Laois Senior Hurling Championship semi-final previews and predictions

Four sides remain in this year's Laois Shopping Centre Senior Hurling Championship with two cracking semi-finals in store on Sunday September 24.

Rathdowney-Errill and Camross play their first matches in five weeks as both sides topped their groups and in turn sealed their semi-final places after the group stages. Abbeyleix St Lazarian's got the better of Rosenallis by an astonishing 21 points in their quarter-final. The other quarter-final saw a much closer contest as extra-time was needed to separate Clough-Ballacolla and Castletown.

Garry Mernagh's side looked to be home and hosed only for Conor Phelan to flick the sliotar into the net in the final minute to force extra-time. It then looked as if Castletown had won the game in extra-time as Martin Phelan rattled in a third Castletown goal as they led by two points approaching the final moments. Up stepped, Robbie Phelan to take Clough-Ballacolla into the semi-finals with a superb finish into the back of the net.

Abbeyleix St Lazarian's are looking to reach their first Senior final since 1949, the last time they won the Bob O'Keefe Cup , when they take on Rathdowney-Errill in the opening game of the double-header. Rathdowney-Erill got their campaign off to the perfect start as they beat the four-in-a-row chasing Clough-Ballacolla by four points in Round 1. They then fired in three goals against both Rosenallis and The Harps to top Group A and cement their place in the semi-finals. Abbeyleix St Lazarian's only loss has come against Camross, who go up against Clough-Ballacolla in the other game.

The Camross and Clough-Ballacolla game sees a repeat of last year's county final where Clough-Ballacolla won well on a scoreline of 1-24 to 0-16. The clubs also met in the 2017 decider with Camross lifting the Bob O'Keefe Cup on that occasion. 2015 was another time when they clashed in the final as Clough-Ballacolla claimed victory. Garry Mernagh, in his first season in the Clough-Ballacolla hot seat, will hope that his side will respond to the wake-up call that Castletown gave them in the previous round and hope they can reach their fourth successive county final as they look to take a fourth championship in a row.

Fixture details and predictions:

Sunday September 24

Abbeyleix St Lazarian's v Rathdowney-Errill at 2pm in Laois Hire O'Moore Park. Prediction: Rathdowney-Errill

Clough-Ballacolla v Camross at 3.45pm in Laois Hire O'Moore Park. Prediction: Clough-Ballacolla