Rathdowney-Errill 0-17 Clough-Ballacolla 0-14:RATHDOWNEY-ERRILL mounted an incredible second-half comeback to claim the Laois SHC title at O'Moore Park on Saturday.

Clough-Ballacolla came out full of determination and struck five great points inside ten minutes before Darren King picked off the challengers’ first point from play. The champions replied with a point by Willie Hyland and Stephen Maher.

Rathdowney-Errill kept in touch with points by the King brothers but at the interval Clough-Ballacolla were looking good after three great points by Mick McEvoy and four from Stephen Maher had them leading 0-13 to 0-6 but Rathdowney had wind assistance on the change over.

The second half saw an incredible turn around as Clough-Ballacolla managed just one point in the second half as they surrendered a seven point advantage.

The sides were level on 14 points each when Clough-Ballacolla’s Tom Delaney was sent off with ten minutes left. A point by Brian Campion from eighty metres gave them the lead and a brace from Ross King sealed a famous victory for Rathdowney-Errill.

RATHDOWNEY-ERRILL: N Brennan; B Campion (0-1), L Mahon, A Delaney; J Fitzpatrick, P Mahon, J Corrigan; S Dollard (0-2), E Meagher; D King (0-2), J Purcell (0-3), P Purcell; J Phelan, L Tynan, R King (0-9). Sub: Owen Houlihan for D King.

CLOUGH-BALLACOLLA: D Hanlon; JA Delaney, D Maher, R Broderick; T Delaney, B Duggan, B McEvoy; S Hanlon (0-2), C Coonan (0-1); D Bergin, M McEvoy (0-3), S Maher (0-5); W Dunphy (0-1), W Hyland (0-2), M Dunphy. Sub: A Doyle for M Dunphy.