Shamrocks claim the Intermediate Hurling crown

Down Intermediate Hurling Championship Final, Clonduff 1-12 Newry Shamrocks 2-14

Newry Shamrocks were back on the podium in Pairc Esler on Saturday, winning the Intermediate Hurling Championship for the first time since 2021 with a five-point victory over Clonduff, who were in the hunt for their first ever Intermediate title. It may have been a great week for the Yellas, with the senior camogs winning their final earlier in the day adding silverware to the footballers championship the Sunday before, but Saturday evening belonged to Shamrocks, as captain Aodhan Furlong lifted the Charlie Keown Cup. They had the edge from early in the first half with a goal putting them in front, and while Clonduff battled back in the second period to draw level. the Newry side pulled away again winning by five points in the end. Christopher Hynes opened the scoring for Clonduff with a point but it wasn't long before Man-of-the-Match James Duggan equalised and the sides were level again moments later with traded scores between John Murphy and Duggan from a free. In the fourth minute Shamrocks put daylight between the teams when Stephen McKey hit the net. Hynes replied with the first of his seven-point tally for Clonduff but it remained tit-for-tat with the superb Down Minor football captain Danny Doyle sending his first over the bar while a brace of frees from Hynes and a score at the other end by Dugan made it 1-4 to 0-5 midway through the half. On 24 minutes after two more points for Shamrocks, they stretched their lead further when a long delivery dropped into the Clonduff square was finished to the net by Duggan as Cathal Magee tried unsuccessfully to clear the sliothar off the line. Hynes came close to setting up a maximum for his side in reply when he sent a long shot in that dropped directly in front of the Hilltown goal but Newry keeper Damien Kearns was on hand to gather. Jarlath Flynn and Aaron Graffin narrowed the margin to five points but a Duggan free was the last action of the half that put Shamrocks 2-7 to 0-7 in front at the break. The Yellas got off to a flying start in the second half when a short puc out saw Magee pass the sliothar across the face of goal to Shane Cummins and he netted. And it wasn't long before the sides were level and the excitement grew in Pairc Esler as points from John Murphy, Sean Downey and a Hynes free squared proceedings at 2-7 to 1-10 with 39 minutes on the clock. Traded scores kept the teams level but Shamrocks pulled away in the fourth quarter led by a terrific turn and point from Duggan and three on the trot from Doyle to give them a 2-12 to 1-11 lead on 53 minutes. They could have sealed the deal after that but a goal chance was well blocked. But two of the next three scores from Duggan and Eoin McGuinness either side of a Hynes free gave Shamrocks a five-point advantage as stoppage time approached. The Yellas desperately needed a goal at the very least, and they tried their hardest when a '65 an then a free were lumped forward. Shamrocks had done more than enough however and kept their opponents at bay, winning 2-14 to 1-12 when the final whistle blew.