FBD Insurance CSHC: Drom Inch knock out neighbours Borrisileigh

Drom-Inch 1-15

Borris-Ileigh 0-17

Three wins on the trot sees high-flying Drom-Inch safely through to the FBD Insurance county senior hurling quarter-finals following this narrow success over neighbours Borris-Ileigh in round 3 of group 2 at Semple Stadium on Sunday.

It was a must-win game for Borris following an initial defeat by Sarsfields, and, even at that, their place in a quarter final would depend on the outcome of the Sarsfields v Templederry game which was going on at the same time. As it transpired, both results went against Borris whose campaign for 2022 has come to a disappointing end.

When Borris reflect on this game they will be regretting the plethora of missed chances both from play and frees which were their undoing in so tight a contest. Eleven wides in the first half and seven more in the second half is an unsustainable level of wasted opportunities and while Drom too had their lapses in this regard, it was by no means to the same extent.

The goal which ultimately decided this encounter came after just seven minutes when the ball broke kindly for David Collins near the Borris goal and he finished it to the net for a 1-1 to 0-2 lead. Drom’s tails were up and they followed up with four unanswered points, their situation helped by Borris wastefulness, with six wides in twelve minutes.

Above: Drom & Inch captain Seamus Callanan under pressure from Borris-ileigh's Eddie Ryan. Picture: Eamonn McGee

Trailing 1-5 to 0-2 after 23mins, Borris finally got going and hit the next six points to level at 0-8 to 1-5 as half-time approached. James Devaney hit two and Brendan Maher converted two frees in that spell with Ray McCormack and Conor Kenny adding the others but points from Johnny Ryan and the hugely influential Seamie Callanan left Drom 1-7 to 0-8 ahead at the break.

By senior standards this was a low key contest, well below what was expected, given the rivalry between the clubs and what was at stake for Borris. Drom opened well but seemed to lose concentration midway through the half. Perhaps the fact that they were assured of a quarter-final spot with two wins from their opening games dulled their appetite for the contest.

Borris resumed with an urgency that was very obviously lacking earlier. Points from Brendan Maher, Kevin Maher, James Devaney and Eddie Ryan, who came on at the break, put them two clear(0-12 to 1-7). Drom needed leadership to rescue the situation and it was provided by Seamie Callanan whose work-rate all over the field was inspirational. With points by Johnny Ryan, a great long-range effort from Callanan, and another from Eoin Collins they nudged ahead 1-10 to 0-12 after 38 minutes.

Drom were conceding a lot of frees but Borris were still bedevilled by inaccuracy as the game’s intensity heightened. With Seamie Callanan starring, Drom were 1-13 to 0-14 in front with 10 minutes to play. Borris were playing better now than at any stage and they had points from Brendan Maher(2) and Kevin Maher to push one ahead with 4 minutes to play. Seamie Callanan levelled on 58 minutes and Johnny Ryan swept over the winning point in the 62nd minute, a score set up by Seamie Callanan.

See full report in this weeks Tipperary Star