Hot favourites Portumna enter the county hurling championship this weekend when they take on Tommie Larkins in Kenny Park on Saturday at 5pm.
Portumna are 4/7 with Mulhollands to regain the county cup in 2011 and they will be expected to announce their return to championship action this Saturday with a victory. In fact they are an unbackable 1/16 to overcome Tommie Larkins this weekend.
Tommie Larkins will have the advantage of having played 60 minutes of championship action last weekend, but they were beaten by Mullagh by five points on a score-line of 2-13 to 0-14. They will find it very difficult defensively against Portumna’s much-vaunted attack.
With Joe Canning and Damien Hayes eager for action after a long lay-off with the county side, they will be very hard to stop.
In the other senior championship game in Athenry on Saturday, St Thomas take on Turloughmore at 6.30pm.
St Thomas were beaten last weekend by a goal by Sarsfields - 1-18 to 0-18. Kerrill Wade scored the goal for the winners and, in light of that defeat, St Thomas will be keen to get something out of this encounter.
Turloughmore drew with Castlegar in Pearse Stadium in a game that Brendan Holland’s men looked highly likely to win until the arrival of Ger Farragher off the sub’s bench for Cashel.
Turloughmore led by six points twice in the second half in that tie and were seven to the good after a Ronan Badger goal. However Ger Farragher notched four points in a row and a late Kevin Keane goal levelled the game for Cashel. Turloughmore will feel it was a point dropped and they will be keen to make amends this weekend.
The bookmakers fancy St Thomas though and they are 2/7 to win.
There are no other senior hurling championship games this weekend as the hurling board took the magnanimous decision to call off the games fixed for Sunday to enable supporters to travel to Dublin to support the u-21 footballers’ quest for All-Ireland glory.
The remaining second round games will take place next weekend.
*Kilconieron will take on Castlegar in Kenny Park on Saturday at 3.30pm in the intermediate championship.
Galway Senior Hurling Championship results
Mullagh 2-13 Tommie Larkins 0-14
Craughwell 0-15 Gort 1-11
Beagh 5-17 Kinvara 1-11
Sarsfields 1-18 St Thomas 0-18
Turloughmore 2-13 Castlegar 1-16
Carnmore 0-15 Kiltormer 0-13
Liam Mellows 2-10 Ardrahan 1-12
