SHC Quarter-final Round-Up

Reigning Leinster and All-Ireland champions Cuala booked a spot in the semi-final of the AIB Leinster Club SHC on Sunday when they saw off Kilkenny’s Dicksboro 2-20 to 1-16 at Parnell Park.

Con O’Callaghan’s impeccable season continued as he bagged 1-3 to sublimely see off a weekend that also saw him honoured with a PwC GA/GPA Football Al-Star and be awarded GA/GPA Young Footballer of the Year.

The three in a row Dublin champions got off to a solid start and used all of their experience.

David Treacy was in top form on the frees and Colm Cronin also added 0-3 from play as the Dubs advanced to a semi-final date with Wexford champions St Martin’s on November 19.

A Jake Malone goal put Cuala 1-10 to 0-8 up at the interval as Dicksboro had to move county star Cillian Buckley from centre to full back to curb O’Callaghan.

Dicksboro improved through Shane Stapleton and Robbie Murphy, but the Dubs had too much.

The second semi-final this year will be contested by Kilcormac-Killoughey of Offaly and Carlow’s Mount Leinster Rangers after they negotiated their hurdles on Sunday.

Kilcormac–Killoughey played nearly all the second half with 14 men but still had the edge on Westmeath’s Castletown-Geoghegan by 2-15 to 1-12.

Niall O’Brien was prominent for the Westmeath champions who were fiercely competitive from the off, but were undone by hammer blow goals by Peter Healion and Dan Currams and the Offaly men led 2-6 to 1-8 at the break.

Ciaran Slevin’s free taking was vital to keep a hard working Kilcormac in front – despite losing Stephen Leonard to a second yellow card.

Mount Leinster Rangers are back on the glory trail after an impressive kick for home saw them beat Camross of Laois by 0-19 to 0-13.

There was actually only a point between them with normal time almost up as Camross fought back from five down and the loss of Darrel Dooley to a second yellow card early in the second half to rattle the Carlow men.

In the end a gallant Camross ran out of steam and Mount Leinster march on.