Search Results for 'Eoin Larkin'

Ballyhale Shamrocks restored their winning stance as they comprehensively destroyed James Stephens in a disappointing JJ Kavanagh & Sons Junior League final in Nowlan Park last Saturday evening.

Kilkenny the three in a row hurling team dominate this year's Vodafone GAA All Stars list, with a total 14 nominations.

Kilkenny notched up their 14th National Hurling League title after a ding-dong battle with the old enemy Tipperary at Thurles last Sunday. I thought that hurling at intercounty level was becoming a bit boring and predictable but Sunday's epic encounter has given me great hope for the coming championship. It's great to beat Tipperary any time but to beat them in their own backyard on final day is extra special.

The Kilkenny hurlers are on the march once again. The Cats showed great composure and resolve when defeating the Galway men by four points in a thrilling Leinster semi-final at Tullamore last Saturday evening.

It has been one hell of a roller coaster ride for Kilkenny fans since 1998. Lucky enough we've had more ups than downs during that period. It's a staggering statistic that during that time it was only twice that the Black and Amber didn’t feature.

Kilkenny may have written themselves into the history books this year by becoming the first team to complete the clean sweep, but the men who were involved in creating history found themselves going back to grassroots last weekend as the local championships commenced. Some of the media recently complained that we didn't know how to celebrate winning and that our homecoming party was very lethargic. I'd say to hell with the begrudgers, the players know we think the world of them and also respect the fact that time moves on. The county men who soldiered so well together, also respect that while they were away on county duty, club men they grew up with have been plugging away in preparation for last weekend. There is no doubt that special bonds are formed during the intercounty season, however, once you go back and put on the club colours - friendship rightly goes out the window as teams go in search of success in their respective championships.

The people of Kilkenny are in dreamland this week, having witnessed the four-in-a-row. It's not very often that a game of such importance lives up to expectations but in the year that marks the 125th anniversary of the GAA we got a final that will be spoken about for decades to come.

Delegates at special congress last Saturday gave Galway and Antrim the green light to compete in Leinster for the next three years. There were a number of proposals down for decision but without a doubt this motion was top of the priority list. There has been a lot of changes in the association over the years with this being the most radical on-field change since the backdoor system was introduced in '97. Both Galway and Antrim have now been given the chance to bring the famous Bob O'Keeffe Cup to foreign lands, oh, how times have changed. It may only be for a three-year trial period but I for one feel it's a stepping stone to an open draw or a champions league style championship. Sure Kilkenny are dominant in Leinster at present, but I think this move undermines the great effort that Dublin, Wexford and Offaly are doing to catch up on possibly the greatest Kilkenny team of all times. This move will certainly make it harder for the aforementioned sides to reach the Leinster final- so how this is going to improve hurling in this province is beyond me. Take Dublin for instance, a county that is genuinely trying its best to promote hurling. Their players would look upon it as a huge honour to play in a Leinster decider, the new system could now rob them of that chance. Any player who has won a Leinster senior medal over the years should cherish it. The new championship should in fact be called the 'rest of Ireland championship' during this three-year trial. Everyone will have their own opinion and are well entitled to have it, but the sight of Galway running out on Croke Park for final day doesn't exactly excite me. Call me old-fashioned or set in my ways, but that's the way I feel at present. Maybe I'll feel differently about it after the three-year trial; I wonder what way will the Kilkenny County Board look upon it in three-year’s time if Galway take all three titles during that period? Once again we are victims of our own success! It’s ok for people to mess around with this province, if change was needed, and I'm not so sure it was, but they should have bitten the bullet and brought Munster on board for the champions league style championship.

Eoin Larkin’s cracking goal in the 45th minute proved decisive as this tight scoring semi-final of city neighbours saw the ‘Village’ take the outright lead for the first-time and they never relinquished the lead afterwards.

The Shamrocks remain on course to lift the Tom Walsh Cup for the third consecutive year after blowing away Carrickshock in a second half blitz last Sunday. They outscored their neighbours 1-14 to 4 points in a virtuoso second half display that once again left people in the stands in awe of their talents. The Ballyhale men most certainly hit the field running with early scores from Henry and Eoin Reid before Richie Power hit back for the Carrickshock men. The Shamrocks’ machine took off once more with points from Henry (3), Colin Fennelly and the impressive Eoin Reid. At this early stage it looked fairly bleak for the ‘Shocks as the Ballyhale men ghosted around the field slotting scores from all angles. The one Carrickshock man that rose to the occasion was their Offaly import David Franks, his burst up the field 10 minutes before half-time, seemed to inspire some of his colleagues. I don't know whether it was that Carrickshock lifted their game or the Ballyhale men dosed off due to their comfortable position, but they certainly had the better of the exchanges during the last ten minutes. Points from intercounty men Michael Rice, Richie Power and one from Shane Power left the minimum between them as half-time approached. This year’s county minor Mark O'Dwyer levelled proceedings on the stroke of half-time with a well taken score.