Na Piarsaigh complete Limerick treble as they win Intermediate title

After a six week wait, Na Piarsaigh’s second side proved too strong for the West outfit to earn promotion to the PIHC ranks.

Na Piarsaihg will compete in both the Limerick Senior and Premier Intermediate Hurling Championships in 2023 after successfully winning the Intermediate title in Ballyagran on Sunday.

The Caherdavin side proved too strong for Croagh Kilfinny as they claimed the IHC crown with a 1-19 to 0-14 win. They led for the majority of the contest as substitute James Daly made sure of the result with the only goal of the game.

It is a third county success for the City side who add Intermediate hurling to the Senior hurling and Intermediate Football honours. The senior side fell in the Munster semi-final to eventual winners Ballygunner while the footballers have a provincial final this weekend to look forward to against Rathmore.

Na Piarsaigh’s line up contained a number of the side that helped the team to All-Ireland senior club success in 2016 with one of those, Alan Dempsey opening the scoring. Dempsey would add two more in a powerful display with Pat Gleeson hitting 0-7 over the course of the hour.

The Caherdavin men raced out of the traps and had the first four scores of the day with Evan Sweeney and Kieran Daly adding to Gleeson and Dempsey’s early efforts.

Cian O’Carroll got Croagh Kilfinny off the board from a placed ball but soon they trailed 0-8 to 0-2 with O’Carroll also hitting their second.

But Croagh eventually found their rhythm with O’Carroll unerring over frees. Brian Hannon and James Lanigan also hit the target and it was 0-8 to 0-6 approaching the half before Gleeson stemmed the tide to leave three in it at the break.

The West side continued in the same vein after the restart and it was Hannon that drew the teams level for the first time after 40 minutes at 0-10 apiece.

Gleeson and Sweeney pushed the gap back out to two but O’Carroll made it a one-point game with his seventh of the day. But that was as close as they got as Na Piarsaigh found another gear. Dempsey launched over his third with Daly then making it 1-15 to 0-12 finding the net after blazing over the bar with his previous effort.

O’Carroll had a pair of frees in response but it wasn’t enough as Na Piarsaigh hit scores from Dylan Cronin and John Fitzgerald to ensure the result and their place in the top two tiers of Limerick hurling.

For Croagh it is a second successive Intermediate Hurling final defeat in only their second year at the grade.

Scorers for Na Piarsaigh: Pat Gleeson (0-7, 6 frees), James Daly (1-1), Alan Dempsey, Evan Sweeney (both 0-3), Kieran Daly, David Sheppard, Kevin Daly, John Fitzgerald, Dylan Cronin (all 0-1) 

Scroers for Croagh Kilfinny: Cian O’Carroll (0-9, 9 frees), Brian Hannan (0-3), James Lanigan, Andrew Meade (both 0-1)