The definition of a dubious reward?
Winning a cracking Leinster club SHC quarter-final encounter only to be paired with Henry Shefflin’s Ballyhale Shamrocks at the semi-final stage.
And Clough-Ballacolla will be away at UPMC Nowlan Park on November 23rd when they take on the might of Shamrocks’ TJ Reid and Eoin Cody.
When the two teams met at the final stage in 2021 at Croke Park, the Shamrocks put 6-23 on the board and ran amok.
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Clough-Ballacolla will be forewarned at least and will take confidence from their 2-16 to 0-20 quarter-final win over Castletown-Geoghegan.
The visiting Westmeath champions were favoured by many to progress, having beaten Kilkenny’s Thomastown in 2024 before pushing Kilcormac-Killoughey hard in a three-point game.
But two second-half goals from Willie Dunphy ultimately won it for Clough-Ballacolla, who benefited from the third-quarter dismissal of Castletown-Geoghegan’s Peter Clarke.
[ Ugly scenes mar Ballyhale Shamrocks win as spectator grapples with players ]
Stephen Bergin’s nine-point haul, all from placed balls, was significant, too, as the hosts battled back from being three points down at half-time.
Castletown-Geoghegan had momentum on their side at that stage after a series of scores late in the first-half from Niall O’Brien and Jack Gallagher.
Clough-Ballacolla wrestled back control of the game with a couple of Bergin and Cillian Dunne points after the restart before Dunphy’s first goal.
Dunne was the provider for Dunphy’s second goal, the experienced attacker following up on Dunne’s initial blocked shot to hit the net.
Castletown-Geoghegan got it back to a one-point game late on, but a point from substitute Padraig Brennan helped nudge Clough-Ballacolla over the line.
Elsewhere, Naas won a tight quarter-final too, overcoming Mount Leinster Rangers by 2-17 to 1-17 to secure their semi-final clash with St Martin’s.
Jack Sheridan, a Joe McDonagh Cup final star earlier this year with Kildare, weighed in with 1-8 while Charlie Sheridan notched Naas’ other goal.
There was an important late cameo, too, from another Lilywhite, Simon Leacy, who picked off two points to give the seven-in-a-row Kildare champions a vital cushion.
Carlow’s Chris Nolan scored seven points for 2013 champions Mount Leinster Rangers, but a second-half dismissal proved costly for his team.
Charlie Sheridan’s goal came eight minutes before the break and helped Naas to turnaround on level terms, 1-8 to 0-11.
Jack Sheridan added the second Naas goal in the third quarter and Nolan’s second booking minutes later was another blow for the hosts.
Mount Leinster Rangers still cut the gap to a point, thanks in part to Kevin McDonald’s goal, but couldn’t get any closer as Naas found the late scores to win it by three.
