PREVIEW AND PREDICTIONS: Saturday's Laois SHC double-header
Camross are closing in on a semi-final while Ballinakill cannot afford defeat
Saturday’s double-header brings plenty of intrigue in the final round of the Laois Shopping Centre SHC, with Camross looking to secure top spot in Group A while Ballinakill face a must-win clash against The Harps to keep their championship hopes alive.
Camross v Ballyfin
The first game of Saturday’s double-header is something of a dead rubber, as Camross, barring they get hammered by Ballyfin and Rosenallis hammer Borris-Kilcotton, will finish top of Group A and progress straight into a semi-final.
Saturday’s opponents Ballyfin are rooted to the bottom of Group B and will contest the relegation play-off against an unknown opponent, with plenty of permutations in Group A still to be decided.
Camross have six points from a possible eight, with their only blip coming against Clough/Ballacolla in Round 3. Last time out, they were pushed all the way by Borris-Kilcotton and needed late points to get over the line after Borris-Kilcotton had made a superb comeback.
They won their first two games against Rathdowney-Errill and The Harps and will now be looking to finish the group stages strongly.
Ballyfin have had a SHC return to forget, really. The management team that won them the Premier IHC in 2025 left midway through the league, and it has meant that Eanna Lyons is now the player-manager.
They were competitive in their opening-round loss to Portlaoise before shipping big losses to Abbeyleix and Rosenallis. Round 4 saw them lose to Ballinakill by five points, and that result ensured they could only finish bottom of the group.
Ballyfin’s focus won’t be on this game against Camross, as their biggest game of the year will be that relegation play-off in two weeks’ time.
Prediction: Camross
The game throws in at 5.30pm on Saturday, September 5.
Ballinakill v The Harps
The second game on Saturday will see Ballinakill take on The Harps, and it’s a game that Ballinakill must win in order to prolong their season.
A loss would see them out of the championship, and if Abbeyleix were to win on Sunday, it would put Ballinakill into the relegation play-off against Ballyfin.
Last year’s semi-finalists only picked up their first points of the campaign against Ballyfin three weeks ago. Their first three games saw them lose out to Clough/Ballacolla, Rathdowney-Errill and Borris-Kilcotton.
A win for them against The Harps, coupled with Portlaoise’s loss last night, sees them into a quarter-final against Rosenallis, a repeat of last year’s quarter-final, a game in which Ballinakill won.
The Harps, meanwhile, sit second in Group B and can cement second place in the group with a win. A loss for the Durrow-Cullohill club would open the door for Rathdowney-Errill to potentially knock them out, provided Borris-Kilcotton also beat Rosenallis.
The Harps have been excellent so far in the championship and have only lost once. That came in a 54-score epic against Camross in Round 1. Their three wins came against Rosenallis, Portlaoise and Abbeyleix.
I expect The Harps to back up their recent performances and finish the group stages with a win to finish second in Group B.
Prediction: The Harps
The game throws in at 7pm on Saturday, September 5.