This year’s Offaly SHC looks to be wide open after Kilcormac/Killoughey and Shinrone suffered surprise opening round defeats yesterday.

Four-in-a-row chasing Kilcormac/Killoughey couldn’t absorb the losses of star forwards Charlie Mitchell and Adam Screeney as they succumbed to record title holders Coolderry by 2-17 to 4-14 in Kilcormac. Top-scorer Eoin Burke, Shane Ryan, Andy Connolly and Gearóid McCormack found the net for Paul Cuddy’s men who had trailed by 2-7 to 2-9 at the break.

The hosts finished with 14 men after Daniel Hand picked up a late red card.

Earlier in the day, former county star Shane Dooley fired 1-14 as Tullamore saw off last year’s runners-up Shinrone by 2-24 to 3-19 in their home pitch of O’Brien Park.

St Rynagh’s put a difficult 2025 behind them when accounting for Birr by 3-18 to 1-20 in Banagher. A dominant second quarter, in which they scored 2-5 without reply in the space of seven minutes, helped Rynagh’s to a 3-10 to 0-8 half-time lead before Birr mounted a second half comeback. Eoin Woods, Evan Houlihan and Shane Rigney raised the winners’ green flags.

In the other Round 1 fixture, Brian Duignan scored 0-10 as 2024 finalists Ballinamere eased to a 0-24 to 0-12 victory over newly-promoted Lusmagh.

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