Semi-final lineup finalised in Offaly SHC “B”

THE semi-finals lineup has been finalised for the Offaly Senior “B” Hurling Championship. They see table toppers Clodiagh Gaels paired with Birr while Kilcormac-Killoughey will meet Lusmagh. The relegation play off is between Shamrocks and last year's beaten finalists, Clara.

Those games will take place on the weekend of September 17-18 and Clodiagh Gaels and Kilcormac-Killoughey are now joint favourites for the championship.

They played in the last round of fixtures on Sunday with Clodiagh Gaels just holding off a late Kilcormac-Killoughey rally to win by 1-17 to 1-16. Both teams were already through and the only issue was to decide who topped the table and played the fourth team in the semi-finals.

It meant that the stakes were fairly minor and neither club will be reading much into the result or performances. K-K didn't get going until the last twenty minutes with Clodiagh Gaels adopting a physical approach but neither side was unduly worried about finishing first or second and who they got in the semi-finals.

The real business starts now and while the money will be on Clodiagh Gaels and Kilcormac-Killoughey meeting again in the final, Lusmagh and Birr will be waiting in the long grass.

Lusmagh were the big winners at the weekend. They needed at least a point from their last game against Birr to be sure of qualification and if they had lost here and Clara beat Shamrocks, they would have been gone.

As it was Lusmagh fulfilled their end of the deal spectacularly, waltzing to a very comprehensive 3-18 to 0-11 win. Lusmagh had the game won after a few minutes, led by 3-10 to 0-5 at half time and were in cruise control in the second half. Birr couldn't be denied a semi-final place and this result and displays backed up the trend of the team who has to win these type of games having way more hunger than the one that doesn't – this was certainly the case here and you would expect Birr to be way more competive in a knockout game.

Clara just about got the win they needed against Shamrocks, 1-21 to 0-20. This was tougher than they might have anticipated and it will place them on high alert for the forthcoming relegation play off as Shamrocks were missing a couple of players.

With the stakes not high for anyone outside of Lusmagh and Clara, Electric Picnic was a factor in this weekend's games and some of the clubs were down players because of this.

That won't happen from now on and exciting games are in store from here in.