Champions Sars secure top seed in Premier Senior Hurling knockout phase

Sarsfields 1-25 Bishopstown 0-12 

Sars cruised through to the Co-Op Superstores Premier Senior Hurling Championship semi-final as top seeds after mauling Bishopstown in Rathcormac.

The Town head into a relegation final against Charleville will decide their status for 2025.

Sarsfields had no interest in a possible upset. They ran riot with 11 different scorers. Daniel Hogan led the pack with 0-8 while Cillian McCarthy got the goal, seconds before the referee blew the final whistle.

During the first half, it looked like the two clubs had rolled back the clock to their classic encounter 2012 county final. They were level five times during the first 25 minutes but that trickled out into a period of predicted dominance by Sarsfields.

Thomas Murray, who finished with 0-5, kept the scoreboard ticking over for the underdogs.

Sarsfields just had more in their locker, even corner-back Luke Elliott put over 0-3 while from the other side Conor O’Sullivan, raised a white flag too.

They went in at the break leading 0-12 to 0-7 and the gap would have been bigger if not for seven wides. The game restarted with the defending champions rattling off 0-7 without any reply from Bishopstown.

Aaron Myers came on at the start of the second half and landed 0-2. 

And a perfect day for Sars was capped off when sub Cillian McCarthy ran clean through on goal in the final seconds and hit the sliotar beyond the reach of Mark Driscoll.

Scorers for Sarsfields: D Hogan 0-8 (0-3 f), Cillian McCarthy 1-0, J O’Connor, L Elliot 0-3 each, S O’Regan, B Murphy, J O’Leary, A Myers 0-2 each, C O’Sullivan, D Kearney, Colm McCarthy 0-1 each.

Bishopstown: T Murray 0-5 (0-4 f), B Murray 0-2 (0-1 f), M Driscoll 0-2 f, D Quaid, G Murphy, C O’Driscoll 0-1 each.

SARSFIELDS: D McCarthy; C O’Sullivan, C Leahy, L Elliott, B Murphy, C Roche, P Leopold, C Darcy, J O’Leary, D Kearney, D Hogan, J Sweeney, J O’Connor, C McCarthy, S O’Regan.

Subs: A Myers for D Kearney (40); B Nodwell for Sweeney (44), W Kearney for O’Connor (47), Cillian McCarthy for O’Regan (53).

BISHOPSTOWN: M Driscoll; R Foley, D Daly, S Murphy, G Murphy, C O’Hora, C Dunne, D Quaid, B Murray, M McStay, C O’Driscoll, D Driscoll, L Lordan, T Murray, D Murray.

Subs: B McCarthy for D Driscoll (41); C Daly for Lordan (47), S Sheridan for Dunne (51), D Breen for T Murray (56).

Referee: Aidan Hyland (Kilworth)