K-K are deserving champions but Ballinamere push them all the way

By Kevin Egan

And so, a brief respite. Notwithstanding the start of the local U-20 hurling and football championships, and of course an attractive minor hurling final double bill tomorrow (Saturday) in Birr, this week is something of an ‘eye of the storm’, a narrow window in between the conclusion of the domestic championships in Offaly, and the commencement of Leinster club competitions.

No doubt there will be a few nagging regrets in the meeting rooms of Glenisk O’Connor Park that neither of the two county senior finals went to a replay, even though tied results were very much on the table going into the closing minutes of both matches.

A crowd of anywhere between 3,000 and 4,000 would have turned up for a second meeting of Tullamore and Ferbane, while a drawn hurling final would have meant rising optimism in Ballinamere, and the possibility of a second game that wouldn’t take place in the middle of a storm.

A replay of the hurling final would have attracted a substantial crowd and would have been a huge boost for the county’s coffers.

But in knife-edge games like that, things can go either way, and while neither Tullamore nor Kilcormac-Killoughey were sufficiently dominant to say that a draw would have been an injustice, neither could anyone dispute that the two best club teams in the county are the current holders of the Dowling and Robbins Cups.

Next week, we’ll do a rundown on the six clubs still in contention for Leinster honours and look at which – if any – have the strongest chance of adding another championship title to their trophy cabinets.

*See more photos in this week's Offaly Independent.