Cloughbawn marked their first game in the county intermediate hurling championship since 1973 by making a successful start to their push for an immediate return to the top-flight.

GROUP A

2016 Pettitt’s county senior championship finalists Cloughbawn had a bit too much for Rathgarogue-Cushinstown in Saturday’s opening-round Courtyard Ferns intermediate Group A clash at Killurin, prevailing by 0-18 to 0-8.

Harry Kehoe and Bob Whitty both top-scored for Cloughbawn with 0-5 apiece in a game which they led by 0-10 to 0-4 at half-time against a determined Cushinstown.

Meanwhile, Fethard continued their rise through the grades as the reigning county intermediate ‘A’ champions and Leinster Junior Club championship title-holders got the better of Monageer-Boolavogue by 0-19 to 0-11 at the ‘Centre of Excellence’ Ferns on Saturday.

Fethard, who went so close in the All-Ireland Junior Club final, led 0-10 to 0-5 at half-time and were 11 points up at one stage.

Monageer staged a strong fight-back but were denied by two great saves from Fethard ‘keeper Seán Foley while also only managing a point from a penalty. The Enniscorthy district men got the gap down to six points at one stage. But Fethard prevailed as Garrett Foley (5), Mark Wallace (4) and Ciarán Dwyer (4) were prominent in pointing the way.

The intermediate ‘A’ champions of 2016, St. James’ recovered from a 1-3 to 0-3 deficit after 24 minutes to get the better of Blackwater by 2-13 to 1-8 at Killurin on Sunday.

Blackwater faced the wind in the first-half but were boosted on 24 minutes when the impressive Dean Wright put Diarmuid Murphy through to goal a 1-3 to 0-3 advantage.

However, the ‘Jimmies’ successful fight-back was then set in motion as the reliable stick of Shane Murphy helped them strike five unanswered points to nudge ahead at half-time by 0-8 to 1-3.

And St. James’ couldn’t have hoped for a better start to the second-half when Shane Murphy goaled, while Donal Barron had similar satisfaction on 40 minutes to help open-up a 2-11 to 1-4 divide.

Blackwater crashed a penalty off the crossbar while Dean Wright forced a save late on.

But there was little denying the merits of success for the ‘Jimmies’ who were without Matthew O’Hanlon, Graeme Molloy and Kevin O’Grady.

GROUP B

Adamstown came out best in a Group B struggle with Shamrocks at St. Patrick’s Park on Friday evening by 1-15 to 0-14.

Pa Weafer was on fire for the ‘Rocks with a fine haul of 0-11 from frees.

But Pat Barden’s Adamstown held a 1-7 to 0-7 interval advantage thanks to a goal from Liam Stafford which carried considerable weight in the long run.

At the same Enniscorthy venue on Sunday afternoon, HWH-Bunclody fell 0-3 to no-score into arrears before blitzing Craanford with a burst of 2-5 without reply which had a huge bearing on the green-and-gold storming to a 4-20 to 0-11 win.

Peter Atkinson led the way with a handsome personal tally of 3-2.

But it was Eoin Kelly who netted first on 13 minutes to decisively turn the tables by 1-2 to 0-3, and Atkinson followed with his first goal a minute later to help Bunclody take a 2-6 to 0-7 lead to the break.

Atkinson’s second goal made it 3-13 to 0-9 after 45 minutes, and his hat-trick clincher three minutes later increased the margin to 4-13 to 0-10 en route to a comprehensive result.

The second game at St. Patrick’s Park on Sunday was very much influenced by the strong wind and saw last year’s beaten finalists Crossabeg-Ballymurn fight-back from a 0-16 to 0-8 half-time deficit to eventually crack Askamore by 0-21 to 0-19 through closing points from Oisín Foley and sub Eoghan Kehoe.

Askamore appeared to have made satisfactory gain from first advantage of the wind as they led by 0-16 to 0-8 at the change-of-ends after James Byrne supplied seven points (five frees).

But Ballymurn really took control once they got the wind in their sails for the second-half, and while Paudie Foley’s brilliant long-range dead-ball scoring eventually brought them level for the first-time after 51 minutes (0-18 apiece), they might have made a major step to victory but for Askamore’s Martin Hayden preventing a goal at the expense of the ’65 from which Foley tied matters.

James Byrne pointed Askamore back in front from a 54th-minute free (0-19 to 0-18). But Ballymurn had the better of the closing exchanges, as Barry Murphy restored parity from a 57th-minute free, before Oisín Foley and Eoghan Kehoe conjured the winners.