All set for Round Two of Senior Hurling Championship

by Kevin Egan
It’s straight back into action for the Limerick hurlers as they return to their clubs for the second round of the Live 95fm Sponsored Limerick Senior Hurling Championship.
For some clubs this weekend represents a great chance to secure their place in the knockout stages, for others the prospect of being knocked out of the senior championship before the start of the Leaving Certificate has become a very real possibility.

In group one, Granagh/Ballingarry were the shock winners in round one and they have a chance to lock down their place in the knockouts if they can beat Effin at Ballyagran. Paddy Powers are expected to make the divisional team around 4/7 or 1/2 here but that could leave a little bit of scope for backing the outsiders. Everyone focussed on Adare’s problems after the first round but Granagh/Ballingarry did well to put themselves in a position to land that late killer blow and they won’t go down easily here. A price of 2/1 or better is your cue to go in this fixture.  
In group two, wins for the favourites will ensure that the final round of games is academic. Effin came agonisingly close to knocking over Patrickswell in the first round, but they failed and now they have to beat Garryspillane to keep their hopes alive. Discipline will be key for Effin here as they cannot allow Donie Ryan to tap over frees at regular intervals, but they’ll feel they have every chance if they can do that and force Garryspillane to shoot under pressure. Look for any price of 6/4 or better about the reigning intermediate champions and if Powers oblige, then strike.
Patrickswell should oblige against Doon, while the Group 3 fixtures will see some very short prices on offer about wins for Kilmallock and Ahane. Accumulator backers will be looking at these three clubs as their bankers for the weekend and now that Seamus Hickey will be out of the Murroe Boher team, their chances of turning over Kilmallock are probably gone. Price will dictate, but Kilmallock at 2/5 or better are a proper banker, while Patrickswell should be 1/3 or shorter also. Ahane aren’t really trustworthy and after letting us down last time out, we’re not going to trust them again, so stick with a double on the other two if short prices are your thing.
Finally in division 4, Na Piarsaigh won’t be caught a second time and they’ll beat Hospital-Herbertstown by as much as they like, but the meeting of Croom and South Liberties has the makings of the toughest game to call of the whole weekend. If draw backers are going to splash out with a tenner on any of the games, this looks like the best option for your flutter.