Mountmellick and Abbeyleix must do it all again as Laois IHC final ends all square

A replay is required to determine this year's Laois Shopping Centre Intermediate Hurling champions as Abbeyleix and Mountmellick played out a draw in Laois Hire O'Moore Park on Saturday evening.

Abbeyleix had built up a strong lead with the breeze but Mountmellick came roaring back and limited Abbeyleix to a single point in the second period.

Abbeyleix 0-12

Mountmellick 1-9

Abbeyleix hurled into the Town end of Laois Hire O'Moore Park in the opening half with a strong breeze behind them. They opened the scoring within 20 seconds as Rory McEvoy raised a white flag. Declan Phelan and a second from McEvoy after a puck-out from Dan Grehan hung up in the wind and landed in his hand which gave Abbeyleix a three-point lead after six minutes.

It took Mountmellick 11 minutes to register a score facing into a strong wind as Mick Bermingham pointed a free. Phelan and full-back Stephen Reilly put the sliotar between the posts. Mountmellick looked as if they would raise a green flag as Finn Culleton was put through on goals by Jimmy Hillard. Culleton's shot was saved by David Sheeran. Both sides hit a few sloppy wides as four points still separated the sides.

That Abbeyleix lead grew to six points shortly after as Stephen Thompson and Alan Lynch opened their accounts. Mountmellick started to find their rhythm for the final 10 minutes of the half as they went close to getting a goal courtesy of Nigel Murphy but his batted effort struck the post. Liam Kavanagh pointed a free down the other end for Abbeyleix.

Jack Finlay and a third point from Declan Phelan pushed Abbeyleix's advantage to seven points before the game's first goal. Jarlath Connolly, who had set up Murphy minutes before, ran along the end-line and squared the ball across where Hillard was waiting to smash the ball along the ground and into the Abbeyleix net. Kavanagh pointed a free late in the half to send Abbeyleix into the dressing rooms ahead, 0-11 to 1-3.

Bermingham got the second-half's scoring underway with a free with Abbeyleix half-back JJ Murphy pointing for their only score of the half. Five points separated the sides at this stage but the second-half never lived up the first as Mountmellick's Bermingham showed his class to point four frees on the trot to put a single score between them. Mountmellick then had Redmond McEvoy to thank for late on as he made a great interception just as Killian Byrne was about to strike the sliotar. Finn Lyons' point off the bench in the 54th minute levelled the sides at 0-12 to 1-9.

The replay will take place on Saturday, October 26 in Laois Hire O'Moore Park.