AHEAD of a three-week break, Doon will be pretty pleased with a couple of wins from as many starts in the Limerick Senior Hurling Championship.
Now under the management of former Waterford boss Derek McGrath, the east club – who have never tasted ultimate success – are on full points in Group One following victories over Kilmallock and most recently Patrickswell.
Against the ‘Well, McGrath’s outfit were a little flattered with an eventual 4-14 to 0-20 victory at Kilmallock’s Fitzgerald Park.
County performers Adam English (1-5) and captain Darragh O’Donovan, along with Chris Thomas and Darragh Stapleton, raised green flags for Doon, beaten county finalists on four occasions.
With two defeats, 20-time champions Patrickswell find themselves under pressure to secure one of four qualification places from the top-tier.
Odds on Doon lifting the John Daly Cup have shortened considerably since the start of the Championship.
Elsewhere, Kilmallock – whose manager Peter Queally will be in charge of his native Waterford next season – recovered from the opening round loss to Doon with a slender defeat of Mungret St Paul’s, 1-20 to 1-19, in Bruff at the weekend.
Limerick’s breakthrough star of 2024 Shane O’Brien (19) was superb, contributing a fine 1-5 for Queally’s charges.
At Kilmallock’s Fitzgerald Park, Ronan Lynch (0-7) top-scored for holders Na Piarsaigh in a 1-22 to 1-17 win over Ahane in Caherconlish.
The defending champions are on maximum points.
In Group Two, from which just two teams progress, there were wins for Ballybrown, Monaleen, and Dromin-Athlacca (DA).
DA have been the form team to date with two wins on the bounce, the most recent of which was against Adare (2-16 to 1-16) in Ballyagran. While county ace David Reidy delivered an important nine points for DA, a more crucial contribution was that of a late quality goal from Jack Fitzgibbon.
