Division 1 HL: Seán Walsh holds slim lead as top scoring race goes down to wire

Fri, 20 Jun, 2025 - 11:59

Jack McKay

There’s one round left and the race for top scorer in the RedFM Division 1 Hurling League is finely poised, with Carrigtwohill’s Seán Walsh just five points ahead of Kevin O’Sullivan from Fr O’Neill’s, as they battle it out for top spot.

Walsh’s 1-10 haul against Glen Rovers – including a well-taken goal – brought his overall tally to a staggering 2-78, with 1-38 coming from play.

O’Sullivan hit 11 points in Fr O’Neill’s defeat to Douglas, bringing his tally to 2-73 and keeping the race for top scorer wide open. With the way things are shaping up, next weekend could bring a straight shootout between him and Walsh — especially as Sarsfields, despite being the league’s highest scorers and qualified for the final, don’t have a single player in the overall top 15.

Just behind the top two is Carrigaline’s Brian Kelleher, now up to third after hitting nine of his side’s 16 points against St Finbarr’s. He’s on 0-63.

Eoin O’Leary (4-39) drops to fourth, having missed the Glen’s draw with Carrig. William Buckley climbs to fifth with 2-44, while Alan Cadogan’s 1-43 sees him slip a place to sixth.

Fr O'Neills' Kevin O'Sullivan shoots from Kanturk's Sean O'Connor during Red FM HL division 1 game at Aghavine. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

In seventh is Kanturk’s Rory Sheahan (2-38), whose scores have mostly come from frees. Dean Brosnan of Glen Rovers jumps from 12th to eighth, with nearly all of his 3-30 from play.

St Finbarr’s Jack Cahalane (4-23) falls to ninth due to limited availability, while Kanturk’s Brian O’Sullivan breaks into the top 10 on the strength of his consistent placed-ball accuracy.

Places 11 to 14 are occupied by four Blackrock forwards, with St Finbarr’s Sam Cunningham rounding out the top 15.

In the from-play charts, Walsh also leads, but Brosnan is closing in — just three points behind after overtaking Buckley, now third.

Buckley has hit 2-31 from play, with Blackrock’s Fionn Coleman fourth on 5-16. Alan Walsh (4-19) remains in the top five despite slipping out of the overall leaderboard.

Eoin O’Leary is now sixth in the from-play list, while Sarsfields’ Shane O’Regan drops from third to seventh. Carrigtwohill’s James Mulcahy — who missed the Glen draw — stays eighth, followed by Robbie Cotter and Kevin O’Sullivan.

Glen Rovers’ Dean Brosnan has 3-29 from play this year. Picture: Chani Anderson

Jack O’Connor moves up to 11th, pushing Kevin O’Keeffe and Colin Walsh to 12th and 13th. Jack Cahalane (4-7) and Alan Cadogan (1-16) complete the top 15.

Top 15 Division 1 HL scorers:

1 Sean Walsh (Carrigtwohill) 2-78 (1-38 f, 0-2 65)

2 Kevin O'Sullivan (Fr O’Neill’s) 2-73 (0-46 f, 0-5 65, 1-0 pen)

3 Brian Kelleher (Carrigaline) 0-63 (0-39 f, 0-2 65)

4 Eoin O'Leary (Glen Rovers) 4-39 (0-21 f, 0-2 65)

5 William Buckley (St Finbarr’s) 2-44 (0-12 f, 0-1 65)

6 Alan Cadogan (Douglas) 1-43 (0-27 f)

7 Rory Sheahan (Kanturk) 2-38 (0-33 f, 1-0 pen)

8 Dean Brosnan (Glen Rovers) 3-30 (0-1 f)

9 Jack Cahalane (St Finbarr’s) 4-23 (0-15 f, 0-1 65)

10 Brian O'Sullivan (Kanturk) 1-35 (0-28 f, 1-0 pen, 0-2 65)

11 Ryan Sweeney (Blackrock) 0-35 (0-23 f, 0-1 65)