Champagne hurling sees Kilcormac-Killoughey take Offaly title

Offaly SHC Final Kilcormac-Killoughey 3-26 Shinrone 3-08

Kilcormac-Killoughey produced champagne hurling to stun a shocked Shinrone in Birr's St Brendan's Park on Sunday, gaining sweet revenge for a traumatic defeat in last year's final.

Giving one of their greatest ever displays, it was amazing hurling by Kilcormac-Killoughey who controlled the game from start to finish and were every bit as convincing winners as the final score of 3-26 to 3-08 indicates.

Indeed, Shinrone's three goals came in the closing eleven minutes when the game was so far beyond their reach that they couldn't harbour any dreams of a come back.

No one saw this one coming as K-K played with an incredible intensity and work rate. They took control of the game early on, had a huge lead at half time and never let them get a look in during the second half.

Kilcormac-Killoughey played dream hurling in the first half and a stunned Shinrone had absolutely no answer.

The intensity of K-K's approach, their work rate and pace left Shinrone floundering and they were in serious bother when they trailed by 1-17 to 0-06 at half time.

It was a serious lead and Shinrone just couldn't get anything going. K-K had five points on the board in five minutes before Dara Maher got Shinrone's first point from a long range free in the 7th minute.

It was 0-08 to 0-01 before they got their second point, another free in the 13th minute, and they then steadied the ship briefly. But K-K were on fire in the first half with their half forward line scoring eight points.

They were 0-12 to 0-05 clear after 25 minutes and outscored them by 1-05 to 0-01 in the closing minutes for that half time lead – the goal came from James Gorman in the 30th minute after he brilliantly won a Cathal Kiely