AIB All-Ireland Club JHC semi-finals
Russell Rovers v Ballinascreen
SAT, 1pm, The Downs
Easkey v St Lachtains
SUN, 1pm, Ballinasloe
The Downs of Westmeath is an apt venue name for a loser, and this Saturday Russell Rovers or Ballinascreen will crash out of the AIB All-Ireland Junior Hurling Championship without the grand, final day out in Croke Park.
Losing here arguably hurts more than anywhere along the line. There’s been something building to get to this point, something to treasure but something of value. Therefore something to lose. The ups and the downs.
Ballinascreen racked up a mightily impressive 1-25 in their last outing in mid-November, as East Cavan Gaels were swept aside in the Ulster final.
Eamonn Conway’s goal arrived before the clock was two minutes old. They led by eight at the break. In the end the margin of victory was seven, as Conway finished up on 1-7 and above all the trophy finished up in Derry.
Coleraine were the only other Oak Leaf side to accomplish such a feat, something that was not lost on the man at the helm Cathal McDaid:
“It’s first time our club has ever reached this level, and to be able to get there and finish the job, it’s fantastic.
“We’re a dual club, we had 16 dual players on that panel. The workload of young boys all year is, you wouldn’t believe it if I told you, it’s unreal.”
Their opposition, Russell Rovers, are yet another Cork outfit competing at this level. 17 of the last 23 Munster JHC champions have come from the Rebel County.
Ballygiblin turned county success into national success in 2023, while Rovers themselves made a final just before Covid-19 struck in early 2020.
They will be determined to go one better, having been beaten 0-22 to 0-15 by Kilkenny’s Conahy Shamrocks.
In the other semi-final, Easkey join senior footballers Coolera-Strandhill as Sligo representatives in the country’s final four teams.
Their challenge comes in the form of another Kilkenny outfit, St Lachtain’s. The Freshford outfit defeated Castletown Liam Mellows in what their manager described as a “real dogfight”, with Eaksey off the back of a third Connacht title in a row.