The Village see-off Wexford champs in last eight clash
BY NIALL SHERRY, SPORTS EDITOR
SPORTSEDITOR@KILKENNYOBSERVER.IE
AIB Leinster Intermediate Club Championship 2026
Quarter Final
James Stephens 0-20 – Cloughbawn 1-13
Home advantage proved fruitful for James Stephens as the just about did enough to hold off the challenge of Wexford champions Cloughbawn in UPMC Nowlan Park last weekend. Healthy returns from key men Cian Kenny, Ed McDermott and Tadhg O’Dwyer saw Eoin Larkin’s side win out by four points at the long whistle and set up a home tie against Dublin intermediate champions, Fingallians next Saturday.
The Slaneysiders club started well, notching the first three scores of that last eight encounter, courtesy of Barry Carton, Shane Kehoe and the impressive Connal Flood, who would finish with 1-5 to his name. It would be intercounty star and All-Star nominee, Cian Kenny, that helped calm his sides’ nerves in the eighth minute when he converted the first of his 6-point haul to get the scoreboard moving for the hosts. Centre forward Barry Carton struck his second of the day to leave the visitors three clear after ten minutes of action. The Village responded and registered the games next two scores, thanks to efforts from midfielder Ed Lauhoff and wing back, Conor Heffernan, but Cloughbawn corner forward, Bob Whitty fired over a tidy score at the midway point of the opening half to leave the travelling side two clear.
The Larchfield based side then upped the tempo and found their range, striking the games next four scores. A placed ball effort from Tadhg O’Dwyer started the purple patch and further points followed from the lively Stephen Manogue and Ed’s McDermott and Lauhoff as Eoin Larkin’s charges went two points clear with about seven minutes remaining in the first half. Stalwart dual star Connal Flood struck over a fine score, but again the classy Village side found their groove, registering another trio of scores before the short whistle. Midfiedler, Luke Scanlon split the posts as did O’Dwyer (f) and Manogue as the home side headed to the interval with a well-deserved 4-point lead.
When play resumed, the sides shared the games next four points, Tadhg O’Dwyer getting the first of the second period, just ahead of a nice score from Shane Kehoe. Cian Kenny, operating in very familiar surroundings then split the posts from a ’65, but that man Flood added to his tally for the visitors. The towering Ed McDermott fired over, and captain Kenny extended The Village lead to six points with a second ’65. The same duo of talented stickmen raised another couple of white flags, but this battling Cloughbawn side were about to make matters at Kilkenny headquarters a little more interesting.
Inspired by intercounty veteran Connal Flood, Martin Kehoe’s outfit shocked their hosts, hitting a quickfire 1-3 without reply of which their talisman flood was responsible for 1-2 of to leave just the bare minimum between the sides with less than ten minutes of the encounter remaining. Suddenly, the travelling Wexford faithful believed that their side could be on the cusp of producing a major upset. The Village management team started to pace a little more on the sideline and urged their troops to respond, and that is exactly what they did, led by their leader, Cian Kenny. The talented ciotóg struck the games next two score, one a free, the other a third ’65 of the afternoon. A placed ball from Bob Whitty reduced the Wexford sides arrears to just two points with the game in additional time, but late scores from Luke Scanlon and a fourth of the day from the hugely impressive Ed McDermott ensured that it would be James Stephens that advanced to the last four of the 2026 AIB Leinster Intermediate Club Championship for the first time in the Kilkenny clubs history, where they will face off against Dublin Premier IHC champions, Fingallians next Saturday.
James Stephens: Seán Manogue, Eoin Deely, Sam McEvoy, Dara Behan, Jamie O’Keeffe, Niall Mullins, Conor Heffernan (0-02), Ed Lauhoff (0-01), Seán Deely, Ed McDermott (0-04), Luke Scanlon (0-02), Cian Kenny (0-06 [3f, 3 ’65s],), Eoin Guilfoyle, Stephen Manogue (0-02), Tadhg O’Dwyer (0-03 [3f])
Substitutes: Willie Spencer (for S. Deely, 38′), Conor McEvoy (for O’Dwyer, 44′), Diarmuid Behan (for Stephen Manogue, 53′), Matty McWey (for Guilfoyle, 60+3′)
Cloughbawn: Seán Keating, Páidí Cullen, James Dempsey, Nathan McDonald, Darragh Kehoe, Colm Kehoe, Barry Kehoe (0-01), Cathal Kehoe, Liam Flood (0-01), Paddy Whitty, Barry Carton (0-2), Shane Kehoe (0-02), Connal Flood (1-05), Harry Kehoe (0-01), Bob Whitty (0-03 [3f]).
Substitutes: Barry Sweetman (for Carton, HT), Darragh Redmond (for L. Flood, 52′), Conor Ryan (for P. Whitty, 60+1′).
Referee: Colm McHale (Dublin).
