PREVIEW: Key games down for decision in the Kildare Hurling Championships

There are key games down for decision in the Kildare Hurling Championships over the coming days with a packed midweek schedule for small ball fans in the county. The final round of the group stages of this year’s UPMC Kildare Senior and Senior ‘B’ Hurling Championships as well as Junior and Intermediate semi-finals on the docket.

Senior Hurling Championship Group Stage Final Round

SHC Group A lines up nicely for its final round with the teams who have won both games and conversely the teams that have lost both games facing one another. Champions and runaway favourites Naas face Éire Óg Corra Choill who will be pleased with their amassing of four points in their two outings so far, but they are about to face the stiffest test Kildare hurling has had to offer in recent memory. The pair duke for top spot in Cedral St Conleth’s Park on Wednesday, August 27 at 7:30pm.

Simultaneously, over in Mangaurd Park Hawkfield, Confey will face Celbridge to decide who earns a Quarter-Final spot from Group A with a third place finish while the top two move on to the last four. Celbridge are sure to be favoured here but Confey have the competition's joint top-scorer Frank Bass in their ranks who will be hoping to spark an upset for his side.

The shakeup of fixtures in Group B presents the exact same scenario for potential spectators with the top two and bottom two facing off, but this time with a further addition of jeopardy.

When they meet on Thursday, August 28 at 7:30pm in Manguard Park, Moorefield vs Ardclough will play out what is in essence a relegation final. The losing side will finish bottom of the group and be relegated to Senior ‘B’. In the event of a draw, Moorefield have a worse points differential. Both of these teams came so close to securing a vital win last time out with Moorefield being edged 1-24 to 1-23 against Coill Dubh and Ardclough coming out on the wrong side of a high-scoring cracker with Maynooth at 4-25 to 4-22. With the threat of relegation ramping up tensions, this game could be a brilliant clash.

At the more positive end of the group, Coill Dubh and Maynooth will face off at the same time in Cedral St Conleth’s Park with the winner earning a semi-final spot and the losing headed to the quarters to face the winner of Confey and Celbridge. It is far less perilous situation for both but crucial to their campaign nonetheless and these teams, having been driven to the very end last time out, will be looking to do the same to each other and again emerge victorious.

Senior ‘B’ Championship Group Stage Final Round

All three games in the final round of the Senior ‘B’ Championship will take place on Thursday, August 28 at 7:30pm with the top two, Leixlip and Naas facing off at Éire Óg Corra Choill, Donore. 

Last year’s relegated side are four wins from four in the group stages and now face their stiffest competition, on paper at least. Naas lost their chance of matching Leixlip’s 100% record in the opening round when they were held to an 0-18 to 1-15 draw with now third place Clane. Lexilip have beaten all comers and will be continuing their high-scoring form with runaway Championship top-scorer Darragh Melville leading them forward. Melvillle has amassed a staggering 6-38 already this year.

St Laurence’s and Clane will meet on Manguard Park Pitch 2, the aforementioned third-place side will rightly be favourites here but Larries have battled well in their defeats this year and won’t make things easy, even with having that crucial win over Kilcock in their backpocket.

Broadford will face Kilcock in Cappagh as fourth meets sixth. Broadford emerged 1-16 to 2-7 the better of Larries when they met in Round Two and, although match-up maths isn’t always perfect, things are looking bleak for the likely bottom-placed team Kilcock.

Intermediate Championship Semi-Finals

The first of the Intermediate Championship semi-finals will take place on Tuesday, August 26 when Naas host Confey at 8pm. Naas won all bar one of the group stage games, narrowly being defeated by table-topping Wolfe Tones and beating their semi-final opponents 0-20 to 0-13 in the opening round.

Confey fell short of Naas first time out but will fancy their chances of righting that perceived wrong on Tuesday. They were not a million miles away in their first meeting and ran favourites Wolfe Tones close in a later round. Naas seem the obvious choice as second faces third from the group table, but Confey should make a real game of this final four clash.

The second semi-final takes place on Wednesday when Wolfe Tones face Maynooth at 7:30pm in Kill. The previously mentioned table-toppers should have enough to replicate their victory over Maynooth but, despite five wins from five, Wolfe Tones have not been blowing teams away. Maynooth were just two adrift, at 0-20 to 1-15, in their Round 3 clash and will have their tails up knowing they are well able to mix it with the perceived favourites.

Junior A Hurling Championship Semi-Finals

St Laurence’s will play host to Coill Dubh on Tuesday, August 26 at 8pm for their final four clash. This game represents second vs third from the group stages, where Larries emerged victorious  when the sides met in the final round of the groups by 0-14 to 1-6. That meager scoring tally represents one of Coill Dubh’s worst of their Championship outings so far and they will be looking to improve on that this time around.

The other finalist will not be decided until Thursday, August 28 when Naas host Wolfe Tones at 8pm. Naas have obliterated every team in their path thus far and look streets clear of the other contenders for this Championship. The only morsel of hope for Wolfe Tones is that they put one of the more respectable scores of 2-9 up against Naas in their first meeting and they will be looking to build on that early in this fixture too.

Junior Hurling Championship Semi-Finals

Both JHC Semi’s will take place at 7:30pm on Wednesday August 27 as four sides bid for the two spots in the decider. 

Coill Dubh will face Cappagh on home soil as they look to maintain the 100% win rate that has got them to this point. After three from three in Group B, Coill Dubh face a Cappagh side who had to come through a Quarter-Final clash with Round Towers to get to this stage having finished second in Group A. Cappagh put up an impressive 4-12 to Towers' 0-12 in their Quarter-Final and that goal threat could be key to their success in this game. Coill Dubh had also comfortably beaten Towers in their group stage meeting and this semi-final should be a much even affair when these two teams clash.

At the same time in Leixlip, the home side will face Clane who toppled Ardclough in the Quarter-Final stage with a win by the narrowest of margins at 1-19 to 2-15. Clane arrive to this game battle-hardened but meet a Leixlip side that have won all three of their Championship outings in Group A. Clane will need all their resolve and innovation to unseat the favoured side.

READ NEXT: Milltown and Rathangan finish level in dramatic Kildare IFC cracker