On 41 minutes Patrickswell full forward Kevin O’Brien took on the Na Piarsaigh defence and his shot was terrifcally saved by Shane Dowling but Patrick Kirby was alert to finish the slioatar into the back of the net. That was the only time Patrickswell led in the second half.
In the remaining 19 minutes Na Piarsaigh outscored their opponents 0-8 to 0-4 and in the end that ultimately proved to be the difference between the sides. Ronan Lynch, Will Henn, Kevin Downes, Conor Boylan and Dylan Lynch all landed crucial scores for the victors, while 2023 hurler of the year Aaron Gillane kept his club within touching distance from four frees.
Na Piarsaigh produced a strong second half display where they limited Patrickswell to 1-1 from play in the second half.
Both sides are back in action next week in round two of the Limerick SHC. Patrickswell face Doon on Friday August 9 at 7pm in Kilmallock, while Na Piarsaigh take on Ahane on Saturday August 10 at 7pm in the TUS Gaelic Grounds.
SCORERS:
NA PIARSAIGH:Ronan Lynch (0-8, 0-6 frees) and Shane Dowling (0-2 frees), Kevin Downes (0-4) and Will Henn 0-3, Conor Boylan and David Dempsey 0-2 each, Wayne Kearns and Dylan Lynch 0-1 each.
PATRICKSWELL:Aaron Gillane (0-9, 0-5 frees, 0-1 65), Patrick Kirby 1-1, Jack Kelleher 0-3, Diarmaid Byrnes 0-2, Cian Lynch and Evan Fitzgerald 0-1 each.
NA PIARSAIGH:Shane Dowling, Cathal King, Mike Casey (Captain), Gearoid Synnott, Vince Harrington, Mike Foley, Tommy Grimes, William O’Donoghue, Wayne Kearns, JJ Carey, Conor Boylan, Kevin Downes, Ronan Lynch, David Dempsey, Will Henn.
SUBS:Emmet McEvoy for Foley (46 minutes), John Fitzgerald for Kearns (50 minutes), Dylan Lynch for Henn (51 minutes), Sean Long for Synnott (56 nminutes),
PATRICKSWELL:Jason Gillane, Kelvin Lynch, Cian Fitzgerald, John Flynn, Mark Carmody, Nigel Foley, James Carrig, Diarmaid Byrnes, John Murray, Evan Fitzgerald, Cian Lynch (Captain), Jack Kelleher, Patrick Kirby, Kevin O’Brien, Aaron Gillane.
SUBS:John Kirby for Foley (injury, 20 minutes), Cian O’Gorman for Murray (40 minutes), Tom O’Brien for Fitzgerald (48 minutes), Eoin Harmon for O’Brien (50 minutes).
REFEREE:Eamonn Stapleton (Doon)