Congrats to the Under 13 hurlers who maintained their strong conclusion to the group stages of the A Championship with a gritty away draw with Sixmilebridge at 2-1 to 1-4 amidst inclement conditions this evening.

Don’t let the low scoreline mislead you, this was a compelling evenly-matched battle from start to finish, with both sides giving their all despite relentless rain over the hour.

It actually took 26 minutes for the first score as Gavin Reidy latched onto a break from a Rory Ralph free to pull to the left corner of the net and give the Magpies the perfect boost.

The ‘Bridge would respond immediately, opening their account with a free before scrambling home an injury-time goal to edge 1-1 to 1-0 in front by the break.

The third quarter was equally as attritional but by the turn of the final quarter, the home side had edged three clear.

With the clock ticking down, Tom Slattery, who excelled at corner-back in his first match in over two months, was switched further forward and earned a 20 metre free that he took himself to just clear the crossbar in the final minutes.

The ‘Bridge did manage to restore a three point cushion entering injury-time but with Rory Ralph hauled down on his way to goal, the Magpies were handed one final opportunity to get something out of the game.

Inevitably, up stepped Tom Slattery once more, this time crashing the free to the net to snatch a share of the spoils.

Attentions now switch to football as the Under 13’s host Cooraclare next Wednesday (6.15pm) in the Under 13 Division 2 Championship Quarter-Final so make sure to come down to the field to support these character-filled Magpies!