Nine-in-a-row chasing Ballygunner will face Mount Sion in the Waterford senior hurling championship final, after the reigning champions outclassed Roanmore 2-17 to 0-12 at the semi-final stage.
Mount Sion, who beat De La Salle 1-19 to 2-12 in their semi-final, are the last club to have achieved nine consecutive Waterford senior hurling titles, something they managed between 1953-61.
Ballygunner are now on a remarkable 47-game unbeaten streak in Waterford. They were 1-5 to 0-7 ahead at the interval in Walsh Park against Roanmore, who they beat in last year’s county decider. The All-Ireland club champions dominated the second half and ran out comfortable winners – with their goals coming from Dessie Hutchinson and Patrick Fitzgerald.
Austin Gleeson scored six points as Mount Sion beat De La Salle to advance to their first final appearance since 2014, a match they lost to Ballygunner.
Elsewhere in hurling, defending champions St Rynagh’s have been eliminated from the Offaly senior hurling championship. Shinrone delivered a huge display in Birr to run out 1-15 to 1-13 winners over the three-in-a-row champs.
St Rynagh’s led 1-9 to 1-6 at half-time, but Shinrone scored the first three points after the restart to be level by the 45th minute. They edged in front during the last 10 minutes and while just a point separated the sides deep in injury-time, Adrian Cleary’s late score helped Shinrone to a two-point victory.
The semi-final draw has pitted them against Belmont and Kilcormac-Killoughey against Birr.
In Tipperary, Kilruane MacDonaghs were 3-15 to 1-20 winners over Clonoulty-Rossmore in what was an emotional Tipperary SHC group fixture, it being the rescheduled match following the tragic passing of Clonoulty and Tipp hurler Dillon Quirke last month.
Meanwhile, in football, 2020 Dublin SFC winners Ballymun Kickhams have been knocked out of this year’s competition following a 2-8 to 0-11 defeat to Cuala in their last group game.
In what was a sometimes fiery affair, goals by Luke Keating and Niall James were pivotal scores as the Dalkey outfit finished second in the group behind Ballyboden, who beat Clontarf 1-16 to 0-7, and just ahead of Ballymun for a place in the knockout stages. Ballinteer also booked their place in the quarter-finals with a 1-13 to 1-8 victory over Raheny at O’Toole Park.
The Dublin SFC quarter-final pairings will see Kilmacud Crokes v Cuala, Na Fianna v Whitehall Colmcille, Castleknock v Thomas Davis and Ballyboden St Endas v Ballinteer.
In the Kildare SFC quarter-finals, reigning champions Naas progressed to the last four with a 1-14 to 1-11 win over Sarsfields while Clane were 3-15 to 1-9 winners over Eadestown.
Naas were six points adrift at half-time and, despite being reduced to 14 men when Darragh Kirwan was sent off on a second yellow card early in the second half, they staged a stirring comeback to advance to the semi-finals.
