Superb first-half proves crucial as Clonad defeat Mountrath to claim Intermediate Hurling Championship

Clonad are the 2025 Laois Shopping Centre Intermediate Hurling champions after they had five points to spare over Mountrath in Saturday evening's final in Laois Hire O'Moore Park.

David O'Brien's side had a great first-half, which put them in a great position at half-time as they led by nine points. Mountrath got it back to four points with 18 minutes to play, but Clonad hit another gear and shrugged off Mountrath.

Clonad got off to a flying start, pointing three in a row before Mountrath could respond. Fionn Holland pointed the opener while Ross Holmes squeezed over a super score, with John Onions also chipping in. James Fahy pointed for Mountrath while Clonad replied, raising a green flag when an Onions effort hit the chest of Brandon Russell, but Onions gathered the rebound and found Dan O’Sullivan, who fired to the back of the net.

Patrick O’Callaghan raised a white flag, followed by Eoin Brennan and Onions trading frees. Mark Cusack struck Mountrath’s third of the game, but Clonad went on to point a further three on the trot. Onions pointed the first from a placed ball, followed by Barry Cormack, before Onions pointed his third.

Brennan pointed his second free while Daly replied for Clonad. Cian Hill pointed Mountrath’s fifth and final score of the half while their opponents extended their lead by two before the break. Holland and O’Callaghan pointed their second scores of the game to give Clonad a healthy 9-point lead at half-time.

A Brennan free looked to be landing into the hand of Jimmy Farrell, but a missed catch led to the umpire reaching for the green flag, giving Mountrath the ideal start to the half. Onions went on to point two, one from a placed ball, with Brennan replying with a free down the other end.

Mountrath began to find their rhythm and added three more points to the board, two from Brennan with a Fahy point in between. Having gone ten minutes without a score, Holland stepped up for Clonad as he broke down Farrell’s puckout and pointed. Onions followed up with his third free of the game.

Mountrath broke down the pitch and Hill found himself facing Farrell, but Farrell pulled off a super save to deny him. Brennan raised a sixth white flag for his side while O’Callaghan replied for Clonad pushing the gap to six. Onions pointed from play with Brennan replying from a placed ball. Gavin Sydes raised a white flag with three minutes to play, but goals would needed for Mountrath at this stage.

Substitutes John Noonan and Tom Kirwan pointed late on for their respective sides. Clonad will now go forward into the Leinster Junior Championship, where they’ll face an away trip to Kevin’s Hurling Club of Dublin on Saturday, November 8.

FINAL SCORE

CLONAD 1-18

MOUNTRATH 1-13

SCORERS-- Clonad: John Onions 0-7 (0-3 frees), Dan O’Sullivan 1-0, Fionn Holland and Patrick O’Callaghan 0-3 each, PJ Daly 0-2, Ross Holmes and John Noonan 0-1 each. Mountrath: Eoin Brennan 1-7 (1-4 frees), James Fahy 0-2, Mark Cusack, Cian Hill, Gavin Sydes, Tom Kirwan 0-1 each 

CLONAD: Jimmy Farrell; Gareth O’Brien, Jack Ahern, Liam Whelan; Charlie Hand, David O’Brien, Paddy O'Callaghan; James Whelan, Barry Cormack; PJ Daly, Fionn Holland, Jimmy Norton; John Onions, Dan O’Sullivan, Ross Holmes. Subs: Cillian Duff for O'Sullivan (44 mins), John Noonan for Holmes (53 mins), Jim Holland for O'Callaghan (60 mins)

ST FINTAN’S MOUNTRATH: Brandon Russell; Jack Larkin, Kyle Moore, Kevin Murphy; Ruairi Carroll, Paul Rice, James Tobin; Gavin Sydes, Gearoid Williams; Tom Kirwan, Cian Hill, Eoin Brennan; Mark Cusack, James Fahy, Caelum O’Brien. Subs: Aidan Lenihan for Larkin (19 mins), Glen Tobin for Williams (42 mins), Colm Lenihan for O'Brien (54 mins), Scott Hetherington for Brennan (60 mins)

Referee: Anthony Stapleton (Rathdowney-Errill)