Morgan Furels Down Senior Hurling Championship
The top two teams in the Down Senior Hurling Championship group meet this weekend, but it’s the identity of one of those teams which may be a surprise to some.
Ballycran edged out close rivals Portaferry in the second round of games on August 13, and sit top of the table with three wins out of three, having followed that up with a thumping win over Bredagh the following weekend.
However, most eye-catching so far has been the form of Liatroim, last year’s Ulster intermediate champions, who sit in second place on points difference above the reigning champions Portaferry.
The fact that the Fontenoys lost last time out to the St Patrick’s club hasn’t shifted them from second spot as wins by 24 points over Bredagh and 14 over Newry Shamrocks in their first two games has given them a healthy points difference.
Manager Collie Murphy will have known, however, that greater test were still to come and a seven-point defeat to Portaferry will have been sobering enough. Ballycran will prove a similarly hard nut to crack on Sunday and a win for the St Joseph’s club will seal a spot in the semi-finals.
However, with the top four of the six-team group securing semi-final spots, Liatroim have put themselves in a good position to make up that quartet.
The form of Down star Pearse Og McCrickard has been instrumental in Liatroim posting those huge totals to date, but he will find himself tightly marked at Fontenoy Park on Sunday as the visiting side look to maintain their 100 per cent record.
Portaferry make the shorter trip to neighbours Ballygalget with the Mitchell’s hoping to spring a surprise. They haven’t competed in a county final since 2017, with the other two Ards clubs carving up the title between since then.
Ballygalget lost their opening game against Ballycran, but have recovered to beat Newry Shamrocks and Bredagh. Another win on Sunday would go a long way to cementing a semi-final spot.
The remaining game features the bottom two teams in the table – Bredagh and Newry Shamrocks.
Shamrocks came into the senior championship last year and have yet to win a game, while Bredagh were semi-finalists in 2022.
However, the south Belfast team have found the going tougher this year, and have already lost heavily to Liatroim, Ballygalget and Ballycran.
The bottom two clubs in the senior championship will drop down to the intermediate championship semi-finals, so these teams could well meet again this year.
Fixtures
Down SHC round-robin (first team at home)
Sunday
Bredagh v Newry Shamrocks (1pm)
Liatroim v Ballycran (3pm)
Ballygalget v Portaferry (6pm)
