HURLING kingpin Henry Shefflin’s hopes of guiding a local club to success before moving on to manage Galway senior hurlers took a nosedive at the weekend.
The hugely decorated winner of 10 senior hurling medals was manager of Thomastown in the Kilkenny Intermediate Championship and steering them to senior hurling would have been another feather in his managerial cap.
He had already managed his parish team, Ballyhale Shamrocks to glory as team boss after helping them to win umpteen trophies.
But, hitting the winner’s podium with Thomastown wasn’t to be.
Despite putting up a great show in the intermediate semi-final against Glenmore that includes the Kilkenny senior hurling brothers, goalkeeper Eoin Murphy and forward Alan, the Town fell at the penultimate hurdle.
The final score was Glenmore 0-19 to Thomastown’s 1-13 and the Glens now meet St Lachtain’s of Freshford in the final.
The latter had a 2-12 to 0-10 victory over its North Kilkenny neighbours, The Fenians of Johnstown that included former inter-county hero JJ Delaney.