Portumna are on course to retain this year’s Galway Senior Hurling Championship crown after easing to a 3 -10 to 0- 13 victory over Liam Mellows in Athenry.
Portumna will now contest their sixth successive Galway decider where they will meet either Loughrea or Gort who meet in the second semi-final on Sunday in Athenry at 3.30pm.
Three goals from the champions in the opening 20 minutes sealed Liam Mellows’ fate, and once again scoring sensation Joe Canning was at the forefront for Portumna, finishing with a 1 - 7 tally.
Mellows will be disappointed with their own performance, as their disastrous start cost dearly. And were it not for Portumna’s first half wastefulness, Mellows would have been further behind than seven at the half-time break.
While Damien Hayes’ scoring haul was surprisingly curtailed, the livewire had a hand in all three majors. Ciaran Ryan bagged his fourth goal in three games when he opened the scoring, and just when Mellows had begun to settle after that early blow, number two and three arrived midway through the half. Joe Canning, standing almost on the end line, finished a trademark Portumna handpassing move, with Hayes once again the chief conducter. Martin Dolphin illustrated his versatility when hitting the net following a scorching Hayes’ run to leave Mellows shell-shocked.
The city men were forced to deploy Brian Howley as a seventh defender, a role he thrived in, while also landing a huge effort before half time. Mickey Grealish and Aonghus Callinan, who never gave up the ghost, landed excellent scores, and along with frees from Shane Minton and Conor Hynes, Mellows gradually hauled themselves back into the reckoning.
On the resumption Callinan immediately landed a capital score and another Minton free reduced the margin to five. The teams then traded point for point, and although Mickey Grealish and Minton tagged on Mellows’ points, they could not break through for the goal they craved. They did have a great chance when Callanan was hauled down outside the square when bearing down on goal, but his resultant effort was repelled by the Portumna defence.
Portumna, despite their recent patchiness, will be favourites to retain the county cup.
Portumna: I Canning; M Gill, E McEntee, O Canning; G Heagney, M Ryan, A O’Donnell; E Lynch (0-1 ), L Smith; A Smith (0-1 ) K Hayes, D Hayes; M Dolphin (1-0 ) C Ryan (1-1 ) J Canning (1-7, 0-2f, 0-1 ’65, 0-1 sl. ). Subs: T Quinn for Gill (59 ).
Liam Mellows: K Walsh; S Hynes, E Ryan, R Bennis; K Murphy, J Lee, J Hughes (0-1f ); M Grealish (0-2 ), B Howley (0-1 ); N MacInerney, G Lynskey (0-1 ), C Hynes (0-1 f ); Shane Minton (0-5, 0-4 f ), A Callinan (0-2 ), B Lee. Subs: Ciaran Hynes for Brian Lee (23 ), David Fahy, David Kelly and Martin Fahy for MacInerney, Ciaran Hynes and Conor Hynes (all 50 mins ).
Referee: Sean Moran.
Fixtures: Sunday, SHC semi-final: Gort v Loughrea (Athenry 3.30pm ); Saturday, IHC semi-final,Killimordaly vTynagh-Abbey-Duniry (Ballinasloe 4pm ).
