Huge crowd to attend Galway hurling semi-finals

Date Published: 06-Oct-2010

STEPHEN GLENNON

CHAMPIONS Portumna – in the hunt for their fourth successive county senior title – face old foes Loughrea while surprise packet Tynagh/Abbey-Duniry meet Clarinbridge in the semi-finals of the Galway senior hurling championship at Kenny Park this Sunday.

No doubt, Portumna and Loughrea will be viewed as a potentially explosive clash, given they have met in four county deciders alone since 2003. That said, the champions 5-19 to 1-12 victory over the Town last year suggested that a gulf has now emerged between the two.

Of course, the outcome of Sunday’s tie could change all that and Portumna – who were overwhelming favourites to account for Loughrea when beaten in the 2006 county final – will need little reminding of the potential threat Loughrea pose to their crown.

In contrast, Clarinbridge and new boys Tynagh/Abbey-Duniry – seeking their fifth consecutive victory on the trot, after dismissing Turloughmore, Gort, Castlegar and Liam Mellows – are two sides who have illuminated the championship with their different styles of play. This opening semi-final should more than whet the appetite for Sunday’s main event.

Tynagh/Abbey-Duniry v Clarinbridge (Kenny Park, Athenry 2pm)

It speaks volumes for the vision and dedication of the Tynagh/Abbey-Duniry contingent that they have made the leap from relegation candidates to championship contenders in the space of eight months or so. Yet, such is the belief in this squad of players at present.

Chief mentor Mattie Kenny agrees that they have come a long way.“We have, but I think that is more down to that this is a team in development,” says Kenny. “You have to learn from every match you play, be you win or lose, and I think from every game we played we were able to take something from them.”

Although Tynagh/Abbey-Duniry lost their opening two games to Tommie Larkins (0-12 to 1-10) and St. Thomas’ (0-12 to 1-14), a 2-16 to 0-12 victory over Turloughmore finally got their campaign up and running.

“In fairness, we had been missing quite a lot of players for those first two games; it wasn’t that we were hurling particularly badly. So, we remained confident that the team could turn things around. That (victory over Turloughmore) was an important game for us at the time, because it kept us in the championship.”